Since October is the last frost-free month throughout the southwest area, there are many chores to be done. It is the culmination of the growing season with gorgeous displays of Oklahoma chrysanthemums and the last fling of the summer bulbs and annuals. Chrysanthemums Early varieties are fading and the mid-season ones are at peak bloom in … Read more
Remarkable things are happening in the world of chrysanthemums? Until recently, the growth of giant chrysanthemums was something only for the expert. Greenhouses were required, or at least frames where the plants could be sheltered from the frosts and shaded with black cloth to bring them into bloom early. Now, with the introduction of early-blooming, … Read more
Chrysanthemums, once thought of primarily as flowers for autumn gardens and greenhouses, are now grown all year round. With an eye to scientific research, Horticulturists discovered that chrysanthemums bloom when the days are short. By controlling the light, using simple means like shading with a dark cloth, the plants bloom outdoors before frosting in cold … Read more
Glamorous greenhouse mums can be grown outdoors. An enthusiastic group of backyard gardeners in St. Louis, Missouri, proves it. Although none of these enthusiasts use identical methods, they all manage to coax prodigious bloom from small plantings. And, remarkably enough, the fancy big mums are proving to be about as cold-resistant as the so-called hardy … Read more
Do you have “chrysanthemania?” There are several symptoms: The quickening of the pulse when standing in front of a display where the big mums are “showing off” in the fall and the feeling of envy when a fellow gardener casually shows you an exhibition size mum they have grown in their garden. There’s no absolute … Read more
The chrysanthemum is a short-day plant. That means it will set buds only after the days begin to shorten. That, in turn, means its flowers will not be ordinarily mature until autumn. And this means that in many cases, frost will destroy the flowers or even prevent there from being any flowers at all. This … Read more
What Will Chrysanthemums Add To My Garden? First of all, they will add lots of colors when needed most—from late summer, when most flowers begin to wane, until the first killing frost in late fall. And the color range of chrysanthemums is by no means limited, for it includes many shades of purple, red, pink, … Read more
The biggest moment in the life of a chrysanthemum comes the day it wins a blue ribbon at a flower show. Its life starts as a cutting taken from a healthy stock plant sometime between May 15 and July 15. Then constant care for the next 2 months or more on the grower’s part brings … Read more
At two of the large chrysanthemum shows in New York City last fall, comments disclosed how incredible it seemed to many visitors that some of the chrysanthemums displayed could have been grown outdoors. The general impression was that they must have been grown on large estates with the help of a professional gardener. This was … Read more
If luck is with us – in the guise of lovely, sunny weather—this will be one of the busiest and one of the most enjoyable outdoor months of the year. Just to name a few of the chores: All hardy and half-hardy annuals and vegetables to be seeded Lawn feeding and reseeding to be attended … Read more