FLORIST CHRYSANTHEMUMS -- LATE BLOOMERS ADD BEAUTY TO FALL GARDENS

These florist mums are an exceptional fall bloom. Flowering late in the year, from the end of October and all of November, makes them a much-needed color in the late fall garden. The only down part is that if we get an early killing frost, they don't have to bloom.  This hasn't happened to me yet, and I've grown these beautiful blooms for 7 or 8 years now. 

This arrangement was made November 13. However, I had harvested them two weeks earlier. I have two boxes in a community garden, and they required us to clean up our boxes October 30, so I cut off all the stems, most in bud stage, and kept them in a large bucket on my back porch. I made the arrangement two weeks later. The arrangement lasted well over two weeks. The mums have the very longest vase life of any flower I grow.

The two varieties here are florist mums light lavender/white decorative variety "Resomee" and a beautiful reflex variety, rosy lavender, "Bill Holden" 

These medium-sized plants were still 5 feet tall, and they really needed to be staked at that height.  I am going to pinch them off next year even shorter than I did this year to keep them more manageable.  They can be pinched back to as late as July 4 here in zone 6.  Next season I will cut them down to 6" at that time.

No garden should be without some mums for the fall. Their color, hardiness and longevity is unmatched for blooms at that time of year.

HALLOWEEN ARRANGEMENTS -- VOTIVE HOLDER USED AS A VASE

This votive holder lantern makes a great vase for a fall floral arrangement. The flowers are in an orange vase and placed inside the lantern.

Dinner plate dahlias were used for the Halloween arrangement. "October Sky," the orange/peachy one is actually grown on the same plant--the flowers have variable colors--no two blooms are exactly the same.  The rosy purple one is "Thomas Edison."

This arrangement was made on the 30th of October. And, as you can see, the flowers are big and beautiful. They will continue on that way until a killing frost--usually in November. And, like I've mentioned before, the more stems you cut, the more blooms you'll end up having.

HALLOWEEN ARRANGEMENTS -- USING DECORATIONS FOR VASES

This Halloween jack-o-lantern decoration has a glass jar inside, holding the floral arrangement.  I'm always on the look out for decorations I can use for them.

The fall dinner plate dahlias are the perfect flower to use in this October arrangement.  Used are rosy purple "Thomas Edison," yellow-orange "October Sky," and red "Envy."

Dinner plate dahlias take approximately 90 days from the time of planting to harvest. However, the wait is well worth the wait!

Nurseries have plants already leafed-out to plant in your garden, but I always buy the tubers and plant in spring, after the chance of frost of over. For zone 6, that's the day after Mother's Day.

FALL ARRANGEMENTS of ROSES AND ZINNIAS - the last blooms are colorful and large

I love the fall colors of the roses and zinnias in the flower beds. When the nights get longer and the temperatures dip, the colors are brighter, and the blooms get larger. This year was no exception; the hybrid tea roses, with their last buds of the year, and the last blooms of the State Fair zinnias, before the temperatures nip the foliage, have been stellar! This arrangement showcases the lively colors of the last blooms of roses, zinnias, delphinium, geranium and garden mums. 

To get ready for winter, if the roses have some tall canes 5 or more feet high, I prune them back to 3-4 feet. This helps to protect cane breakage in the snowy winter months. I also make sure the base has a layer of mulch to protect them in case of extremely cold temperatures during the winter months, which occurs quite often here in zone 6. The zinnias are pulled out; they are an annual.  To preserve seed to scatter for next spring, take dried blooms and shake into an envelope. The tiny seeds can be stored in the refrigerator. Delphinium readily reseed, and I let them do this naturally, moving small seedlings next spring to areas I want them. Garden mum stalks are cut to the ground; they will have a new growth at the base that you will see when you cut the stalks down.

FALL ARRANGEMENTS - Mums have an extra long vase life

Garden and Florist Chrysanthemums, commonly called mums, are beautiful and colorful fall bloomers that are exceptional for arrangements because of their lasting power in the vase. I have had arrangements last as long as a month, as this fall arrangement of daisy-like blooms of Anemone "Prom King.".

For these colorful displays, just pick the flowers before they are opened fully, stripping off all foliage that will be beneath the water line. Plunge in deep water that has been treated with a floral preservative, and it's best to keep arrangements out of direct sunlight and out of drafts. I love the wide color assortment that they come in--from pure white, to pink, peach, apricot, yellow, golden, bronze, orange and rust.  They also come in all shades of purple and burgundy, and various multi shades of two or more colors. There is even a nice green mum.

Their form is as diverse as their colors--singles, spoons, quills, doubles, spiders, decorative, cascades, the small gnomes, garden cushion,  anemone, pompoms and exotic. The same goes for their size--anything from the tiny gnomes to the huge, giant exhibition blooms that reach 8" across! Their height is also varied--short, medium and tall ranging from one foot to 4 or 5 feet tall. I love them for their easy growth, hardiness, and explosive color in the fall months when their color is so needed. It is suggested to keep the plants at 6" tall until the 4th of July. If the plant need to be pruned back, it just makes the plants bushier and more manageable in the fall. They like moist, but not wet, soil, and a feeding of a balanced fertilizer early in the season, or when planting in the spring, when all danger of frost has passed. These beauties will return each year, giving you many years of enjoyment.

MUMS - Long-lasting, colorful, prolific fall blooms when cooler temperatures arrive

There's nothing quite so pretty in the fall as colorful fall mums in the garden. Blooming when the nights are longer and the temperatures are cooler, these flowers come in all colors and shapes and sizes. They retain their bushy mound, and are, for the most part, very hardy; some of the bigger florist mums do best with a little winter protection. Whether it's a spider mum or a huge decorative mum, they last longer in the vase than any flower I work with--it's not uncommon for arrangements to last 3 weeks--even up to 4 weeks if picked in the bud stage. This week's arrangement is a nice fall color of burnt orange mum, and is a garden variety--keeping its nice, tidy mound and a manageable height of 18-24 inches. They are easy to grow and take care of, requiring little, if any, special treatment, returning year after year. After planting new plants in the spring, when all danger of frost is over, they appreciate a good fertilization. I use Osmocote. Keep moist, but not wet. I pinch or trim mine down to 6 inches until July 4th--this keeps them bushier and more manageable, as some will get very tall and fall over. I then keep them de-budded until the end of August if they form buds They will bloom when the nights are longer because they need darkness to bloom. If you want them to bloom earlier, you can cover them in the day for a few hours. Pictured are a few of the varieties I grow.