Add Photo to Journal
|
|
| Photo Credit: Megan Bame |
| The dense mum canopy creates a floral blanket in the garden. |
Chrysanthe- mum is a hot plant in the fall. Many are purchased for only a brief burst of color in September and October to announce the coming of the new season. But with the proper care, your perennial mum can actually provide fall color year after year in the landscape.
Most mums are sold in large containers so they can decorate an entryway or add a punch of color to a fall display. You can keep garden mums in containers or plant them directly in your garden beds. When grown in a container, fall mums shouldn’t need additional fertilization through frost. Just take care that the plant’s given sufficient water and isn’t allowed to wilt – wilting shortens the life of the blooms, most noticeably by faded color. To avoid wilting, check the soil every day. If it’s dry, water thoroughly. Depending on the weather and container size, they may require a daily drink. Even after the flowers in your containers die, mums can still be planted in the garden as a perennial. Mums don’t like wet feet, so select a well-drained location. Then loosen the soil around the edges of the root ball and place the plant in a hole just deep enough so that the top of the root ball is even with the soil line. Where in the garden you plant your mums is up to you, but I recommend a sunny spot, preferably with a southern exposure. Planting near the house or near shrub plantings offers some screening protection from the wind. The thing to remember is that mums are “short-day” plants, meaning they flower when the hours of darkness are greater than the hours of daylight. So don’t plant them directly beneath a streetlight or commonly used porch light that would artificially lengthen the hours of “daylight.” (Otherwise the plant growth in the following years will be leggy rather than compact, and flowering will be delayed.)
|