Garden Mums

Your summer annuals are probably starting to look a little burned out by now and its still too early for winter annuals. If you are looking for some flowers to fill the gap and brighten up your garden for fall look to Chrysanthemums! There are many colors of "garden mums" now available. These are not the same large flowered chrysanthemums you buy in the grocery store. Those are greenhouse grown and are intended to brighten up indoor spaces. They won't survive long out in the real world. But most garden centers in Florida now sell the garden mums. They have smaller flowers, but pack a lot of color. Fall is their natural blooming season. They don't bloom non-stop for months like impatiens or begonias would. But when they bloom, they really bloom. Typically the entire plant will be covered in little flowers that last a few weeks. When they finish blooming you can cut them back and they will bloom again in a few weeks. They are a perennial and with a little attention will often live through the summer and bloom again next fall. You can usually find them in small 4 to 41/2 inch pots for $1.50-$2.00 up to large tubs with plants a couple of feet across for around $20. Choose plants with lots of buds that are just beginning to open. That way you'll get the most time out of your bloom.