October 03, 2022

Sample Fall Mums and Favorites!

FALL FAVORITES

PUMPKINS, MUMS, PANSIES, CELOSIA, ASTER, ORNAMENTAL PEPPERS, ORNAMENTAL KALE & SUNFLOWERS

Growing and Shaping Mums

Hardy Garden Mums are my personal favorite!

Mums, the shortened word for chrysanthemums are, low maintenance, easy to grow, loaded with flowers and they come in a wide selection of colors, flower types, and bloom times. A wonderful addition to any fall garden.

We try to grow a full range of hardy mums starting with very early varieties and finishing with late season extenders to keep you in color throughout the fall.

Our In-store information cards list each variety and show pictures, height, spacing, bloom time, growth habit, and vigor.

Various Bloom Dates:

Early: Sept. 8th to Sept. 17th

Medium: Sept. 18th to Sept. 26th

Late: Sept. 27th to Oct. 5th

Very Late: Oct. 6th to Oct. 22nd

Shaping & Trimming For Fall Mum Mounds

'Hardy' Garden Mums are the type you plant outdoors while 'Florist' mums are intended for a brief growing cycle and do not survive frost. (Root systems are different.)

Hardy Mums grow best in a full sun location. Mature plants should be planted far enough apart so the foliage does not touch. Plant at the same soil level as original container and water in thoroughly. If planted in fall no fertilizer is needed until spring. Diseases are best prevented by mums being planted in well-drained soil with proper spacing to allow for airflow.

It is also important NOT to water LATE in the day. Allow the foliage to dry before nightfall.

'Trim In April, May, and June'

Wait until spring to cut back dead stalks.

To encourage branching and development of compact bushy plants, it is important to pinch-back your garden mums in the spring as soon as the growth is 4-6 inches tall.

You can pinch about 1/2 of the new growth at the top of each and every shoot.

Repeat this procedure throughout the summer whenever NEW shoots are 3 to 5 inches long. You can stop pinching around July 4th.

Mums bloom in response to the shorter days and longer nights of fall.

Normal rainfall is often sufficient for mums. During dry spells, water as needed to keep from wilting.

Fertilize with Fertilome's 'Slow Release, Start-N-Grow' on April 4th and again on your final trimming - July 4th.

The vigor listed for each mum relates to both plant height and width.

Ther are three main growth habit's listed for mums:

Classic: Old fashion garden mums habit or semi-upright.
Mound: Nice round habit but not quite a sphere.
Sphere: Very round with flowers all down the sides.

What can I plant in the fall with my mums?

Pansy

Pansies love the cold weather. They flower best in full sun. As a compact, low grower, pansies are ideal for edging and squeezing between rock walls and paths, as long as they can be removed in the summer. They are a great choice for early and late-season containers and complement spring-flowering bulbs. If you like a variety of colors, select plants from the same series. They will be similar in size and markings, regardless of the color.

A few examples are,

'Delta® Blotch Mix'

'Delta® Blaze Mix'

'Delta® Pure Color'

Ornamental Cabbage and Kale

Are cool weather plants that need cool temperatures to produce best leaf colors. They can tolerate a light frost. A snap to grow, both look terrific in containers mixed with plants such as sweet alyssum, and pansy. Both plants sport boldly colored leaves in a painterly mix of pink, purple, white, and red.

Outer leaves remain a medium to dark green, while the centers turn color. Heads begin to color when temperatures reach approximately 60° F. 10-12 days.

'Ornamental Cabbage'

'Ornamental Kale'

'Ornamental'

Celosia also is known as Cockscomb is one favorite.

Unique bold color that is sure to catch everyone's eyes and continue to bloom throughout the season. Easy to care for. Beautiful in mixed containers.

Celosia features showy plumes of flowers rising above the foliage from early summer to mid-fall. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its pointy leaves remain green in color throughout the season. Great for patio planters and gardens. Large, tight flower heads in strong colors.

A few examples are,

'Twisted Orange Ribbon'

'Intenz Dark Purple'

'Dracula'

Masquerade Ornamental Pepper is an early fruiting variety that thrives in fall containers, it bears abundant clusters of long peppers that start out purple, then turn yellow, orange, and finally red. Seasonal best a mounded pepper that grows to around 12" tall and 10" wide. These pretty peppers can be eaten, but be warned-- they're very spicy!

Cheyenne Spirit Echinacea (Coneflower) Petals are narrow, rolled, or quilled in vivid shades of orange, red, rosy-red, yellow, purple, and cream surrounding a large brown cone. Spectacular display from mid-summer to early fall. Plant habit is well-branched, strong, and bushy. Ideal for sunny borders, mass-planting, and growing in mixed containers.

Suntastic Sunflower is a new dwarf sunflower perfect as a cheery long-blooming potted plant or window box accent or maybe to add a burst of color to a sunny garden bed. Gardeners will love the number of flowers each plant produces up to twenty 5-6 inch flowers per plant in three successive blooming periods.

'Masquerade Orna Pepper'