74 GARDEN GATE | The Perfect Autumn Garden | OCTOBER 2019 | ISSUE 149
GROW A CUSHION OF COLOR
Chrysanthemums are the quintes-
sential autumn flowers. Few plants
give such a colorful show during fall
in cold-winter climates. You can find
them in any color except for true blue.
These plants also come in several
different flower forms. You can see
a few of them in the photos below.
Decorative flowers are double, with
tightly overlapping rows of petals. The
flowers of daisy mums are single with
narrow petals radiating out from the
center. Spoon flowers are similar to
daisies, but with the half of the petal
nearest the center “quilled,” or rolled
into a tube.DESIGN IDEAS Mums are great for
containers. If you’re buying them in
fall, you’ll get the longest show if you
choose plants that are just budded out
but not blooming yet. Buy the ones in
bloom and some of the blooms will be
on their way out before you even get
them home.Magical
mums!
Try pairing red- and pink-flowered
mums with goldenrod (Solidago spp.
and hybrids) for a colorful bed. Or
pair them with ornamental grasses.
The round, soft flowerheads provide
nice contrasts in texture and shape
with the upright spikes of the grasses.Use bright, solid-colored mums
in large drifts to add a striking
element to your garden. Since they
bloom late, plant earlier-blooming
perennials in front of them. When
the other perennials bloom in spring
and summer, the small mums will beDecorative fl ower Daisy fl ower Spoon fl ower74 GARDEN GATE | The Perfect Autumn Garden | OCTOBER 2019 | ISSUE 149
GROW A CUSHION OF COLOR
Chrysanthemums are the quintes-
sential autumn flowers. Few plants
give such a colorful show during fall
in cold-winter climates. You can find
them in any color except for true blue.
These plants also come in several
different flower forms. You can see
a few of them in the photos below.
Decorative flowers are double, with
tightly overlapping rows of petals. The
flowers of daisy mums are single with
narrow petals radiating out from the
center. Spoon flowers are similar to
daisies, but with the half of the petal
nearest the center “quilled,” or rolled
into a tube.DESIGN IDEAS Mums are great for
containers. If you’re buying them in
fall, you’ll get the longest show if you
choose plants that are just budded out
but not blooming yet. Buy the ones in
bloom and some of the blooms will be
on their way out before you even get
them home.Magical
mums!
Try pairing red- and pink-flowered
mums with goldenrod (Solidago spp.
and hybrids) for a colorful bed. Or
pair them with ornamental grasses.
The round, soft flowerheads provide
nice contrasts in texture and shape
with the upright spikes of the grasses.Use bright, solid-colored mums
in large drifts to add a striking
element to your garden. Since they
bloom late, plant earlier-blooming
perennials in front of them. When
the other perennials bloom in spring
and summer, the small mums will beDecorative fl ower Daisy fl ower Spoon fl ower