Milk Glass and Mums

Dear sisters,

My oh my how I’ve missed you! I hope you’ve all had a wonderfully satisfying fall and a Happy Thanksgiving! I’m so sorry to keep you all waiting to see who won my one year subscription giveaway to the best darned magazine in the world, aka MaryJanesFarm Magazine. Congratulations to Missy, who loves autumn soooo much she named her daughter, Autumn! And a BIG thank you to everyone who shared what you love most about fall. I loved reading each and every comment. There’s just so much to love about this glorious season including milk glass and mums! In this post, I’m sharing how my experiment growing Chrysanthemums turned out. You’ll be amazed how easy they are to grow! Did you know that Chrysanthemums are known as Novembers Flower? According to ProFlowers Blog, Chrysanthemums or “mums” as they are more commonly known are one of the most widely cultivated flowers in the world, and the birthday flower for those born in the month of November. A native to Asia and northeastern Europe, their name comes from the Greek words “chrysos,” meaning gold, and “anthemon,” which means flower.  They are a member of the daisy family, which also includes asters, zinnias and coneflowers. Many varieties of chrysanthemums bloom during the fall months; however, you can also find chrysanthemums blooming just about any time of the year.

I was born in November and I’ve always been partial to Chrysanthemums of any kind, but it wasn’t until my foray into flower farming that I learned how many different varieties and classes there are beyond the typical garden mum most of us are familiar with. I like to try new plants every season for variety and because I love the feeling of anticipation and excitement that comes with being a first-timer at something. I think that keeps us from becoming old-timers too quickly!

I selected half a dozen varieties that bloom in October and November and planted them out in one of my 4 x 12 raised beds on Memorial Day weekend. Kings Mums will ship on the date you specify. If you’re growing outside, you’ll want to plan for the arrival of your plugs after the danger of frost has passed in your garden zone.

When they arrive they’ll be 4-5 inches tall with a label attached. I kept mine hydrated in paper cups for a couple of weeks until it was safe to plant them outside. A little water every other day or so kept them moist, but not drenched until planting time.

I chose a romantic blush pink, coral, purple and burgundy color palate with visions of fall weddings and easy bouquets in mind.

I like that these late fall bloomers overlap a little with the bloom time of the dahlias and I LOVE that they extend my flower season by another 4 weeks. I cut my last dahlias in mid November and as of now, the mums are still blooming outside, unprotected. Imagine if I had a hoop house! Oh the possibilities!

I harvested the mums for this photo shoot the day before Thanksgiving, just in case we got a frost. I had envisioned creating some simple arrangements combining these old-fashioned beauties with some of my vintage milk glass vases.

The flowers sat in buckets on my dining room table until I could find some time to create. Flower crazed farmgirl that I am, I asked my handsome Yankee to help me set up a staging area so I could play while the turkey was roasting in the oven on Thanksgiving day. It was a bit chilly and overcast and just about dusk when I went outside but it had to be done!

Lord knows, it will take me a lifetime to learn everything there is to know about these beauties so for the purposes of today’s post I’ll focus on the ones I grew. Annie Girl, pictured above is a Class A medium decorative mum. A late October early November bloomer.

Here’s Seatons J Dore featured again in a tall milk glass bud vase. I think most of us are used to seeing Chrysanthemums mixed into seasonal floral arrangements or in garden bunches at the supermarket, but that’s beginning to change as more farmer/florists fall in love with these gorgeous late bloomers.

This little honey is called, ‘ Obsession ‘ and for good reason. She’s a sweet little small-ish flower who mingles beautifully with just about any other color and shape you partner her with.

Each blossom is so unique, I didn’t see a need for adding any other flowers or foliage to these simple milk glass and mums arrangements.

As an amateur grower of Chrysanthemums I’m very satisfied with the performance of the plants and the blossoms. There were no pests to speak of, and I did very little feeding. Even though we were in a drought, they still grew tall and robust with some extra hand watering along the way. I need to learn more about the proper times to cut back, pinch, and dis-bud them for next season, but for now I’m pretty satisfied with November’s Flower.

Mums are not a guaranteed perennial so in areas that freeze you can dig them up and re pot them to bring inside for over wintering, or you can mulch with a deep layer of straw which is what I’m going to do.

FYI: Kings Mums offers a variety of publications for every level of grower. If you wish to dig further visit the National Chrysanthemum Society,USA.

Maybe you have a little space to squeeze some into your garden next year! I highly recommend them!

Until our next shoreline visit~ Remember each and every day is a gift. Hug and kiss your loved ones, make time for friends, go new places and make new things, be kind to each other, laugh everyday, and follow your heart. It will never steer you wrong.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year if we don’t meet again here before 2017!

Farmgirl Hugs all around! xoxo

BEACH BLESSINGS and MUCH LOVE,

The Beach Farmgirl,

Deb #1199

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save