Yes, it’s that ‘back to school’ time of year, almost the end of summer. I don’t know about you, but I don’t let go of summer so easily. Really, the weather is still great and there’s so much outdoor living to do yet.
I like summer so much that I like to use its bright and airy colors in my yard even in the fall. And there is one timeless fall flower that I really like and it has the varieties and colors that I love.
I’m talking about mums (Chrysanthemums). Flamingo pink, dark pink, soft yellow, bright yellow, lavender, white, and mums that look like daisies. If your preference is more for the hues of autumn, the mum has those spectacular colors, too – gold, scarlet, rust, and bronze. And its blooms come in so many shapes and sizes.
Last week, betterOutdoorLivingatHome made a trip to the garden center to see what types of mums and what colors they had. Tables and tables full of mums, each plant packed with hundreds of flower buds waiting to open. Mums are like spring bulbs – they are only in bloom for a short while; so it is best to buy them when they are in bud so that you can take advantage of the full bloom cycle. And really, they are just gorgeous in bud, too.
Each table at the garden center had a display that showed a photo of the mum in bloom – this was helpful to the customer since many of the plants were still in bud.
Here are a few of the ones I spotted in some great summery colors –
This one is called ‘Grandeur White’ – White with a center of soft yellow
‘Perfectly Pink’ has a gorgeous shade of pink
If you’re looking for a yellow cream color, the ‘Jacqueline Yellow’ is perfectly beautiful
And one more –
‘Flamingo Cranberry’ is spectacular and I like its summery flamingo name
I’m really looking for a daisy mum like this, but haven’t found any yet. I love the yellow, but I’d love white or pink daisy mums, too.
Design Ideas
We came up with a couple design scenarios to give you some ideas for using mums in your landscape. Typically, bright colors are striking when used against a dark green backdrop, like an evergreen shrub.
Mums make a good border plant, if they are pinched back a few times after they start growing in the spring and into the summer. This will make them full and keep them from becoming spindly or leggy.
Caring For Mums
These perennial mums are know as hardy ‘garden mums’. The experts say to plant mums in the spring so that the plant develops a strong root system during the summer. So if you buy and plant them in the fall, which many people do, they don’t have enough time to develop those strong roots, and may not survive the colder months if they are not protected. That is something to be aware of if you plan on planting them with the thought that they will come back up next year. They need to be protected, more so in the colder climates.
We planted a few mums in our Mom’s yard late last fall. She had them in planters and we wanted to get them into the ground before winter, but the cold temps got to them – guess they were not protected well enough, and it was just too late in the season for them to get acclimated.
The National Chrysanthemum Society site seems to be informative – you may want to check out if you have questions about growing garden mums.
~M
