It's Mum Moving Time

 

Day 80

The Daily DuBrule

It's a crazy thing to think about, but this is a great time to dig and divide hardy mums. If you read old gardening books, it is listed as a classic chore for this time of year. I know that your mind is miles away from mums right now. But that's how they are kept vigorous and how they are spread around the yard.

I happen to love hardy mums. We're not talking about those horrible grocery store mounds of marginally hardy color that people pop in their pots in the fall. No, I am talking about the truly perennials forms of Chrysanthemums of which I happen to be a collector.

Late last fall I planted some 'Global Warming' series mums at my Dad's house just before putting it on the market. Par for the course in my life, the day of the first open house was the day after the freak Halloween snowstorm. A foot of snow fell on my attempt at "curb appeal". Amazingly enough, a week later after the snow melted, these hardy mums were alive and still flowering. 

Today I stopped by my Dad's house to check on the place and do a bit of pruning on the roses, hydrangeas, and summer blooming Spirea. There were my super hardy mums, happy as clams, DOUBLE the size that they were last November. That's the way I like them. Yes!

So what you do is dig up your mums now, split them into 3 or 4 chunks, and spread them about your yard. Pinch them once in June and forget about them. Late in the fall you will be rewarded with tons of gorgeous color. It will keep your clumps vigorous and your late season garden glorious.