BY KENT LOWER
GORGEOUS
GARDEN MUMS
With autumn’s arrival, you may fi nd yourself
missing the beauty of summer’s lovely
blooms. But take heart, for fall brings with
it a whole new set of gorgeous gardening
options to bless our yards and homes.
One such option is the chrysanthemum – with its blooms lasting
for weeks and its abundant number of fl owers, you will surely fall
in love with this seasonal garden favorite. Hundreds of hardy varieties,
each with diff erent colors and bloom shapes, will add vibrancy
and interest to any autumn landscape.
Garden mums are superb for use as specimens in foundation plantings,
massed in beds, or grouped in plantings of three or fi ve for
colorful and dramatic focal points in your landscape. Versatile
garden mums can be planted either as young plants in the spring,
or as fl owering plants in the fall. Beautiful garden mum hanging
baskets add a fi nishing touch to any porch. And since mums grow
into wonderful mounds of fl owers, they are perfect for use in containers.
Use them on patios, decks, front porch steps, in window
boxes, and by your backyard pool. Mums are easily planted while
in bud and in bloom into urns, barrels, and other attractive containers
– and they mix well with other plants, as well as ornamental
peppers, sedge grass, creeping jenny, and pansies.
If you’re looking to kick off the fall season with these garden beauties,
here are some things to keep in mind – not just during the
current fall season, but all year long – to keep them healthy, lovely,
and lush.
PLANTING
Plant young plants in a sunny location (at least a half-day of sun),
in fertile, well-drained soil. Soils can be improved by adding compost
and other organic matter. Flowering plants can be placed in
any location where a splash of color is desired, but will grow best in
a sunny location. A two- to three-inch layer of the mulch of your
choice around the plants will protect them from heat and cold, plus
conserve water.
WATERING
One inch of rain or irrigation per week is suffi cient to keep your
garden mums growing well. During dry spells, and in containers,
water as needed to keep plants from wilting. Always thoroughly
water-in any freshly planted garden mums.
FERTILIZING
During the growing season, use organic fertilizer once per month
or a liquid fertilizer every two to three weeks. If planting mums
in the fall, no fertilizer is needed until they begin to grow the
following spring.
PINCHING
To encourage branching and development of compact bushy plants,
it is very important to pinch back your garden mums in the spring
as soon as the new growth is four to six inches tall. Use your thumbnail
and index fi nger to remove or “pinch” about half of the new
growth at the top of each shoot. Repeat this procedure through the
summer whenever new shoots are three to fi ve inches long. Stop
pinching around July 15.
WINTER PROTECTION
Keep your garden mums’ soil moist as winter approaches. Th ere
is no need to prune back plants until the following spring. And
if you haven’t already mulched this year, do so around the plants
aft er several hard frosts with the mulch of your choice (but avoid
using freshly chipped wood or fresh sawdust). In spring, remove
any old garden mum stems (a rake works fi ne for this task) and
make sure mulch isn’t sitting right over the crown of the plant.
8 CIRCA Magazine | October • November • December 2020 | www.circamagazine.com
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