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The Rural Voice, 1999-10, Page 40Gardening For fall garden colour, mums the word 113, Rhea Hamilton -Seeger Chrysanthemums. As much a part of fall as falling leaves. What is the one flowering perennial that assures you of fall colour in the garden right up to -and long after Thanksgiving? If you answered chrysanthemum you're right. Traditional members of the chrysanthemum family include pyrethrum or painted daisy, Shasta daisy. and feverfew. All are hardy perennial additions to the garden but the one member of this family that we all recognize quite readily is the hybrid chrysanthe- mums. Easy to propagate by cuttings, they are available all year round, a fact that I find a little unusual in the spring. I am of the old school where chrysanthemums bloom in late summer and through the fall, not the spring. So you can imagine my surprisc when I see them gaily nestled in among the other spring flowers in the garden centres. It all seems a little unnatural. These early spring flowering chrysanthemums are very popular but I have yet to meet anyone who has had them survive the winter. Hardy chrysanthemums come in all colours except blue and will survive in many garden conditions. Like so many other perennials that we enjoy, chrysanthemums flourish in rich, fertile soil high in organic matter. They like to be watered but not have their feet kept wet and once established they will tolerate mild drought conditions. I often think of dahlias when I see chrysanthemums. They both have the same wide variety of shape and size which varies from miniature pom-poms to large football -like blossoms. You can have literally mounds of colour in your garden or tall stately individuals. They make great entries in fall fairs and there are some tricks you can use to encourage bigger and better blooms. Keep the plants pinched back from spring until mid -summer. This helps curb long leggy plants and promotes more blossoms. Chrysanthemums are heavy feeders and even if you have a rich and infected plants should be burned or disposed of with the garbage. There are all purpose -sprays available that contain both insecticide and fungicide and you can seek these out in the garden centre. With all this beautiful colour in the fall it would be easy to ignore the job of mulching the plants once the ground freezes up. The shallow root system is easily heaved up with short -lived spring thaws and being exposed can prove to be fatal. Chrysanthemums are one of those perennials that love to be moved and divided in the spring and if done every year they would be very happy. I spoke with Shirley Bouman of Blyth. She and her husband Luke embarked on growing chrysanthemums to wholesale to local outlets. This is their first year and, as all gardeners can tell you, what you learned this year makes for a better next year and Shirley is enthusiastic about the next season. The Boumans start with cuttings in pots and carefully monitor the pH level of their soil and keep the plants well watered during the summer months. They trim back the plants about three times through the spring with the last pinch back about July 16. Shirley did admit chrysanthemums are heavy feeders and Luke manages the water soluble feeding mixture with a careful eye to the pH balance. Whether you grow your own chrysanthemums or buy them in the fall and place them in your garden or home, enjoy these wonderful bright displays. They are as much a part of our fall colour tradition as the the maple and birch leaves.0 36 THE RURAL VOICE organic garden some locations may benefit from a light feeding in mid -summer of a 5-10-5 water soluble fertilizer solution. To promote the biggest blooms nip off all but four or five of the bigger buds per stem in mid-July. As the season continues you will be able to pick out the biggest and strongest bud and pinch all the others off. But not everything is perfect . Have you ever noticed the strong fragrance when you crush the leaves? You would think the strong scent would keep bugs and diseases away but chrysanthemums are susceptible to a wide range of bacterial, fungal, viral and insect pests. Good sanitation practices will help curb this Rhea Hamilton -Seeger and her husband raise two children at their home near Auburn. She is a skilled cook and gardener.