Question: When is the best time to cut back gold and silver chrysanthemum to make it more compact? 

 Answer:

 ‘Gold and Silver’ chrysanthemum, one of several cultivars of the plant now classified by botanists as Ajania pacificum (formerly designated Chrysanthemum pacificum), is one of about thirty species of the same genus, all from east and central Asia. A. pacificum is the only one of this recently-recognized genus that is widely used as an ornamental.

In Zone 7 and higher, you can cut these plants back as soon as they finish blooming. In colder climes, it is be best to wait until they start putting on strong new growth in the spring.

Although many gardeners grow A. pacificum primarily for its showy foliage, its broad button-like clusters of showy yellow flowers make it doubly attractive. Its flowers provide late autumn color at a time when few other perennials are blooming.

The woolly white undersides of the leaves of A. pacificum spill over to the edges, giving the dark green leaves a variegated appearance from above. It is a mound-forming plant, typically reaching a height of 18-24 inches and a diameter of up to three feet.

‘Gold and Silver’ spreads by rhizomes (underground stems). If you want to limit how far the plant spreads, use a shovel to cut back the rhizomes at the same time that you cut back the top.

These plants are hardy and easy to grow in a wide range of conditions, including poor soil, as long as drainage is adequate. They prefer full sun, but will benefit from some late afternoon shade on dry sites.

They make attractive foliage plants for borders and also make good container plants and cut flowers. They can also be used as ground cover for problem areas where soil is poor.

‘Pink Ice’ is another common cultivar. Propagate A. pacificum by dividing the rhizomes during the cooler months.

Question: I planted a climbing rose last spring. Should it be pruned back this winter when I prune my other roses?

Answer: Climbing roses should receive little or no pruning for the first two or three years after planting. Let them grow to develop long sturdy canes that can be tied to a supporting structure such as a fence or arbor.

Unlike vines, climbing roses don’t climb by producing their own attachment mechanisms. Without help, most climbing roses will simply produce long arching canes to form a huge sprawling shrub.

As your climbing rose grows, prune it only as much as necessary to keep the canes within the desired boundary, and to remove damaged or dead stems.

As growth proceeds, select some of the sturdiest canes and tie them to the support, spacing them as evenly as practical. Remove weaker canes so that only a few strong ones form the basic structure of the plant.

New growth will sprout along the length of the structural canes, and this new growth will develop into flowering shoots. On established climbers, these flowering shoots can be pruned back during dormancy to just a few buds above the main canes.

Spring blooming climbers should be cut back after they bloom. Many climbers will re-bloom, and pruning will help stimulate additional blooming.

As new canes arise from the base of the plant, allow some of them to grow to replace older canes that become damaged or die.