‘Quan Yon Hung’ is one of the heirloom chrysanthemums I’m growing this year, and it is one of those plants that proves you do not need a towering plant to get a dramatic flower.
It is classified as an irregular incurve chrysanthemum and produces very large blooms on a relatively short plant — around two feet tall. Its normal bloom period falls between roughly October 20th and October 30th, so this one is flowering almost exactly on schedule.
The flowers are pink, but the color is much more interesting when you look closely. The inside of each floret has a purple cast, which gives the bloom far more depth than a simple pink chrysanthemum.
I have ‘Quan Yon Hung’ growing in more than one location, and I have noticed some variation in color. The plants I grew for sale this year are in full sun, and their flowers are a lighter pink. The plant established near my back patio receives less intense sun, and its blooms are noticeably darker. That difference in light exposure may be contributing to the variation in color.
This is also a chrysanthemum that is often grown as a disbud. In other words, growers remove the side buds so the plant can direct more energy into producing one enormous bloom.
I do not disbud mine in the garden. I want all the flowers.
If I were growing ‘Quan Yon Hung’ specifically for cut-flower production, however, I probably would disbud it to see just how large the individual flowers could become. Even without doing that, the blooms are already impressively large.
For me, this is one that deserves a permanent place in the garden. My established plant grows close to the house in a protected area, where it benefits from some additional warmth, and it has been returning reliably.
Large flowers, a manageable height, beautiful color, and good garden presence — ‘Quan Yon Hung’ has earned its spot.
