Mums the Word….
Looking for
a fall garden project that can repay you in flowers until a heavy frost? A hard working perennial that is easy to care
for? Consider the garden chrysanthemum. An
entire palate of colors are now available just pick the size and shape you desire!
Traditionally fall “mums” are available in
6 inch pots or larger and covered in buds. (Small mums without blooms are sold
in the spring usually in 3 to 4 inch pots.) Once they are established in a
landscape they are repeat performers that require little extra care.
They can be
left in pots on a porch or deck as long as they are watered, but be sure to
plant them before a heavy frost. Choose
a sunny well drained spot for planting your mums. Unless they go through severe
stress their blooms will not die due to transplant shock. A layer of mulch applied around the plants can
prevent root damage due to heaving of the soil. Heaving is due to the freezing
and thawing that occurs during a Kentucky winter. Mulch will insulate the roots
and allow them to establish through cold weather. After the blooms and foliage has
died back in late fall simply prune the plants at soil level. Rake the mulch over the crowns or tops of the
mums to protect them.
Next spring your
chrysanthemums will start to grow from the root system. A slow release
fertilizer for blooming plants is the only special care other than proper
watering. In early summer the growing
tips can be cut back to encourage branching and more blooms. This works well
with mums that are on the edges of garden beds as compact plants with a lot of
color bring dimension to the landscape especially at the end of the growing
season. Chrysanthemums set bloom in the
fall as a response to changing light levels. That means the shorter days of
fall trigger the bloom sequence (darkness for over 11 to 12 hours is required).
Greenhouses that produce florist mums (not hardy enough for a KY winter) can
force mums to set bud and bloom year round by controlling the plants’ exposure
to light and darkness.
Selection
can be the hardest part in choosing a type of chrysanthemum! Petals, bloom shapes
and plant height can vary dramatically. There are flowers that resemble daisies with bright yellow centers, or fancy petals shaped like spoons or delicate long legged spiders. Blooms may be huge ball shaped pompoms on longer stems. Then there are short stocky cushion mums that bloom earlier in clusters.
Choose
healthy plants that are free of leaf spots and insects. Make sure they are labeled
as hardy for climate zone 6. If you want
to select plants of one specific color, at least one bloom should be open for
comparison! Once you have made a choice,
take home and enjoy as they should provide your home with texture and color for
years to come!
For specific
info on mum varieties:
