As late summer wanes, things might seem a bit boring in the garden. The grass is brown, the soil is parched and the foliage of evergreen trees and shrubs have hardened. End of summer doldrums have arrived.
One great way to freshen up the garden with some fall color is to add a few chrysanthemums. These days, you will find them growing in 4-inch pots, in bud and bloom, waiting for a sunny spot in your garden or on the patio. Bright colors of yellow, orange, red, pink and white can add a nice pop of color to an otherwise summer-worn garden.
As short-lived perennials go, bedding chrysanthemums are fairly easy to grow. They need full sun on the coast, some shade inland, where it is hot. Adding a 4-4-4 all-purpose organic fertilizer at planting time will carry the plants through the winter into spring. In the late winter, plants should be cut back to the ground. By spring, foliage returns.
Bedding chrysanthemums can be grown either in the ground or in containers. They stand out on their own, especially when massed in a bed or border. Since chrysanthemums steal the show color wise, they combine best with ornamental grasses, sedums and other hardy succulents.
Compared to other perennials, chrysanthemums are fairly pest resistant. Slugs and snails are not a problem this time of year. Deer tend to leave them alone.
Terry Kramer is the retired site manager for the Humboldt Botanical Garden and a trained horticulturist and journalist. She has been writing a garden column for the Times-Standard since 1982. She currently runs a gardening consulting business. Contact her at 707-834-2661 or terrykramer90@gmail.com.
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