Prolific mums bring burst of petal power to stressed gardens
You see them everywhere right now, adding life to our overheated summer gardens, decks, patios and even our front steps. Chrysanthemums add that fresh pop of colour when we need to replace tired, burnt, heatstressed summer annuals. They have become a late summer staple in so many gardens, and a much-welcomed introduction to autumn colour.
Many local growers do an amazing job with these fall icons. One of the largest and most innovative producers is DeVry Greenhouses in Chilliwack and Langley. With over 20 hectares under glass, they grow more than 250,000 chrysanthemums in many sizes and styles.
Jack Rozendaal, DeVry’s sales director, and Rajvir Prasher, the head grower, know a lot about the nature of fall mums and current trends. The company started growing mums about 12 years ago, essentially to fill a gap between spring bedding plants and Christmas poinsettias.
Rozendaal says the crop is important to garden enthusiasts who appreciate the fresh, instant colour at the end of a long dry summer. Talk about value: Rozendaal says said a typical one-gallon size mum has about 850 flower buds; a 10-inch (25 cm) pot has about 1,000; and a 12-inch (30 cm) pot has over 3,000; that’s a lot of flower power. Mums are very easy care because all they require is bright light and water to keep them moist.
The four-inch (10-cm) pots make versatile table toppers and are ideal for planting in garden beds or mixing in containers with other fall plants. The one- gallon pot is by far the most popular because it is both showy and reasonably priced. At most retailers, the price will be around $4 to $6. Depending upon the mum variety, the 10-inch (25- cm) pot will have a spread of 18 inches (45 cm) across. Once you get into the larger 12-16-inch (30-40-cm) pots, they become quite a showpiece on their own, creating a dramatic explosion of colour.
What colours are trending up or down?
“Yellow,” says Rozendaal. “Yellow has been and will be, by far, the most popular.”
Bright, vibrant and eye-catching, yellows make up about 30 per cent of colour selection. Red is next at about 20 per cent, followed by orange, bronze, coral and pink in smaller percentages.
“Surprisingly, white seems to be growing, mainly because of Pinterest and Instagram where they are shown with more unique, sophisticated staging,” adds Rozendaal.
Many growers are now offering tricolour mums (three different colours planted together) — how they are being received by the public?
“They’re nice,” Rozendaal says, “but the numbers don’t seem to be growing.”
According to Rozendaal, a lot of breeding is currently being done, particularly in trailing varieties for use in hanging baskets. ‘Sky Fall’ is an innovative variety that can replace a tired summer basket or trail over the edge of a tall container.
How difficult are mums to grow in a greenhouse setting?
Prasher says that success requires attention to detail. Most fall mums are started in May and June, when growers are already very busy with bedding plants, but he has observed that spacing seems to be the secret. To get a perfect, fully round form, the pots need to be well spaced so they are not touching.
Chrysanthemums are “short day” plants, says Prasher. To have them blooming in August, they need to be shaded each night with cloth to create a complete blackout. From around 5 or 6 p.m., they must have no light until 7 or 8 a.m. the next morning. Shading for 12-15 hours a day is critical.
Because there are many varieties produced by many competing companies, how does DeVry decide what varieties to grow? Prasher says it is very important that the company does its own trials. They are always looking at new varieties, not only for colour, but also for growth habit, foliage, uniformity, time-to-finish and overall performance.
Rozendaal mentioned the importance of having their plants last well so the consumer enjoys a superior product — that is why they sell their mums at the bud stage.
How do the plants cope in hot weather? DeVry has large coolers where the mums can be held back during times of very hot weather. Once a mum is out on the patio, it should last two to three weeks, perhaps even longer, depending upon the weather, says Rozendaal.
In addition to chrysanthemums, celosia and all the new varieties of ornamental peppers are increasing in popularity as heat-loving fall plants. Ornamental grasses and mini-petunias (calibrachoa) also make great fall decor. Mixed autumn-toned containers are a big trend, too.
DeVry Greenhouses not only supply many of the major box stores with great mums, but they also cater to independent garden stores, and that balance is nice to see. There are many other excellent mum growers in B.C. who do a great job producing highquality plants, and export to the U.S., as does DeVry.
If you would like to dress up your patio or garden this fall, just add mums.