This is beautiful. I have been looking at this plant for a few years might just have to buy one in the string. Love it.

Yeah, I'd wanted one for several years, too, Julia, and I finally ordered this one this spring. I'm not sure it's hardy enough for our winters, but I'm giving it a shot.

Right now mine has a strange manner of habit, the blooms are every-which-way, but perhaps it'll outgrow it. It did spend quite a bit of the summer in the pot ghetto in part shade, so that might be why.

That is a beautiful planting and area you have!!! I saw on a thread a mail order nursery in Minnesota that just has mums. Maybe that was you that posted that link.

Thanks!

You're probably thinking about Faribault Mums. They have a lot of wonderful plants! I'd be willing to bet that my local supplier gets their plants from them.

I never see mums in the nurseries around here until fall, then it is just the over fertilized forced things. I have planted them out in the garden but they never go over winter. I was reading the mum thread, good info there.

There's just the one nursery locally that sells the true perennial mums, and I hit them as soon as the plants are set out for sale... I think late July to early August. They're just a low rosette that look like nothing much at that point, but they grow fast.They're grown on outdoors there, so they're tough and ready to go. I transplant them immediately once I get them home, so the roots have as much time as possible to grow before winter. I'm not about to sacrifice those lovely blooms, so this setup works well.

Spring plants are more difficult for me. If I don't see a burst of growth then, I think something's wrong and end up over-compensating, but, I'm learning. In year three coming up I won't fuss with them, other than to shear off new growth until mid-July, I think. That seems to be about the right time to let them go.

I wonder if it would be different timing on the shearing here in Washington where we have cooler summers? I don't do much plant shopping in July and August but I will look next year. For now I'm going to have to be happy with the others mums that go on the compost pile in a few weeks. Yours are so pretty out in the garden. It sure is a good way to extend the blooming season.

Probably not if yours are blooming now. You'd likely have to shear more often than we do because they'd probably grow faster.

The plants I have are greenhouse plants forced to sell for a bit of fall color.