I have already been finding the pumpkins for sale on the side of the road and at the market places. For most of us fall is a time for decorating with these lovely vegetables. So get outside make a scarecrow, throw together a couple of bales of straw set out the pumpkins and add some great fall mums to make the colors pop.
Don't forget to add mums to the inside of the house. Not only will you enjoy the long lasting color but also the fragrance of fall will be brought indoors. If you don't have room for a large mum plant, try adding fresh cut mums in vibrant rust or bronzes in a mason jar to give it a country flair. (Fresh cut mums are very long lasting they can give you 2 sometimes even 3 weeks of color in the house.) Finish your decorating off with a couple of miniature pumpkins in white and orange or add some gourds. (Both miniature pumpkins and gourds, last a long time inside unlike jack-o-lanterns that like it colder.) Add a little burlap, plaid or lovely rich jewel tones of cloth to the mix. some dried acorns or leaves scattered on the table. A little raffia either in a bow or loosely strung and wallah you have a beautiful centerpiece that looks like it come out of a magazine or pinterest.
That outdoor mum will come back again next year if you take care of it. First check to make sure it is a perennial Chrysanthemum. Some mum are grown to only withstand mild temperatures. We call these greenhouse mums cause once they freeze they are done. The perennial mums roots withstand the freezing temperatures if we plant them in the ground soon enough. So before the ground freezes hard you want to plant your mum in the dirt. (That does not mean the normal frosts or even a killing frost.) Pack the dirt up around the plant and leave the dried leaves and flowers on. These will help protect the roots during the winter. When spring has come you may cut off the dried up plant. Watch closely as the roots will regenerate a new plant. After a year or two you may even split your plant into two or three plants to enjoy elsewhere in your yard. Remember to water your root systems in spring and even summer. I lost a number of plants this year because I didn't water them during the drought. :( The ones that where watered and transplanted on the farm did great and are looking beautiful. Note: Do enjoy the mum either inside or out while it is in bloom, you don't need to plant it in the ground right away, only before the ground freezes.Some events to remember to order flowers for this fall are; Sweetest Day, Saturday, October 20; Halloween, let's give a treat of flowers this year; Thanksgiving, November 22. Let's not forget to order early for those homecoming corsages and boutonnieres.
Happy Fall Everyone!
