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Chrysanthemums, or “mums” as they are affectionately referred to, are a hardy perennial with cheerful blooms that brighten many gardens across the world. Mums are sturdy plants, needing minimal care and they come in lots of colors, from pink, white and yellow to deep maroons. They are a great plant for children to grow and a super replacement for summer bedding as it dies down in the fall. Mums bloom in September to October and at the end of their growing season, you can harvest mum seeds if you want to have a go at raising them from scratch.
Varieties of Chrysanthemums
Chrysanthemums come in a range of colors and shapes, daisy-like, decorative, pompon or button and all over the world horticulturalists have been growing different varieties. Some are less hardy than others and better as indoor plants, making superb cut flowers. A popular, less hardy variety is the spider mum, often used in wedding bouquets for its showy blooms with multiple petals. Most mums classified as garden mums are hardy and others are florist mums, best grown indoors or in greenhouses.
Growing mums from seed
Mum seeds can be harvested from the plants in late fall / early winter, but the hybrid varieties are unlikely to produce true strain flowers; however, it can be fun waiting to see what appears! A more reliable way is buying mum seeds from a specialist seed company. They will sell a range of hardy mum seeds, or if you want to grow some flowers for cutting, then choose spider mum seeds. This is a great project for children to get involved in; fun, economical and with a super outcome. As long as mum seeds are kept at 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit, they will germinate. Sow the seeds onto sterile rooting medium by the end of March and within six weeks you should have seedlings that are ready to pot into 2 inch peat pots. The mum is then grown on for another 4 to 5 weeks before being transplanted to a gallon size planter and the leaves pinched out to make it bushy. After that, you need to keep feeding the mums and ensuring they have plenty of sunlight and water. They will not need pinching out again and will be ready for September.
There are plenty of seed companies online that have mum seeds for sale and you can have great fun choosing your favorite color and shape. It is also, much more rewarding, and cost effective, to grow your mums from seed. Happy planting!
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Author Bio Box: Patricia Wainwright
Get all the facts about seeds and organic gardening at GreenThumbArticles.com!
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