Adding chrysanthemums in the fall adds a splash of color to our landscapes. Chrysanthemums, also known as “garden mums” or “hardy mums” are now available at local garden shops and other retail outlets.
Mums can be massed in beds or used as simple pot plants as focal points on terraces or decks.
The preferred blossom color of Rowan County is yellow, but a variety of colors and combinations are also available. More than 30 different varieties are grown by Rowan County producers.
Chrysanthemums are usually produced for consumers as annuals, just as poinsettias are during the Christmas holidays. Once the blooms are spent, the plants are tossed making way for another flowering plant.
However some choose to keep the plant for next year. Those that plant them must realize that the plants will not be as compact and tightly budded as those produced by commercial producers. Intense labor and careful fertilization is very much a part of chrysanthemum production.
The Historic Salisbury Foundation is selling mums as a fund raiser the for upcoming Historic Salisbury OctoberTour. Don’t delay; orders must be placed by Friday, Sept. 21.
Go to http://octobertour.com/buy-mums for more information.