Mums the Word

I know I said I would try to keep on the pruning track this week, but I am running short of time so it is a good thing I have so many posts already prepared. This is one of them. I will still get some pruning posts prepared (of course, what would you expect from a Citizen Forester and tree lover?) and post them later. So much to talk about and to do-in the garden....

It is so hard to beat Chrysanthemums in the garden for fall color and interest. I have a lot of favorite plants, but mums have to be one of my all time favorite ones. And of course, there is a story behind it.

I lived in Germany many years and tried to garden wherever I was living. While living in Patrick Henry Village in Heidelberg Germany, I purchased and planted a few mums. They were beautiful and I enjoyed them that fall. Little did I know at the time they would return the following spring. I had no idea they would survive the harsh German winters but those mums came back every year I lived in that apartment building. For all I know, they may still be blooming.

Some people here in Tennessee and surrounding states do not realize most mums are hardy and will come back year after year. I have lost a few over the years but mostly because they were not well suited for the location, or were under stress. I think to be sure your mums return you must plant them in a well drained soil. They cannot be allowed to sit in water and freeze repeatedly over the winter.

Another really great thing about mums is they are so easy to propagate. You must cut them back and keep the plant size to around six inches until mid July or so if you want them to be bushy and full of flowers in the fall. If you don't cut the mums they can get leggy and will bloom less heavily. When you clip them back, plop the cuttings in some soil on your deck or porch away from direct sun, water well, and by the time September rolls around you will have more mums to plant out in your garden. These same cuttings taken in June will bloom the very first year!

Mums are heavy feeders and in order to have a great show give them a balanced fertilized in July or August. So the next time you buy mums for your porch, don't give up on them after their bloom has passed by and throw them on the compost heap, plant them out and grow them for many more years.

The mum pictured above was a gift from one of the master gardeners (Mrs. Moody) during the 2006 Master Gardener tour. She had a beautiful garden and was very gracious by putting out freebies for the touring gardeners to take home with them. This is by far my favorite mum and even though the picture does not do it justice, this mum is different from most of the mums I grow. First of all, it doesn't even start blooming until all my other mums have gone by, then it blooms for over two months, all the while looking like it has just started blooming. This mum still had color in January, so I will have to say mums can be great for winter color AS WELL as fall color. The center of the bloom looks like a dandelion (Geri's view), but has distinctly different outer petals surrounding the cushion part of the flower. I thank Mrs. Moody for sharing her garden with me by giving me such a great plant. And, Mrs. Moody, if you read this blog, can you tell me the name of the mum if you know it? Thanks!

in the garden....