Fertilizer Friday - Fall Mums

Recovering from surgery has left me uninspired towards posting anything of late. However, today, the floral show outside reminded me to update the blog. The plant that speaks of fall to me are chrysanthemums. And they are in full show in the front and back beds. The color that seems to stand out the most is white and that's no different when it comes to mums. The combination above, white mums and a Iceberg rose, compliment each other well and glow against the back fence in the evenings. If I had any self control I would have a Moon Garden with all pale colored plants but that's never going to happen. I buy whatever catches my eye, which is why I have a "Cottage Garden" run amuck. The upside is the variety of plants and colors seems to attract a variety of wildlife, some wonderful and some I could totally do without.

The thing about mums here is that they grow well, they spread like weeds and if you cut them back after they're done blooming you can get 2-3 blooms a year, though the blooms will be smaller. There used to  be a lot of experimentation and planting of mums here in Lubbock back in the 1960s-1970s when there was an attempt at naming the city the mum capital of the world (or something along those lines). However, the hard water here would kill off the plants or stunt their growth over the years. However, I've not really experienced a lot of that. More like mums running amuck. Case in point, the one purple mum in the picture above. Over a one year period, I have pulled out sections of the plant and transplanted them to other spots in the front bed that lies on the other side of where this tiny long bed resides. Both are on either side of the sidewalk to the front door. Now, those small mum transplants have taken over the front long bed, crowding everything else out. So I'm going to enjoy the show this year and then will have to do some heavy cull [and possible transplanting] come spring. The mums are covering the Shasta Daisies, which are a lot more valuable to me due to their pretty white color and the fact that they are a lot harder to find in town than mums.

All said, I highly recommend planting mums. They're easy to grown, easy to transplant and are the plants that keep on giving and can easily to given to friends as freebies. Also, as far a vigorious show and striking color, the whites, then bright yellows, and then the purples seem to be the order of showmanship. They also seem to be pretty pest free. Their scent isn't exactly the most appealing but then who goes around smelling a mum?

Want to see more? Visit Tootsie Time to see who else is participating in "Fertilizer Friday" and showing off what's blooming in their gardens.