Planting Fall Mums

If you’ve walked through the stores lately, you’ve likely seen some Halloween decorations out already! Fall is fast approaching and so is the season for beautiful mums. Mums are excellent, hardy flowers that will bring color to places where your summer floral is no longer thriving. Here are some helpful tips when planting mums in the fall:

• Start buying your mums at the end of August.
• Find out your hardiness zone and purchase mums that coincide with your zone. You can buy hardy or tender ones.
• Find an area that gets a few hours (at least 6 or 7) of sunlight.
• Prep the area you are planting the mums with compost or a good planting soil.
• When planting the mums from the pot you purchased, loosen the roots. If you find that they are too tough, you can cut them.
• Water your mums enough so that the soil is moist; make sure not to overwater them.
• Sit back and enjoy the beauty of your mums!

If you want them to come back the next year even more beautiful, make sure to place mulch on the area where they are planted during the winter. This will protect the roots from frost. Once Spring arrives, prune and fertilize them. Before you know it, you will see even larger blooms and stems that will add even more beauty to your garden.

(Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/39242181@N00/113489157/)

Bougainvillea Blues

Anyone who lives in Southern California knows that Bougainvillea thrives here. You see its bright red blooms along the highway, in yards and in parks. The one place where Bougainvillea won’t grow? My yard.

I have a large Bougainvillea growing alongside my chimney. It has beautiful green leaves, but it just won’t bloom. I water it frequently, and it gets plenty of sunshine.

What could I be doing wrong?

I’d appreciate any suggestions and tips.

Photo Credit: digital cat 