Like many gardeners, I'm not a big fan of mums. I really can't stand them as rounded, fuzzy meatball-like monocultures in garish shades of yellow and orange found seemingly at every site of public landscaping and too many home gardens as well. But a few years back when my garden was little more than a few new native forbs, I succumbed to the temptation of buying a couple late-season mums. They were in fuschia and purple, and one promptly died with the frost. But the other has held on, and even in its mostly shady location, it blooms in rich purple, with ray-like stems that are anything but rounded and meatball-esque.
I'm considering moving it to a sunnier spot near the purple sedums I planted this year (if they survived, that is). Maybe I'm withholding my disdain because there's just one, but this mum is an exception to prove the rule and it's welcome here, especially since it's the only thing blooming this year in November.
To see what else is blooming in gardens all over the world, visit Carol at May Dreams Garden.
5 comments:
I'm with you on most mums...the only ones I'm fond of are the singles...there are some lovely pinks and peaches out there...but almost no one carries them :-(
Gorgeous colour.
I'm one of those who buys the big bushel mums at the big box stores each year for some instant color:) But I've never had much luck keeping them from year to year, except for one. And I agree, when they come back as perennials, they're so much prettier than the original!
I just plain like flowers. As long as it blooms here and isn't too invasive, all, including ubiquitous blooms are welcome to check out our garden and see if they like it here. I love that mums bloom when little else is. I love that they're so easy-care and drought-tolerant, and I love that the blooms last such a long time.
I know a lot of gardeners trash mums as common and beneath them, but I don't care. They're unapologetically welcome here.
I feel the same way about mums. If you want some of 'Sheffield,' I'll be happy to dig you a chunk next spring. It is always the last thing blooming in my garden, although the color isn't as nice as your mum. What we need is a 'Sheffield' single-type the color of your mum.
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