Many years ago, my Mom used to collect “Ideals” magazines. They were beautiful magazines with poems and short stories on seasonal themes, and always had absolutely lovely photography. In the fall issue, there would be pictures of quiet country lanes lined with golden and red-leaved trees, or Victorian front porches with baskets of apples and potted mums adorning the steps. Maybe you used to see these magazines yourself. Weren’t they visually inspiring!
Now when I see the potted mums in the stores, I am reminded of Mom’s warm, sunny kitchen, and how we’d make a cup of tea and pore over the latest Ideals magazine, and perhaps try to make a fall display. Seeing those mums makes me want to try to recreate some of the beautiful fall displays we’d see in Ideals!
The potted mum that we purchased had no instruction tag, so time for some homework! I found several articles about these mums (often called cushion mums because of their shape), and it seems they are very carefree! They like full sun, to be watered regularly (but not to have wet feet), and will bloom for us for a long time!
I was talking with a gardening friend and we were trying to decide if we could plant these in the garden in the fall. It’s worth a try! More homework now. I found several articles that all gave us similar advice: if we are going to try and plant our mums out later on in the season, we should look for a sunny location with good drainage. We need to dig an adequately deep hole to hold the root ball, and perhaps add a couple handfuls of compost at the bottom.
But we won’t like what comes next! The articles said that we should cut off the blooms (“shear” them off was how one article described it!) before planting! Oh dear! Why? Because we will want the plant’s energy to go into settling in and forming healthy roots, rather than sustaining the flowers. It all makes sense, but won’t that be difficult to do! Next, set the plant in the hole, backfill, and water well. Another article said that depending on the location, we may want to protect the plant later on with a thick layer of leaves.
As with any plant, there are no guarantees that it will make it over the winter, but we have nothing to lose by trying! If you don’t mind giving up some space in your house, you could try bringing in the whole planter; place it in a cooler room with good light, and don’t forget to water it regularly! It may not be the prettiest girl at the dance over the winter; in fact, it may start to look quite scruffy. But chances are that it might make it through.
One interesting thing I read, though: that these nice round mums are treated with a growth regulator to keep them that shape, and next year they likely will not be that shape again. But every gardener loves a challenge, and it is a triumph just to have the plant survive the winter, isn’t it! Good luck!
It seems hard to believe, but the first meeting of the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society will be on Wednesday, September 21 at 7:00 p.m. at SIGN on North Street. We are in for a treat with our special guest speakers, Frank Woloschuk and Glen Tymiak, who will be telling us about “How to store dahlias, glads, calla/canna lilies, geraniums and more” for the winter. You don’t have to be a member to attend, feel free to come and hear these wonderful gardeners share some valuable pointers with us! And new members are always welcome!
Be sure to spend some time in the garden every day: it always has something beautiful to offer to us! Have a good week!
