文章
莹723
2021年02月03日
Chrysanthemums, also called mums, are the quintessential fall flower. They're inexpensive, come in tons of different colors and bloom in response to shorter days when the rest of your garden is fading. They also have few pests and generally aren't munched by hungry deer because their foliage isn't particularly tasty.
But are mums annuals or perennials? The answer is...mums really are sort of both, depending on conditions and when you get them in the ground. If you wait until fall to plant chrysanthemums in your garden, you're missing out! Plant them earlier in the season, and you'll be able to enjoy them returning year after year.
1.What kind of mums should you plant?
There are garden mums, also called hardy mums, and florist mums. Garden mums thrive in zones 4 to 9, while florist mums—like you can buy at the grocery store in gift pots—are only hardy to USDA Hardiness zones 7 to 9 (find your zone here). Read the label so you know what you’re buying to ensure that a specific variety will survive winters in your area.
2.Do mums come back every year?
Yes. And no! It depends on when you get them in the ground. Mums need to get their root systems established in time to survive winter. If you plant them in the fall, that's often too late because they’re putting energy into blooming, not building roots. You may get lucky if you plant them early in the season and if you choose those that are in tight bud, rather than plants in bloom.
You also have a better shot with fall planting in warm climates. For anywhere else in the country, get your mums in the ground in spring if you want them to return next year. They still will bloom this fall, too.
3.How can I make sure my mums come back?
Dig a hole slightly larger than the pot and just as deep as the root ball. Water well, and mulch to maintain moisture, keep down the weeds and offer winter protection. Water during dry spells. When the plants appear next spring, feed them with a granular slow-release fertilizer, if you like, and pinch off the tips (the top inch or so) a few times before July to encourage bushiness.
After that, stop pinching or you’ll remove flower buds. If you're not into maintenance, leave them be for a more freeform appearance. Either way, your mums won't have that tightly mounded shape subsequent seasons as when you bought them. That's because the plants you first brought home were treated with growth regulators to produce dense, rounded forms.
4.Do mums need full sun?
Absolutely! They need at least six hours of direct sunlight per day. Like most flowering plants, they won't bloom well if they aren't getting tons of sun.
5.Do mums need special care?
Once in bloom, don't bother cutting off spent blossoms because that doesn't extend the flowering time. Next spring, don't be too eager to yank them out if it appears they're not doing anything at first. Sometimes it takes time for them to pop up after a long winter. If you don’t see anything happening by late spring, they probably didn't make it. Treat yourself to some new mums!
But are mums annuals or perennials? The answer is...mums really are sort of both, depending on conditions and when you get them in the ground. If you wait until fall to plant chrysanthemums in your garden, you're missing out! Plant them earlier in the season, and you'll be able to enjoy them returning year after year.
1.What kind of mums should you plant?
There are garden mums, also called hardy mums, and florist mums. Garden mums thrive in zones 4 to 9, while florist mums—like you can buy at the grocery store in gift pots—are only hardy to USDA Hardiness zones 7 to 9 (find your zone here). Read the label so you know what you’re buying to ensure that a specific variety will survive winters in your area.
2.Do mums come back every year?
Yes. And no! It depends on when you get them in the ground. Mums need to get their root systems established in time to survive winter. If you plant them in the fall, that's often too late because they’re putting energy into blooming, not building roots. You may get lucky if you plant them early in the season and if you choose those that are in tight bud, rather than plants in bloom.
You also have a better shot with fall planting in warm climates. For anywhere else in the country, get your mums in the ground in spring if you want them to return next year. They still will bloom this fall, too.
3.How can I make sure my mums come back?
Dig a hole slightly larger than the pot and just as deep as the root ball. Water well, and mulch to maintain moisture, keep down the weeds and offer winter protection. Water during dry spells. When the plants appear next spring, feed them with a granular slow-release fertilizer, if you like, and pinch off the tips (the top inch or so) a few times before July to encourage bushiness.
After that, stop pinching or you’ll remove flower buds. If you're not into maintenance, leave them be for a more freeform appearance. Either way, your mums won't have that tightly mounded shape subsequent seasons as when you bought them. That's because the plants you first brought home were treated with growth regulators to produce dense, rounded forms.
4.Do mums need full sun?
Absolutely! They need at least six hours of direct sunlight per day. Like most flowering plants, they won't bloom well if they aren't getting tons of sun.
5.Do mums need special care?
Once in bloom, don't bother cutting off spent blossoms because that doesn't extend the flowering time. Next spring, don't be too eager to yank them out if it appears they're not doing anything at first. Sometimes it takes time for them to pop up after a long winter. If you don’t see anything happening by late spring, they probably didn't make it. Treat yourself to some new mums!
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文章
Miss Chen
2018年08月10日
You probably know chrysanthemums (Chrysanthemum spp.) -- or mums -- as familiar plants covered with colorful flowers that brighten the fall landscape. Although often seen in plant nurseries as container-grown specimens ready to flower in early fall, they are hardy perennial plants. The variety commonly called hardy garden mum (Chrysanthemum morifolium), for example, grows as a perennial in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 9. When planted in spring within their growing range and given the right kind of summer care, mums become well-established and usually return each spring to bring their bright colors to the fall garden.
Watering and Feeding
If you plant young mums in spring or overwintered mums showing new growth, then keep them well-watered during late spring and into the summer months. Regular supplies of moisture is especially important for them during hot, dry weather. So water the plants deeply whenever the top 1 inch of their soil feels dry to the touch. During dry spells, a good rule of thumb is to water once each week, but water at each plant's base to keep foliage dry and discourage the growth of fungus. Adding 2 or 3 inches of organic mulch such as shredded bark on the soil surface under the plants helps conserve soil moisture, but keep the mulch back a bit from each plant's center to help prevent fungal diseases.
Feeding, or fertilizing, mums during their growing season -- late spring through summer -- also helps them put out strong growth and set lots of flower buds. Use a water-soluble, high-phosphorous fertilizer formula such as 5-10-5 to boost blooming, diluting the fertilizer by mixing 1 tablespoon of it in 1 gallon of water. Apply the fertilizer solution once each month during the growing season for the best results, using it instead of a regular watering.
Pinching Back for Bushiness
If you plant young mum plants in the garden in spring or grow mums from the previous season, then pinch off the tips on their new stems when they are about 6 inches long, using your fingertips or shears that you wipe with rubbing alcohol after each cut to prevent the spread of plant diseases. When new side shoots -- laterals -- sprout at each trimmed tip, also pinch them back when they're 6 to 8 inches long. Continue trimming back new shoots as they appear until midsummer. Then let the plants grow without further cutting. This approach produces compact but bushy mums with masses of flower buds.
Avoiding Problems
Mums are usually trouble-free and simple to grow, but they may develop a fungal disease if grown in overly wet conditions. You could see white powder from powdery mildew on their leaves, or gray mold could cause grayish deposits on the leaves and stems. Keeping plants well-spaced for good air circulation and watering each plant at its base helps avoid these fungal problems. If you see signs of fungus, though, it's best to remove the affected parts of the plants, cutting into healthy tissue behind the damaged parts. Discard all plant debris on a regular basis because it can harbor fungus. If a fungal problem is severe, remove mulch from under the plants to help the plants dry quickly after rain or watering.
Mums are usually pest-free, but small, mahogany-tinted insects called chrysanthemum aphids might become a problem, sucking plant juices and slowing plant growth. A chrysanthemum aphid nymph is 2/100 to 4/100 inch long; an adult without wings is 6/100 inch long, and an adult with wings can grow almost 1/10 inch long. If you see these pests on a mum, spray the plant with insecticidal soap, diluted at a rate of 5 tablespoons of insecticidal soap concentrate per 1 gallon of water, and repeat the treatment every two weeks as needed.
Watering and Feeding
If you plant young mums in spring or overwintered mums showing new growth, then keep them well-watered during late spring and into the summer months. Regular supplies of moisture is especially important for them during hot, dry weather. So water the plants deeply whenever the top 1 inch of their soil feels dry to the touch. During dry spells, a good rule of thumb is to water once each week, but water at each plant's base to keep foliage dry and discourage the growth of fungus. Adding 2 or 3 inches of organic mulch such as shredded bark on the soil surface under the plants helps conserve soil moisture, but keep the mulch back a bit from each plant's center to help prevent fungal diseases.
Feeding, or fertilizing, mums during their growing season -- late spring through summer -- also helps them put out strong growth and set lots of flower buds. Use a water-soluble, high-phosphorous fertilizer formula such as 5-10-5 to boost blooming, diluting the fertilizer by mixing 1 tablespoon of it in 1 gallon of water. Apply the fertilizer solution once each month during the growing season for the best results, using it instead of a regular watering.
Pinching Back for Bushiness
If you plant young mum plants in the garden in spring or grow mums from the previous season, then pinch off the tips on their new stems when they are about 6 inches long, using your fingertips or shears that you wipe with rubbing alcohol after each cut to prevent the spread of plant diseases. When new side shoots -- laterals -- sprout at each trimmed tip, also pinch them back when they're 6 to 8 inches long. Continue trimming back new shoots as they appear until midsummer. Then let the plants grow without further cutting. This approach produces compact but bushy mums with masses of flower buds.
Avoiding Problems
Mums are usually trouble-free and simple to grow, but they may develop a fungal disease if grown in overly wet conditions. You could see white powder from powdery mildew on their leaves, or gray mold could cause grayish deposits on the leaves and stems. Keeping plants well-spaced for good air circulation and watering each plant at its base helps avoid these fungal problems. If you see signs of fungus, though, it's best to remove the affected parts of the plants, cutting into healthy tissue behind the damaged parts. Discard all plant debris on a regular basis because it can harbor fungus. If a fungal problem is severe, remove mulch from under the plants to help the plants dry quickly after rain or watering.
Mums are usually pest-free, but small, mahogany-tinted insects called chrysanthemum aphids might become a problem, sucking plant juices and slowing plant growth. A chrysanthemum aphid nymph is 2/100 to 4/100 inch long; an adult without wings is 6/100 inch long, and an adult with wings can grow almost 1/10 inch long. If you see these pests on a mum, spray the plant with insecticidal soap, diluted at a rate of 5 tablespoons of insecticidal soap concentrate per 1 gallon of water, and repeat the treatment every two weeks as needed.
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文章
Miss Chen
2017年09月29日
The tulip is the world's most favorite flower behind only roses and chrysanthemums, according to Onlyflowers.org. Similar to the top two blooms, tulips can convey many unspoken messages about life, love and relationships, depending on their color and arrangement.
History
Native to Eurasia, tulips were brought to western Europe in 1562 and named "tulipa," the Latin word for turban. Demand for these flowers soon soared, especially in the Netherlands during the 17th century. Historians have dubbed this period "Tulip Mania."
Considerations
Just as roses are associated with romantic love, tulips carry the overall meaning of perfect love.
Significance
Forgiveness and worth, however, are exclusive to the white tulip, according to the Pro Flowers website. This color is also ideal for funerals and memorials.
Musical Ties
The contemporary Christian band Larue borrowed this flower's name for their 2001 song "One White Tulip."
National Flower
According to The Flower Expert website, the tulip -- including the white variety -- is the national symbol of four countries: Hungary, Kyrgyzstan, the Netherlands and Turkey.
History
Native to Eurasia, tulips were brought to western Europe in 1562 and named "tulipa," the Latin word for turban. Demand for these flowers soon soared, especially in the Netherlands during the 17th century. Historians have dubbed this period "Tulip Mania."
Considerations
Just as roses are associated with romantic love, tulips carry the overall meaning of perfect love.
Significance
Forgiveness and worth, however, are exclusive to the white tulip, according to the Pro Flowers website. This color is also ideal for funerals and memorials.
Musical Ties
The contemporary Christian band Larue borrowed this flower's name for their 2001 song "One White Tulip."
National Flower
According to The Flower Expert website, the tulip -- including the white variety -- is the national symbol of four countries: Hungary, Kyrgyzstan, the Netherlands and Turkey.
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文章
Joss
2017年02月18日
Mums, or #Chrysanthemums , are one of the most popular and classic fall flowers for the garden of all time. With good reason! They come in a wide array of colors, last well into frost, and keep a dying landscape looking fresh and colorful while we ready ourselves for letting go of the growing season. But there are some tricks to growing them, and some of them may catch you off guard. Here are the five mistakes most people make growing Mums, and how to correct them!
Mistake 1
Planting Mums from the gift section.
If your Mums come in a foil wrapped pot, I have news for you. It’s gonna die. Chances are a well meaning friend gave you this plant in late fall as a gift, and intended for you to plant it in your garden for next year. The problem with that is that gift plants are grown entirely in a greenhouse. Which means, they have never been conditioned to living outdoors. Add to that the fact that nights are growing cold, and frost is just around the corner, and there is no way these plants can harden off before winter sets in. Just enjoy them on a sunny window sill. Then let them go. :) Then look for nursery grown plants called “hardy” Mums. And get them in the ground no later than early fall. (And spring is better!).
Mistake 2
Forgetting to Feed! Mums are heavy feeders, and they are even more voracious if they are planted in containers. Feed, feed, feed!
Mistake 3
Expecting them to be hardy while planted in containers. While I do use Chrysanthemums in containers, and I have had them overwinter and come back in the spring, this is the exception. When plants are in containers, there root systems are less protected. If you plant Mums in containers, treat them as annuals and plan to replace them next year. This is why they are cheap!
Mistake #4-
Not Pinching! When Mums are about six inches tall, and then again at twelve inches, you should pinch off the tips of the branches. This forces the plant to grow more compact, and thus avoids that awkward “floppy” stage right before they are ready to open their blooms, ruining the whole seasons growth!
Mistake 5
Not taking advantage of Mums in the garden bed. You know what, don’t wait for fall to think “I want some Mums to add fall color!”. Plant Mums in the spring with your other perennials, and make sure you try varieties of different size, colors and flowers shape. Think of Mums kind of like planting bulbs in the fall… you know you won’t see those tulips bloom until the next season, but it’s worth the wait.
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