Plant of the week

What would autumn be without the chrysanthemum? These stalwarts of the garden can barely contain themselves all summer. When regularly pinched back during the early summer months, mums reward you with a magnificent mound of color throughout late summer and autumn. Mounds of mums measure one to three feet in diameter. Chrysanthemums require rich, well-drained soil in full sunlight in order to produce their finest flowers. Try to purchase field-grown chrysanthemums for planting in your landscape and plant as early in the fall as possible. Wait until spring to cut down the previous year’s dead stems unless your site is windy.

-Lewis Shell, Special to The Baltimore Sun