Now’s the time to plant hardy mums

 

For late season color it's hard to beat mums. Also called garden mums or hardy mums, these fall favorites come in a rainbow of colors, including red, white, yellow and lavender. 

Mums make great container plants, sitting on the front porch, welcoming the fall season.  Hardy mums are also a colorful addition to your perennial beds and with a little care, will come back season after season. Start by selecting a spot in the garden that receives a minimum of six hours of direct sunlight. Mums planted in less than full sun will grow tall and scraggly, with reduced flower size. 

Next, amend the planting site with organic material, such as peat moss or organic compost. Mums will thrive in well-draining soil, something our clay soils don’t do. Plan to mix in equal amounts of amendments to the existing soil, some ten inches to twelve inches deep. The planting hole should be twice as wide as the container and half again as deep.

 Once the planting hole is ready, prepare the mum plant by pruning off all the remaining flowers.  

Leave the foliage in place, even after it dies back later in the season. This will help preserve moisture and protect the crown of the plant. 

Place your garden mum in the planting hole, making sure the crown of the plant is at the same level it was in the container. Fill in around the plant with amended soil. 

Next, mix up a solution of Root Stimulator and water the mum thoroughly. Root Stimulator will help the mum plant establish a strong root system going into winter. Plant to water your newly planted mums every four to five weeks through the winter season. Once the ground is cold, you can add a layer of mulch to help preserve moisture and keep the garden soil stable. Come spring, prune off the dead stems and gradually remove the mulch.

 Planted in the garden now, hardy mums will offer seasonal color as well as pollinator support for many seasons to come.  

Plant specialty bulbs for early spring color

Spring flowering bulbs are a great way to add color and variety to your garden. In addition to tulips and daffodils, specialty bulbs bring bursts of color from late winter through early spring. Sometimes called minor bulbs, specialty bulbs will often emerge through the late winter snow, reminding us that spring is on the way. In addition to filling our spring gardens with color, they offer early forage opportunities for pollinators. Specialty bulbs include Crocus, Muscari and  Scilla siberica, among others. 

While not as well-known as crocus and muscari, Scillia siberica are among the earliest spring bloomers, offering soft white and blue flowers. A very hardy bulb, Scillia siberica will return season after season. 

Blooming closely behind Scillia siberica in early spring are Snow Crocus. The Blue Pearl crocus is a longstanding favorite of gardeners. Blue Pearl can be used as a groundcover, in rock gardens and along borders. 

To extend spring bloom time, combine Blue Pearl with large-flowering crocus such as Purpurea Grandiflora, Yellow Mammoth, Jeanne D’Arc, Pickwick and Remembrance. 

Muscari, known as grape hyacinths, are hardy spring bloomers that produce white, blue or purple flowers that look like bunches of grapes, hence the common name. 

Specialty bulbs will do best when planted in a sunny spot and well-amended soil. Dig in a couple of inches of compost, or peat moss, then add some Dutch bulb food and plant each bulb flat side down, about two inches deep.

 For greater color impact, plant ten to 15 bulbs per square foot. Water the bulb bed every four to five weeks during the winter. Bulbs planted in October will produce large blooms the first year, helping bridge the gap between winter and traditional spring-blooming bulbs such as daffodils and tulips.