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Commentary by Angel Rutherford
Special to the Herald/Review
I have always loved mums for fall color and am surprised how well they do in our climate. I have a whole collection that I grow in pots and they come back every year.
Mums come in many shapes and colors. Of course, they do not like our alkaline soils, and as my soil is heavy clay, they are best grown in containers or raised beds. These plants like rich, well-draining and moist soil, but they are forgiving and do not mind if they dry out from time to time. They cannot be in standing water, and they do not like to be kept too wet. That will make their stems woody and leggy, and the lower leaves will yellow or blacken and fall off.
I grow my collection in big clay pots, and I like the look of their foliage even when they are not in bloom. In our region, most varieties bloom in spring and in fall — every time the temperature falls.
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The family of Chrysanthemum includes many different plants. Some are even native to Alaska, like some of the Shasta Daisies (C.maximum), with lovely white flowers. There is even an Alaskan strain called C.articum, with white or pink flowers. It is better to stay away from these beauties, as they do not like our hot temperatures.
Mums, as we know them, are native to China, Japan and Europe. Then there are all the lovely hybrids, called Florist Mums, with fancy colors and flower shapes. I always find another unusual one I just have to have. Colors are shades of white, yellow, pink to reddish and almost black. Flower forms are single daisy to double, pompom, quill and spider. These plants do best in our high desert climate.
The painted daisies, pyrethrum or C.cocconeum belong also to this family of mums, as does the marguerite — C.frutescens. This plant is beautiful. But it is not hardy in our winter and needs to be taken inside. Costmary, the European herb is a chrysanthemum.
I love container gardening, and I have lots of pots I can interchange for long lasting color. Mums need big pots because they grow quite fast. I deadhead — that means I cut off spent flowers, prolonging the flowering season well into winter. On freezing nights, I throw a blanket over the pots. I also like to add winter blooming annuals to these pots such as pansies, alyssum, carnations and blue lobelias. This kind of color is nice in the dead of winter. I need to have the color. Covering my pots through cold winter nights is a small price to pay for all that beauty.
Mums can be manipulated by pinching. The growing tip is pinched out and will branch — voila, more blossoms.
Mums also can be trained into different shapes. Last year I trained a bright pink variety into a cascade that was attractive. I also trained a yellow variety into a standard, a stem with a ball of leaves and flowers that were nice. But the stem is not very strong and has to be staked.
If I find the time I like to play with my plants. This year I was so busy with my photography, shows, art classes, I was satisfied with just keeping everything alive. I guess that is life, we move on and prioritize changes. That is good, nothing is worse than getting stagnant; this is when you know you are getting old. As my friend Carole would say, “Not good.”
Mums are fast growing and have a tendency to outgrow their spot every two years. They need to be divided. This is best done in late winter or early spring. Since I want to keep the color, I do it in spring. Dig up the clump and cut in half or even in quarters and repot.
Mums like fertilizer heavy on nitrogen. I use fish emulsion for mine, to be honest, mostly my pond water or water that I collected from my roof on the few days it rains. These plants are not bothered by pests. At least I never had any problems. They like full sun, but I give them afternoon shade in May and June when it is hot and dry.
Now go and treat yourself to one of those beauties.
Events
• The Geronimo Gallery at the MWR Arts Center presents the Work of nature photographer Angel Rutherford through Oct. 31. To meet the artist a reception will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. on Friday. The gallery is located at the corner of Hatfield and Arizona in Building 52008 at Fort Huachuca.
• The Sierra Vista Area Gardeners Club will meet at the Oscar Yrun Center on Oct. 18 from 1 to 4 p.m. on Oct. 18. The speaker will be Henry Harros, talking about bonsai gardening.
ANGEL RUTHERFORD is a Cochise County Master Gardener and member of the Sierra Vista Area Gardening Club. Her column, In the Desert Garden, appears the first Sunday of each month.
Boo wrote on Nov 3, 2007 6:51 PM: