Garden Tip 198

October arrives, and ‘fall is in the air’ and most definitely in our local garden centers. Pumpkins, gourds, squash, cornstalks, and haybales abound along with the ever-ubiquitous chrysanthemum. Known as hardy mums, garden mums, pot mums, or just plain mums, they are the favorite for brightening up the fall garden and outdoor décor.

Technically a perennial, chrysanthemums have been more recently bred for their flower power than for their hardiness and are thus more often treated now as a fall annual. Mum varieties have a wide range of flower sizes and colors that last four to six weeks on the plant.

With warm fall weather sometimes lasting well into November, it is a good idea to add a longer-lasting annual to the seasonal mix, such as the marigold. Available in fall hues of orange, red, bronze, yellow, and white, these plants will brighten the garden until a hard frost.

Marigolds are available as a potted plant throughout the summer, or ask your local garden center to try a fall crop for next year, it just might become an annual event!