Do you have mums yet? Yes, we received our first shipment this week of six inch mums and fall plants with more to arrive, larger mums will be ready later. The mums are green now but just you wait; in a few weeks you will see a magnificent grand show of color that will last about 2 to 4 weeks depending on the weather and the size of the plant. The Chrysanthemum is the harbinger of fall and is always a welcome sight after the hot dry summer months, cooler weather is needed for them to flower their best. Unless you have an event that needs immediate color, purchase them in the green or barely showing color stage and they will save their grand show for your landscape. Plant in flowerbeds or containers as soon as possible, give a little timed release fertilizer, when blooming feed water soluble fertilizer to keep the blooms going, keep moist (not soggy) and sit back and watch the glorious show. Once the first round of blooms fade deadhead those off to let the new flower buds bloom for a longer bloom season on the plant. The bloom time can be extended by purchasing early, midseason and late blooming varieties. Revisit us toward the end of the season for later blooming varieties but do not wait to long due to vendors running out. While most are treated as annuals, mums are perennials and will come back next year. At the store-This first shipment included the 6” mums, ornamental cabbage and kale, herbs, greenery and a few cold season veggies. Til next time,
Vicki
