MUMS THE WORD (Blame VPH for that pun)

The carefully constructed annual containers were seriously lacking in color or excitement, so I ripped 'em out.  Remember how I put smaller, plastic containers upside down in the bottoms of the large ceramic planters?  Well I guess the annuals worked fine in an artificially shallow container, but they certainly were root-bound since they lifted out whole:

The zinnias were in a similar state and even stayed whole when I took out the upside down plastic pot:

 

The one thing I have blooming in abundance is dahlias.  The first Ebony Starr: 

 

 The Aitara Majesty in full bloom (and a pilsner glass for a sense of scale):

 

This has nothing to do with anything else, but I loved this tiny little mushroom at the base of my cherry tomato plant (that tree trunk on the left is what the cherry tomato stem looks like when I use my camera's macro setting):

 

So to bring this thing full circle...I needed some more color in the garden.  The 8 mums I bought not too long ago had to get into larger containers since I obviously can't remember to water them every day.  Note the new location for the birdbath and the lovely yellow mum in the former home of the zinnias:

I replaced the petunias in the hanging planters with mums:

 

And staked the dahlias more securely than they had been:

I know some people hate mums (Elizabeth), but at $10 for all 4 of the plants in this photo, you can't beat them for inexpensive late season color: 

I even put a mum in a hanging planter on the hook by the shed and filled up the bird feeder: 

 

Still to do...divide the creeping jenny and plant it and the 2 little rhododendrons, one each in matching containers on both sides of the front steps:

We still likely have a month until the first frost in this area, but with highs only hitting the low 70s and nights falling into the low 50s, it's definitely not summer anymore.  Windows closed, but no need for heat yet.  How is it in your neck of the woods?

Comments

[Sylvia]

Heather, the temperatures are about the same here. Frosts are unpredictable, any time from October until May we can get a frost but -3C (26F) is about the lowest that we get. Some years it is December before we get the first one.

I am planting pansies and violas at the moment, this year I grew some from seed. I find if I get them in and growing before the weather gets cold they flower all winter.

I like your Chrysanthemums, this type are not popular here though I have seen more of them in the shops this year.

Best wishes Sylvia (England)

[Rowena]

Okay I will admit that I'm one of those that won't even bother to glance at the mums, but when the photos loaded onto the screen and I had seen what you had done with the hanging planters, I thought "Wow!" what a nice display of color -- and I hadn't even read the part of how much (or little) it cost!

In my woods the highs are mid-60's and the nights are in the low 50's. Brrrr...no need to turn on the heater yet but I'm keeping a close watch on the weather since it's already snowing at higher altitudes in this northern part of Italy!

[Layanee]

Getting chilly here. The mums do look nice and you have worked hard to get them all planted. 41 F last night...heat almost necessary.

[Heather's Garden]

Sylvia -- Boy, it sure does stay warmer there! No wonder so many people in England garden.

Rowena -- I know, I was never a fan of mums myself, but I've been really pleased by these. We still haven't turned on our heat either (and in fact still have lots of windows open), but it's supposed to be cooler later this week. So sad!

Layanee -- It's definitely a little bit warmer down here than it is at your house.

[eliz]

I must have that Ebony Star dahlia!