Saturday, November 01, 2014

Yellow Garden Mum


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Garden Mum
Chrysanthemum x grandiflorum 'Donna'
(kris-AN-the-mum) (gran-dih-FLOR-um)
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Synonym: Chrysanthemum x morifolium


Here are two Chrysanthemums that have been brightening up the landscape here. You may not realize it but when you go to the nursery or pick up a couple of mums at the supermarket you are practicing an age-old tradition dating back centuries. While the mum you plant may look like any other flower it is actually the product of years of scientific research and breeding work. ‘Donna’ is a bright yellow member of the Yoder brothers Prophets Series. It was introduced in 1991 and has shown remarkable staying power by keeping on the available varieties list that long. Most varieties are changed out every couple of years.

A new trend for my mums is the actual regrowth of them in the spring. Most of these mums have always been sold as “hardy” but failed to come back. The last couple of years, despite harsh winters, they have appeared in the spring. This is what I have learned about this process. I move the mums in early spring because they have been planted in our seasonal display areas. It is an easy job since they don’t really make a root system during the fall. I usually place them in the perennial border or in the rock garden for the rest of the year. Since we often plant a lot of mums at once in the fall a selection process takes place in the spring where we only take the healthiest and strongest plants for replanting. That way we don’t get overrun with any particular variety. If the plants warrant it division of the roots is okay at this time. A full sun area with adequate water is needed for placement. We usually pinch the mums several times during the season to promote bushiness and later flowering. A Chrysanthemum left to its own devices can bloom as early as July 4th depending on the type (early, mid or late season).

This next picture shows an unknown name that has a different flower type. Chrysanthemums are broken down into 13 different classifications by flower shape.



3 comments:

DeniseinVA said...

Your mums are gorgeous and thank you for the information. An enjoyable post to be sure :)

Ruby said...

Chrysanthemums are my favorite flowers. Lovely little beauties that remain fresh for days.

Digital Flower Pictures said...

Hi Denise, Thanks I will have to come over and see how fall is going in VA.

Yes Ruby they do make a nice cut flower. Some people don't like the smell but to me they smell like fall.