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I can think of only a handful of perennials that bloom so easily, so
prolifically and come in so many colors as the chrysanthemum. Although
they will be available throughout fall, the best supplies are often
found now. If you need to perk up your tired containers of flower beds,
think of this reliable plant.
I can think of only a handful of perennials that bloom so easily, so prolifically and come in so many colors as the chrysanthemum. Although they will be available throughout fall, the best supplies are often found now. If you need to perk up your tired containers of flower beds, think of this reliable plant.
Actually, the mum’s botanical name has been changed to dendranthemum grandiflorum, but I never hear anyone use this name. It doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue.
Mums represent the changing season with their bonze, yellow, orange and red tones. Other flower colors include pink, lavender, purple and white and can match any color scheme you might have.
Grown for years to flower only in late summer and fall, they are short day plants, setting buds when they receive light for 10 hours and darkness for the other 14 hours of the day. This is why mums bloom in the spring on leggy stems if they are not cut back. And this is how growers manipulate their blooming, adjusting the dark and light periods with shades in the greenhouse so buds will form in any month. They’re almost constantly available through grocery stores and florists in every season.
At this time of year, garden mums abound. Pick a plant with lots of buds — they bloom only once and won’t set more flowers until next year. Those buds, though, last a long time if you don’t let them dry out.
The specific type of plant doesn’t matter, since they all have long-term growth potential. There is a European mum that produces hundreds of buds and stays relatively small and compact when set out in the garden. If you particularly like one color or form of chrysanthemum, plant it now to enjoy it again next year. You never know what the growers might decide to raise next season.
Choose a well-drained, sunny spot for planting. Like many members of the daisy family, mums don’t tolerate soggy ground.
After blooming, trim off the old flowers and cut back plants to within 6 to 8 inches off the ground. If you started with 4-inch pots, trim back by half.
Next spring, pinch them back whenever they get above 8 inches tall. Keep pinching until July, then allow them to form buds for the traditional fall show. Mums need regular water, so plant them in spots where you have other plants with the same water needs.
This fall, add to your mum collection or start a new one. The pungent scent of their leaf reminds us that cooler weather is on the way.
And don’t forget to cut some for a bouquet to bring inside the house.
Late September to-dos
Plant cool-season veggie starts like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, chard, lettuce, spinach, brussels sprouts, onions and leeks in soil enriched with 4 to 6 inches of compost, as summer vegetable crops will have used up much of your soil’s nutrients.
You can sow seeds of beets, carrots, radishes, spinach, arugula, mustard and peas directly in the ground.
If you aren’t going to grow vegetables in the garden this fall, consider planting a cover crop like crimson clover after you’ve harvested your summer vegetables. Next month, I’ll talk about how to go about doing this and how this benefits your soil.
This is also the time to start perennial flowers seeds so they’ll be mature enough to bloom next year.
Now through October, divide summer blooming perennials like agapanthus, coreopsis, daylilies and penstemons that are overgrown and not flowering well. You can also divide spring blooming perennials like candytuft, columbine, astilbe, bergenia and bleeding heart — but sometimes they don’t bloom the first spring afterwards due to the energy they use re-establishing themselves.
If you’re on a roll out in the garden, though, go for it now. You never know what other projects you might be working on next spring.
Enjoy our early fall weather out in your garden.
Jan Nelson, a California certified nursery professional at Plant Works in Ben Lomond, will answer questions about gardening in the Santa Cruz Mountains. E-mail her at
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