Mums

We had the pleasure of hosting the Men's Garden Club of Pittsburgh.  A nice crowd of gardeners who occassionaly meet at local garden centers.  We each had an opportunity of speak about our area of interest in regards to fall preparations.  I spoke about chyrsanthemums.  Here are a few highlights of our discussion.

 

Mums are considered hardy when grown for fall sales.  These plants can survive down to zone 3.   Their success however is greatly placed on the time of planting. which should be done at least 6 weeks before the first frost.     

Cut /or tease open roots structure using scissors or the tag.
Plant a little deeper that most perennials and apply a root stimulator or transplant fertilizer

When blooms are spent, trim lightly, 4" or so and apply additional mulch.

Check out plants in winter time to make sure they haven't heaved up; if so gently tamp down and remulch.  Christmas tree bows make a good cover also.

Be patient, they take awhile to show their greenery in the spring.

 

These Cheerful plants have been cultivated in asian cultures, dating back to the 15th century and are often used as symbols of nobility and as crests.  Asian sweet teas or drinks can be made from the yellow or white petals. Leaves are steamed and used to thicken soups.  They have medicinal uses as well as air cleaners for indoors.

Many cultures use the white mums for funerals.  They are the tradtional Mom's day gift in Austrailia.  You may notice that many mums are named after girls.  This interesting bit of trivia, goes back awhile.  A lady named Mrs. Mack liked to cultivate mums as a hobby, and named her first two after her daughters, Joan ette and Lee ette.  She continued to cultivate and use girl's names.  When she passed on, Yoder (PA cultivator) continued  this trend.