Mums, pansies and other fall flowers

I don’t know about you, but I’ll be glad when some cooler weather becomes the norm. The heat and humidity has taken its toll on our landscapes and especially our flower beds. But, lest you think it is all over for them, think again. Fall has finally arrived and with it comes reason to hope for an extended season of color in those areas of the yard which once boasted of bright beds and borders of annuals and perennials but have all but succumbed to the harshness of the summer.

Garden chrysanthemums (mums) are once again bursting into bloom, flaunting their bright colors as the main growing season draws to a close. Planted in the garden, mums are massed in beds or grouped in plantings of three or five for dramatic splashes of color. Container plantings also grace many porches, patios, and driveways throughout the fall.

Garden mums are very popular this time of year—and with good reason. To help you in your mum culture, I have compiled a list of general care tips. Remember-you can keep those mum plants and enjoy another color display next year instead of discarding them. Frost will kill the tops down, but since mums are strong-rooted perennials, they will return in the spring.

Plant young garden mums in a sunny location (at least a half day of sun). Plant them in fertile, well-drained soil. Another option is to plant the pot and all in the ground if you don’t intend to maintain the plants. Simply remove them after the flowers have faded.

During the growing season (next spring), work a general purpose fertilizer such as 5-10-15 or 10-10-10 into the soil at a rate of 1/2 to 1 pound per 100 square feet.

To encourage branching and development of compact, bushy plants, pinch back garden mums in the spring as soon as new growth on side branches is 4 to 6 inches long. Remove about one half inch of new growth at the tip of each stem. Do this through the summer whenever new shoots reach 3 to 5 inches in length. Stop pinching around August 1 to give flower buds time to form.

Other than mums, the use of marigolds and petunias may be a solution for reviving those declining flower beds and outdoor containers. Marigolds and petunias, of course, are popular spring and summer crops but actually perform better in the fall. Petunias especially prefer fall’s cooler conditions, so planting them now will ensure good color right into October and beyond. Marigolds are easy most any time.

Look for marigold and petunia plants at your local nursery or big box store. Choose larger plants, preferably in four-inch to one gallon containers, for an instant splash of color. The best petunias are the spreading ones, which include the “Wave” types, those which bloom profusely, covering areas up to three feet across. Regular petunias, however, are also excellent choices for the fall garden. All petunias are fast growers and tireless bloomers as long as they are treated respectfully, which to them means receiving plenty of water and sunshine.

Pansies and violas are the mainstay of the fall landscape. They are among the very few choices we have as we seek to enhance the drabness of the winter landscape.

Pansies and violas are not especially difficult to grow, but a few basics can enhance our success with them. First, they’ll need a minimum of four hours of sunshine per day (but the more direct sunlight the better).

Second, they must have good drainage. Raised beds are highly recommended. Raised beds ensure adequate drainage, plus the fact that a raised bed lifts the plants higher so as to make them more visible.

Third, pansies and violas need plenty of nutrients in order to keep blooms coming. Give them a fertilizer every three to four weeks containing a high percentage of the nitrate form nitrate nitrogen (not the ammonium or urea forms). Plants are only able to take up the nitrate form immediately, especially in a cold soil. The ammonium and urea forms of nitrogen in the average fertilizer must be broken down by the microbes present in the soil and then converted to the nitrate form.

Fourth, deadheading (removing spent flowers) will help keep the plants in a flowering mode throughout the season. Why? Because a lot of energy that would have otherwise been used to produce seeds will then be used to make new flowers.

Tim Lewis is a Georgia Green Industry Association Certified Plant Professional, gardening writer, former Perry High School horticulture instructor, and former horticulturalist at Henderson Village and Houston Springs. He and his wife, Susan, own and operate Lewis Farms Nursery located on Hwy 26 two miles east of Elko, where he was born and raised. He can be reached at (478)954-1507 or timlewis1@windstream.net.