Have you looked ahead at the long-range weather forecast? The first week of September is on track to be in the upper 70s, the first time in a long while that we’ve seen anything consistently out of the upper 80s and low 90s. Overnight lows will be in the 60s. Fall is definitely around the corner! And even though the mercury still says “summer,” gardeners know it’s time for fall planting.
I love this time of year. The cooling temperatures inspire me to be more active in the garden, as opposed to simply tending what’s already there. And the anticipation of autumn and changing leaf colors gets me thinking about adding deeper, more “traditional” fall colors – burgundy, orange, gold – to the patio.
An easy, time-honored way to get these colors into the landscape is with chrysanthemums. These members of the Aster family are native to East Asia and northern Europe. Fortunately, while they bring color, texture, and cold-weather tolerance to our gardens, they do not become “aggressive” or invasive; we can count on them to stay where we plant them.
Although there are a number of diseases that may attack chrysanthemums, mums are relatively trouble-free. However, drought will cause woody, stunted growth, and overwatering will cause yellowing leaves that blacken and drop, so do pay attention to placement and watering. https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/chrysanthemum-diseases-insect-pests/
Before you head out shopping, have your basic plan in mind: are you looking to add some splashes of color to your deck or patio through the fall, or do you want to make chrysanthemums part of your perennial garden? Either annual mums or hardy mums will be fine in containers, but if you want the plants to come back year after year, look for hardy mums.
Either way, along with providing good fall color, chrysanthemums have the added benefit of being a good late-season nectar source for butterflies.
You can shop your local garden center or, if you’d prefer to shop from home, Proven Winners (PW) has an assortment of nearly thirty beautiful annual mums to choose from. The plants will ship by the end of the month “in bud form, ready to burst into color.” PW points out that “flowering time depends on your weather conditions and will speed up as temperatures cool down.” Info and ordering at https://bit.ly/3jgMtns (Proven Winner plants have been proven in trials around the world to be easy to grow and care for, healthy and vigorous, long-blooming, bright, and colorful.)
One of my favorite events at Longwood Gardens is the annual Chrysanthemum Festival. This year’s festival runs from October 16 through November 14, and is free with regular admission. Info at https://longwoodgardens.org/events-performances/events/chrysanthemum-festival
Note: In previous columns this month, I mentioned planting Swamp Milkweed (Ascelpias incarnata ) and Butterfly Weed (Ascelpias tuberosa ) to attract and support monarch butterflies. I neglected to mention Common Milkweed (Ascelpias syriaca). If you’re serious about attracting monarchs, this is a great species of milkweed to grow. It is robust, given to spreading into clumps, and growing from three to five feet tall (sometimes taller). Also, thanks to all of you who wrote to tell me about your own monarch adventures. So heartening and inspiring!
