These warmer days have been calling us into the garden, but it's still a bit too early to be planting many of our spring favorites. Still, local garden centers and our team at the UConn Home & Garden Education Center are ready to help you prepare for the growing season ahead! (Spring 2025)
Gardening
The Challenges of Boxwood: Pests, Diseases, and Alternatives
By Marie Woodward, UConn Home & Garden Education Center
Boxwood, a classic choice for formal gardens and hedges, has faced increasing threats in recent years. As gardeners grapple with these challenges, it is crucial to understand the issues at hand and explore alternative plants for our landscapes.
Boxwood Blight is an aggressive fungal disease that affects various Boxwood species and causes rapid defoliation and potential plant death. First identified in the United Kingdom in the mid-1990s, this disease has since spread across North America. Early symptoms include stem cankers, sunken lesions, and eventual dieback. To mitigate the risk of Boxwood Blight, choose resistant cultivars, practice good garden hygiene, and monitor your plants for early signs of infection.
The Box Tree Moth is an invasive pest native to Asia that feeds on Boxwood plants. Since its arrival in North America, this moth has wreaked havoc on Boxwood populations, leading to defoliation and plant stress. Symptoms of infestation include see-through plants, "stick shrubs," and stem cankers. Regular monitoring and integrated pest management strategies are essential for controlling this destructive insect.
As Boxwood plants continue to face challenges from pests and diseases, it is wise to consider alternative options for our gardens. Ilex crenata (Japanese Holly) is a versatile, broadleaf evergreen that can be shaped into hedges or topiaries. Its small, glossy leaves provide a neat appearance, and its adaptability to various soil types and sun exposure makes it a low-maintenance choice.
Euonymus japonicus (Japanese Euonymus), an evergreen shrub with small, glossy leaves and tolerance for a range of growing conditions is another possible substitution. Its compact growth habit and easy maintenance make it an excellent choice for hedges or screens.
Ilex glabra (Inkberry), is a slow-growing evergreen native to North America, featuring dark green leaves and red berries in the fall. Its low, spreading habit makes it ideal for low hedges or mass plantings.
Privets (Ligustrum), are fast-growing, low-maintenance evergreen shrubs with small, glossy leaves. They can be used for hedges, screens, or as stand-alone specimens. However, keep in mind that three cultivars, border privet, (Ligustrum obtusifolium Sieb. & Zucc), California privet, (Ligustrum ovalifolium Hassk.) and European privet (Ligustrum vulgare L.) are listed on UConn’s invasive plant database. If you decide to plant privets, look for seedless cultivars such as Golden Ticket privet (Ligustrum x vicaryi "KCLX1") at your local nursery.
The Boxwood Blight and Box Tree Moth present ongoing challenges for gardeners and landscapers. By understanding these threats and adopting appropriate management strategies, we can mitigate the damage they cause. Additionally, exploring alternative plants can help create more resilient and sustainable gardens in the face of these challenges. With careful planning and thoughtful plant selection, our landscapes can continue to thrive in the face of adversity.
The UConn Home & Garden Education Center supports UConn Extension’s mission by providing answers you can trust with research-based information and resources. For questions about your boxwoods or other gardening questions, contact us toll-free at (877) 486-6271, visit our website at homegarden.cahnr.uconn.edu, or reach out to your local UConn Extension center at cahnr.uconn.edu/extension/locations.
Preparing for Spring on CRIS Radio
Shine a Light – But Which One?
By Emily Leahy, UConn Home & Garden Education Center
The dead of winter brings a longing to spend time outside in the garden again. While this may not be possible yet, it is easy to craft your own growing space indoors. The elements of the outdoors that allow plants to thrive – light, warmth, and water – can all be brought indoors with a little creativity and the right resources.
Some steps remain unchanged. Still, refer to the plant’s label for guidance on choosing a proper container, water and nutrient needs, as well as temperature preferences. Guidelines on how much light the plant should receive can also be found on the label – but how can this be applied indoors?
One of the more challenging aspects to simulate, indoors, is an adequate amount of light. When outside, plants rely on the sun for light needed to carry out photosynthesis. This chemical reaction produces sugars which are used as energy in processes essential for the growth and maintenance of a healthy plant. While plants can still receive sunlight indoors through rays shining through windows, this often cannot act as an equitable substitute for unobstructed sunlight outdoors. This is where supplemental light sources in the form of grow lights come into play. Grow lights are specially designed with the purpose of emitting a wider spectrum of light wavelengths to enable photosynthesis. But with so many options available, how can you choose which is the best option?
Generally, there are two types of grow lights – bulbs and fixtures. Bulbs can be placed into existing light fixtures like lamps or overhead lighting. However, this can be unsuitable as it is difficult to control the distance from the plant and angle at which the light shines. Grow light fixtures are separate systems which can provide multiple plants with light simultaneously, offering a more even distribution. With proper setup, they can be positioned at an advantageous angle to provide plants with their preferred amount of light.
Next comes the question of which kind of light is appropriate for your plant – incandescent, fluorescent, or LED? It is important to determine beforehand the level of light which your plant prefers – high, medium, or low. Incandescent lights, while costing the least, are also the least efficient. 90% of their energy is released in the form of heat, while only 10% is light itself. While this makes them good contenders for low-light plants, they also require caution as they can provide plants with an overwhelming amount of heat.
Fluorescent lights are well-suited for plants requiring low to medium light. They emit the full spectrum of light, essential for promoting growth as they mimic natural sunlight. Most often they are seen as strips or tubes of light that can be affixed above plants, but they can also be purchased in bulb form. LED lights emit the full spectrum of light as well, while simultaneously emitting less heat than other bulb types. Yielding a high overall efficiency, LEDs can be customized with different colors/wavelengths of light to provide certain advantages for some plants. For example, blue lights promote vegetative growth, while red lights do the same for flowering and fruit growth.
After choosing the most suitable kind of grow light for your plant, there are a variety of other tips helpful to consider. The type of plant not only determines the proper type of light to use, but also how much light should be provided. Supplying light 24 hours a day is not ideal as it can overwhelm the plant – remember the objective is to mimic the light conditions of the outdoors. Therefore, plants will require some hours of darkness each day.
Seedlings generally prefer 14-16 hours of light per day, as they necessitate the most encouragement for growth. 12 hours of light is suitable for herbs and other greens, while houseplants fall between the range of 6-12 hours per day – be sure to refer to the product label for any specifications on light preferences.
In terms of setup, lights should be angled to ensure a direct stream of emittance onto the plant in order to receive its full benefits. It is best to affix lights about 12 inches from the plant, although adjustments can be made as you see fit. Some indoor gardening systems are available that can be customized to fit specifications according to the type of plant being grown. It is also important to purchase lights that are rated to withstand humidity and moisture if they are being kept in a greenhouse-like environment.
Be sure to always refer to your plant’s label for its specific preferences for light and other growing conditions. With the help of grow lights, you can wait out the winter by bringing a little bit of the outdoors, indoors!
The UConn Home & Garden Education Center contributes to the Cooperative Extension mission of the University of Connecticut by connecting the public with research and resources provided by the University. For your gardening questions, feel free to contact us, toll-free, at the UConn Home & Garden Education Center - (877) 486-6271, visit our website at https://homegarden.cahnr.uconn.edu/, or contact your local Cooperative Extension center https://cahnr.uconn.edu/extension/locations/.
Reducing Lawn Areas to Enhance Property
By Pamm Cooper, UConn Home & Garden Education Center
The trend in North America of having a lawn surrounding a house is not a world-wide one. As a matter of fact, it’s only since the 1940s that American lawns took a turn toward a neat, manicured, park- like atmosphere. Almost every house that is built today features a lawn and some type of decorative plantings. Shrubs are planted along the foundations of houses, and often an ornamental tree or two are strategically planted to accent the landscape. It creates the idea of a little park surrounding every home, accented with walls, decks or a patio according to individual preference.
Sometimes it is desirable to reduce lawn areas, especially when an acceptable turf grass stand cannot be maintained without a great deal of expense or work. A lawn is not like a garden that can be tilled over and started anew when things turn out poorly. A lawn is intended to be a permanent part of the landscape. Problem areas that chronically fail to produce the desired dense stand of turf grass may need to be converted into something else. The idea should be to look at the home landscape as a property, and not necessarily as a lawn.
The best way to begin determining what may look better on your property may be to take a drive around your area and see what other people have done. This is especially helpful when dealing with shade problems where grass can’t be grown so that it fills in properly. Sometimes homeowners have limbed up trees, like oaks or maples, to allow enough sun to grow a suitable stand of grass. Some people have given up and may have tried some other type of planting. As an example, Flowering Dogwoods are native trees which do best planted beneath taller trees with no grass or other plant within three feet of their trunk. Sometimes you see ground covers planted around the bases of trees, filling in up to the point where grass can form an acceptable dense stand.
There are some properties that have no lawn areas at all. Instead, perennial flowers, ornamental grasses, shrubs, and walkways are incorporated sometimes with a grass walkway. Almost any plants and trees can be selected if they are suitable for our climate zone and soil type. Keep in mind, though, that there may be quite a bit of maintenance involved in any landscape planting. Even low maintenance plants may need to be pruned or divided periodically.
Modified mowing is another way to reduce lawn area. This works especially well where there is a large area that can be left uncut for most of the year. In spring, before letting the grass grow, a wildflower mix suitable for the site can be scattered in. Or the grass can just be left alone and mowed down in the spring or fall to keep it tidy and prevent trees from getting established. Often the uncut area is contoured to enhance a driveway or other feature.
A lawn can drastically affect one’s enjoyment of one’s home landscape. Turf can be looked at as more of a “floor of a garden,” rather than as the focus of the property. If having a great looking lawn is out of reach, consider alternatives that can enhance both the visual appearance of your home and the overall enjoyment of being at home. Where a lawn constantly struggles, do not hesitate to consider planting something else. It will help lessen the load of things to worry about.
For questions about lawns, lawn alternatives or other gardening questions, feel free to contact us, toll-free, at the UConn Home & Garden Education Center at (877) 486-6271, visit our website at www.homegarden.cahnr.uconn.edu or contact your local Cooperative Extension center.
All-America Selection Winners for 2025
by Dawn Pettinelli, UConn Home & Garden Education Center
Each winter the All-America Selection winners are announced. This non-profit organization has established trial gardens throughout the United States and even as far north as Canada. New varieties, species or strains of annuals, vegetables and bedding plants are grown and judged on their performance. Those chosen as winners are outstanding plants and deserve a trial in your gardens as well.
This year’s national winners include 3 vegetables and 5 flowers. ‘Green Lightening’ is a very attractive, striped pattypan squash that tastes as good as it looks. The 5-inch or so fruits weigh in at 1 to 2 pounds and are ready to pick about 50 days after planting from seed. Judges marveled at the abundant yields on these 2 feet high, bushy plants.
Kohlrabi ‘Konstance’ exudes a vibrant purple color as well as a sweet, crunchy texture. A curious but easy to grow and tasty addition to the vegetable garden, this kohlrabi matures at just 42 days from seed. Upright plants, about a foot high, produce round, purple 4 to 5-inch ‘bulbs’ that can be eaten fresh or served roasted or sauteed. Fruits are crack-resistant and plants resistant to several diseases.
Sweet pepper ‘Pick-N-Pop Yellow’ produces adorable, snack-size, extra sweet mini peppers. The pointed, conical fruits are about 4 inches long springing from compact 2-foot-tall plants. The prolific harvest begins about 65 days after transplanting. This variety shows great resistance to bacterial leaf spot.
One can never have too many dahlias and this year’s AAS winner, ‘Black Forest Ruby’ is a gem that can be started from seed. Since this variety is an octoploid (having 8 times the normal chromosome number) there is much variability in flower shape (ranging from single to double), plant height and structure. Most will be upright about 2 feet high with jet black foliage and ruby-red flowers. You can save tubers from the best-looking plants.
Dianthus ‘Interspecific Capitan™ Magnifica’ with its impressive bicolor pink and white frilly blooms looks as good in the garden as it does in a vase. Plus, the more you cut, the more blooms appear. Summer heat tolerance was impressive with the 2-inch flower heads also standing up to rain and cold. Plants range from 1 to 1 ½ feet tall and bloom all summer. Look for these vegetatively propagated plants at your local garden center.
Sunny sites will positively shimmy when planted with marigold Mango Tango. This rich red and primrose yellow bicolor blooms all summer long even without deadheading. Reaching only 8 to 10 inches in height makes it perfect for edging garden beds, containers or window boxes. Seeds can be started indoors and plants set out after the danger of frost has passed. Fertilize and water regularly for bountiful blooms.
Can there be too many petunias? ‘Petunia Shake™ Raspberry’ will convince you that there’s always room for one more. The fantastic flowers are reminiscent of a blended raspberry milkshake swirled with lemon-lime green sorbet. The 5 to 8 inch mounded plants can do front of the border duty, serve as groundcovers or billow over hanging baskets. Plants will bloom about 70 days from seed and hold up to heat and rain.
I’ve never thought of snapdragons as fragrant, yet ‘DoubleShot™ Yellow Red Heart’ is said to have an amazing candy-like scent. Aside from this unusual trait, Yellow Red Heart promises to delight with vibrant yellow blossoms with a red throat that start early and continue through to a heavy frost. This snapdragon reaches about 20 inches in height with semi-double 1 to 1 ½ inch blooms produces all season long and able to tolerate light frosts.
Four regional 2025 Ornamental Winners well suited to the Northeast, include one petunia and 3 nasturtiums. If you’re looking for a vibrant pink petunia great for bedding and containers, try ‘Dekko™ Maxx™ Pink’. The vibrant pink 1 to 1 ½ inch starry blooms are produced all season long and hold up well to rain and heat.
Nasturtiums are top performers in garden beds and containers and are noted for their hummingbird attraction and edible leaves and flowers. New colors in the Baby series of nasturtiums to try out this year might be ‘Baby Gold’, ‘Baby Red’ and ‘Baby Yellow’. All can be grown from seed and start blooming about 50 days after sowing. Two-inch blooms cover compact 12-inch-high mounded plants. Colors are intense and plants stand up to drought, heat, cold, rain and wind. Considering our fluctuating summer weather, these are sure to do well both in the garden and in containers.
Check out these and past AAS winners. They were chosen because of their remarkable characteristics and they are sure to be winners in your yard too.
For your gardening questions, feel free to contact us, toll-free, at the UConn Home & Garden Education Center at (877) 486-6271, visit our website at www.homegarden.cahnr.uconn.edu or contact your local Cooperative Extension center.
‘Tis the Season for Holiday Plants
By Dr. Matthew Lisy, UConn Adjunct Faculty
Once again, the winter holiday season is upon us! I am sure I have said this before, but I never cease to be amazed at the seemingly endless varieties of holiday plants available. This year, I planned on not buying any holiday plants, but one trip to two local greenhouses changed my mind immediately. If one plant could exemplify the season, it would be the Poinsettia. Although red and white Poinsettias have been the standard for many years, there are a lot of really neat colors available if you look hard enough. One of my all-time favorites is orange. I used to grow this variety when it first came out, and could never stock enough of them. In the old days, you needed to set it next to a red one to tell the difference, but fast forward many years, and the orange is now much more intense and can stand alone in all its glory.
If I had to pick just one favorite Poinsettia, it would be the yellow. It just looks so unusual and unlike anything else. I first saw it years ago in small quantities in a big box store, but now they are much more common. The regular white has a slight yellow tint to it, but there is a super bright white that looks as pure as freshly fallen snow. Another new favorite is called “Christmas Mouse,” and has rounded leaves that resemble mouse ears in contrast to the normal pointed ones. Of course, there are also Poinsettias that are actually spray painted with a plant-safe paint. These plants usually also have glitter sprinkled onto them. Even though these are artificial looking, they are beautiful works of art in their own right.
There are new varieties of cyclamen around too. These are characterized by interestingly shaped flowers that are more open. Some of the varieties even have the flowers turned upright. The colors are amazing and range from dark maroon reds to almost neon pink. Another plant I am really excited to see this year is the Amaryllis. These have been around an extremely long time, but what changed is the number of places carrying many different varieties for sale. I like when I can just buy the bulb and pot it up on my own. This is less expensive and allows me to buy more varieties. There are even some places selling the bulbs with a type of paint coating on them which is said to eliminates the need for watering. I prefer a bulb in a pot as I think it looks more natural, but that is a matter of opinion. What I have seen a lot less of this year is the Christmas Cactus. While they are still around, their numbers are not nearly as plentiful as in the past. The Amaryllis and Christmas cactus are the two plants you can keep long term. They each have special care routines that you will need to follow to get them to bloom again the following year. The Christmas cacti need a certain lighting (or darkness) period, and the Amaryllis need a dry dormant period.
Wherever you are going for the holidays, I suggest bringing one of these festive plants to the host as a gift. There is nothing more cheerful than a brightly colored plant during the dark days of winter. On that note, why not buy some for yourself and enjoy them all season? Either way, I suggest you make the most of things with a nice new plant variety that you never had before. There certainly are plenty from which to choose!
For your gardening questions, feel free to contact us, toll-free, at the UConn Home & Garden Education Center at (877) 486-6271, visit our website at www.ladybug.uconn.edu or contact your local Cooperative Extension center.
Holiday Gifts for Gardeners
By Dawn Pettinelli, UConn Home & Garden Education Center
Let the holiday shopping begin! Compared to many family members and friends, buying a gift for the gardener in your life is a breeze. Lots of great possibilities and there’s always the option of a gift certificate to their favorite local garden center. These are just some of my personal suggestions.
With long, dark days settling in, reading is a great winter sport. I’m partial to whodunnits and might curl up with The Garden Party by Marty Wingate or The Garden Club Murder by Amy Patricia Meade. For non-fiction readers, especially those longing for greater self-sustainability, perhaps Small-Scale Homesteading by Michelle Bruhn and Stephanie Thurow might be an informative resource when just starting out. With all the calls we get about vegetable problems, two books by Susan Mulvihill; The Vegetable Garden Pest Handbook and The Vegetable Garden Problem Solver offer up lots of great photographs and least toxic controls for a myriad of insects, diseases and other pest problems. Of course, you can also call us at the Center for assistance.
Gardening magazines still offer excellent articles, advice and inspiration. A subscription to the Connecticut Gardener should be in every CT gardener’s mailbox or inbox. Fine Gardening is also CT based and fills our head with amazing plant information and truly inspiring gardens. I’ll also admit to a subscription to both Horticulture and The American Gardener.
Working in the garden often brings me to my knees and when that up close and personal, I find there are 2 tools always in my bucket. First is a Cobra head weeder, crafted in Wisconsin last I looked. This curved-headed tool can be used for weeding, thinning, making seed rows, digging in little seedlings and whatever other use you can come up with; a multi-tasking tool that is long-lasting and affordable. My deluxe soil knife features a smooth, sharp side and a serrated side with inch measurements, useful when planting. I find it does a nice job dispatching both annoying roots and jumping worms. When deployed on the ground, those larger, oval-shaped kneelers are tough and functional.
In my most recent issue of The American Gardener, there is a Craftsman 54-inch wood-handle action hoe that I would like to try so I can weed standing up. It works with a manual push-pull action but might be just the thing us older gardeners need.
While I have 2 different types of pruners that are great for stems from about a half to one inch in diameter, I can use help on the opposite extremes. Last year my sister got me a hand-held mini-chainsaw and it is wonderful for removing 1 to 3 inch or so stems or branches. It’s really made pruning much easier. On the other end of the spectrum, a pair of horticultural scissors with long blades treated to resist rust would be great for harvesting or deadheading cut flowers as well as indoor houseplant grooming.
For years, I have placed picked vegetables, whether peppers, carrots or chard into those attractive wicker baskets. Recently, I was given one of those garden trugs made out of recycled plastic that had holes on the bottom so I could gather up my harvest and then hose the soil off in the same container. There are several trugs on the market including those made of wood and wire mesh. They do make cleaning your vegetables a lot easier than doing it at the kitchen sink.
Gardeners go through gloves and despite what the ads say, if a pair lasts me a season, I’m lucky. They are always needed and appreciated, and you can’t go wrong gifting these to a gardener. For those with a lot of roses, consider purchasing a pair of rose gauntlets so their arms won’t get all scratched up when pruning.
Indoor gardeners might appreciate watering cans with long spouts that dispense water slowly, attractive cache pots, houseplant fertilizers, cork plant coasters or misters. Bird lovers may enjoy feeders, bird baths, bird houses or seed and suet for their fine-feathered friends.
There are many types of garden ornaments to present to your plant loving friends and family. Plus, tis the season for holiday plants – poinsettias, holiday cacti, amaryllis, frosty ferns are just a few of the selections that your gardener recipient might enjoy. With all these choices, the gardener on your gift list is sure to be pleased.
For your gardening questions, feel free to contact us, toll-free, at the UConn Home & Garden Education Center at (877) 486-6271, visit our website at www.homegarden.cahnr.uconn.edu or contact your local Cooperative Extension center.
Gorgeous Grasses
By Dawn Pettinelli, UConn Home & Garden Education Center
Autumn shines a spotlight on ornamental grasses. With their rustling blades and fluffy seedheads they are star performers in late season gardens going head-to-head with asters, mums, Montauk daisies and boltonias. Plus, they are great in fresh or dried cut flower arrangements.
The huge selection of grass species available is great for gardens but makes selecting difficult. Heights range from a few inches to more than 6 feet; colors from deep green to chartreuse, burgundy to black. Solid or variegated? Would a clump former, spreader, or self-seeder best fit your needs? Are seed heads important for fall and winter interest? Is this grass planted as an ornamental feature in your garden bed or landscape or are you looking for natives to support pollinators and perhaps serve as food for birds and others? Answers to these questions may guide you in grass selection.
Two favorite non-natives grown for their ornamental value are cultivars of Miscanthus and Pennisetum. While the miscanthus species has been listed as potentially invasive in CT, a number of attractive cultivars are available for purchase and can be striking if well positioned in the garden. Two outstanding selections are ‘Gracillimus’ and ‘Zebrinus’. The first has shimmering silver veined green leaves growing in graceful mounds. Reddish flower plumes emerge in fall changing to a light silvery hue. Plants are clump formers but can reach 6 feet or more in height.
‘Zebrinus’ is more commonly known as zebra grass for its definitive yellow and dark green striped foliage. This plant gets big over time. Mine is now 6 feet across and probably 10 feet high. I wrap a rope around it in the late summer to keep it upright through fall rains and winds. Stalks have been used quite effectively as a substitute for cornstalks around the lamppost.
My Pennisetum alopecuroides was grown from seed probably 20 years ago. These plants are absolutely gorgeous in the fall. Despite the many bottlebrush seed heads, I’ve never found a seedling. The fine, arching foliage resemble flowing water hence the common name, fountain grass. Cultivars of this graceful, flowing grass range from 18 inch ‘Piglet’ to 5 foot ‘Fox Trot’.
Native grasses are soaring in popularity and much easier to find at garden centers than they used to be. One switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) cultivar, ‘Heavy Metal’, is quite popular for its upright, striking blue-green foliage. If happy, it can reach 4 to 5 feet in height. The wheat-colored seed plumes are attractive to us during the gloomy winter months but also as a food source to a number of bird species.
Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) is a favorite also of humans and wildlife, including both birds and butterflies. This upright native grass is pretty ubiquitous along roadsides and in fields and meadows. New growth begins a clean blue green but, by the end of the growing season shifts to deep bronze and chestnut hues. This is a tough plant content in sandy soils and reaching about 2 feet in height. The silvery seed tuffs are retained for most of the winter. Little bluestem combines well with a number of perennial wildlings like rudbeckia, pearly everlasting, goldenrod and species of asters.
Also commonly found along roadsides, purple lovegrass (Eragrostis spectabilis) grows on sites from full sun to part shade. This is a very well-behaved grass in the Poa (bluegrass) family. It is native to eastern and central U.S. and produces those airy pink seedheads you might admire as you drive.
Northern sea oats (Chasmanthium latifolium) has very distinctive, but attractive seedheads. Native to the eastern and southern parts of the U.S., it is hardy from zone 5 to 8. Northern sea oats is a clump former with showy panicles of flowers in late summer that mature into wide, drooping seedheads. This grass likes moist but well-drained soils and is a larval plant for several species of butterflies as well as serving as a food source for several mammal and bird species.
Other native grasses worth investigating include side oats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula), big bluestem (Andropogon geradii) and prairie dropseed (Sporabolus heterolepsis). Check out both native and exotic ornamental grass offerings for their varied textures, colors, forms and flowers.
For more information on growing ornamental grasses or selection or for other gardening questions, contact the UCONN Home & Garden Education Center, toll-free, at (877) 486-6271, visit their web site at www.homegarden.cahnr.uconn.edu or contact your local Cooperative Extension Center.
I Want My Mum: A Fall Classic Through the Ages
By Abigayle Ward, UConn Department of Plant Science & Landscape Architecture Graduate Student
With the arrival of fall, one popular bloom brings the brilliant colors of forest foliage to our doorstep: With flower colors coming in purple, red, orange, yellow, and more, chrysanthemums, or more simply, mums, have been a favorite for centuries. First domesticated in China over 3,000 years ago, mum roots, seedlings, and flower pedals were used as herbal remedies in traditional Chinese medicine.
For nearly 2,000 years, mums have been the symbol of fall in Chinese culture: The Double Ninth Festival, celebrated on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, celebrates harvest, ancestors, and the beauty of autumn, with mums taking center stage as both decorations, accessories, and a floral wine.
First introduced to Europeans in the 1600s, mums quickly became a fall favorite. By the mid-1800s, the Victorians had written extensive literature on the interpretation and meaning of the color of each bloom. While some colors have carried the same meaning for thousands of years – such as white blooms symbolizing mourning – others took on entirely different meanings. While in China, a red mum represents fortune and luck, a Victorian would interpret this as a declaration of love.
Luckily, it seems many home gardeners in the United States nowadays are more concerned with the aesthetic appeal of their blooms than the meanings, so major misunderstandings are avoided. With several thousand cultivars available, mums come in many color combinations and growth habits. The National Chrysanthemum Society of the USA recognizes 13 different flower classes, ranging from 6-inch diameter flower balls with many layers of florets to smaller, 2-inch diameter flowers with only a single layer of a few petals. Some mums bloom early, in August, while others will bloom in October.
Further, some mums are annuals regardless of USDA hardiness zone, while others are perennials in zones 5-9. While so-called “florist mums” or “pot mums” are generally grown as annuals and will not survive winter frost, “garden mums” can survive winter frost if planted early enough in the growing season. If you wish to purchase a garden mum, but the mums are unmarked, a good way to tell the difference between florist and garden mums is to check for stolons near the base of the plant. Stolons, also known as “runners”, are shoots that grow out from the base of the mother plant. A daughter plant may have roots growing from the end of a stolon. If you want to purchase a perennial mum, check around the base of the stem for stolons – they will most likely be quite short but are a good sign that the plants may overwinter successfully. Alternatively, if you want to be sure you grow a permanent mum installation that comes back year-after-year, you can start some varieties of hardy garden mums from seed in late winter prior to planting out in spring. Get any mums you want to try overwintering in the ground as soon as possible. You can plant mums next year in spring or summertime to give them plenty of sunny weather to grow hearty root systems prior to the first winter frost of 2025. Mulch around your fall planted mums to help insulate their roots from frost.
Both annual and perennial mums benefit from at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. In Connecticut, a sunny spot to the south of your home would be ideal. Water mums thoroughly once the topsoil is dry but try not to wet the leaves or the flowers. Water left on the leaves or flowers can make mums prone to fungal diseases, which can make them unsightly or even kill them in severe cases. Towards the end of the season, especially between October and November, consider leaving the blooms on as long as possible to allow late-season pollinators to collect nectar.
Whether planted in a permanent flower garden or kept in a pot on the porch for fall, mums are an excellent addition of rich fall colors to any home gardener’s flower collection. Consider picking some up this season at your local garden center or plan on purchasing plants or seeds next year.
If you have a question on caring for your mums or for other gardening questions, contact the UCONN Home & Garden Education Center, toll-free, at (877) 486-6271, visit their web site at www.homegarden.cahnr.uconn.edu or contact your local Cooperative Extension Center.