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Show X II TT I 7 Builders oae "f 1 .,... .aiv. Watering helps plants Flower comes in numerous varieties only if done correctly i .jv ... - Tr- -- - - By GEORGE BRIA The Associated Press POUND RIDGE,' N.Y. -With fall nearing, mum's the word. Pots of budding chrysanthemums line sidewalks outside supermarkets, enticing customers. Thanks to this ancient Chinese and Japanese flower, gardens end their year in a blaze of color rivaling the autumn glory of the leaves above. The show, however specI tacular, also t conveys the melancholy of a dying season, and thus chrysanthemums are regarded in some places as the proper flower for funerals and cemeteries. But some of the many chrysanthemum varieties flower also from midsummer on. There are wide differences in the shapes of the flowers and the way the petals turn. Their forms get the names of pompon, spider, spoon, semidouble and daisy. D Chrysanthemum comes from the Greek "chrysos" (gold) and "anthos" (flower.) Garlands were made of it in Roman times to ward off demons. In Japan, a chrysanthemum that looked like the Rising Sun became a symbol of the Mikado. J The Japanese link is evoked also in the French novel "Madame Chrysantheme" by Pierre Loti that is regarded as having strongly influenced Puccini's creation of Madame Butterfly. Artists like Renoir and Degas did celebrated paintings featuring chrysanthemums. Mums, as they are generally called, are grown pri marily as cut flowers for the florist trade. Bouquets of petals make large dramatic arrangements whatever the setting. Bought as plants in pots and transplanted, mums may be propagated in the garden for season after season. They like full sun and rich soil. Plants that survive the winter profit from division each spring, giving you more and stronger plants. It's a good idea to mulch them the year around and to fertilize in early spring. A chrysanthemum grown indoors can be given new life outdoors, but be sure to shade it gradually from the sun to "harden" it. New cultivars are always making debuts. Touted recently are Belgian Mums, a variety introduced in America by GroLink Chrysanthemums of Oxnard, Cal.,Tel. They have a high flower count and a round shape and flexibility that eliminates the need for pinching and staking. And a supplier called My Favorite, based in West 8. Chicago, 111., Tel. is introducing in the spring of 2002 five perenni- als of varied color, appear8, ance and flowering times. They also will need no pinching to maintain shape or bloom 'and will just have to be cut back to two inches annually. The mums are three daisy types called Autumn Red, Twilight Pink, and Coral; one called Yellow Quill, while essentially a daisy type, has tubular shaped "quill" petals that give the plant an airy look; and one called White fea tures semidouble flowers with four to five rows of petals and a yellow center. American horticulturist Luther Burbank crossed e daisies with a Japanese daisy and obtained the famous Shasta daisy, named for Mount Shasta near his home in northern California. Different, cultivars of shastas continue to beguile gardeners. White Flower Farm, the noted nursery in Litchfield, Conn., ox-ey- 4; www.whiteflower-farm.com- ) is offering a ble dou- shasta called Christine Hagemann, which it found in Germany. This plant, growing 36 inches tall and 30 inches wide, features 3 flowers flowers. the many culti- e chrysanvars, an themum called Clara Curtis still performs proudly. Offered by another nursery, Wayside Gardens Of Hodges, S.C., old-tim- well-know- AP Weekly Features Plants grow better with timely watering. Even during a wet summer, rain rarely falls as soon as a plant needs water. But watering has to be done correctly or the plants will suffer and water will be wasted. Garden plants need about one inch of water per of water week. A covers one square foot of half-gallo- n ground. You probably will use more water than you think you need. To soak the couple of square feet of ground beneath a newly planted, small tree or shrub, use all the water in a watering can. If you use a hose-en- d watering "wand," measure how long it takes for the wand to put out a gallon of water, then run the two-gallo- packed with white petals. Another white shasta called Becky offered by White Flower Farm origi- nated in Georgia and is promoted as the best shasta for the South, but it also does well in New England. Blooming from July to September, it stands up to 4 feet tall and has huge Among By LEE REICH n water as needed. Don't apply water faster than the soil can drink it in. For watering a larger area, such as a vegetable or flower garden, with a sprinkler, measure how fast the sprinkler puts out water. Set a coffee can beneath the canopy of water, and time how long you have to leave the sprinkler on to put an inch of water into the container. Better yet, set out a few containers to make sure your sprinkler's coverage is uniform. The best time to sprinkle is in midmorning, when the air is still, so water falls on target. Shortly after you finish watering, the sun will dry the leaves, decreasing the chance for diseases. Leave that coffee can outside or buy a rain gauge to accurately measure rainfall. Depending on how much falls, you will be temporarily relieved of watering duties. CALL FOR A FREE Manage your own construction project and save thousands. CONSULTATION 356-107- 5 UBuikllt ' pw! HllpOwMr CoMrtl n (800-213-037- 9; Gucrcntc:d Lowest www.waysidegardens.com), this plant is promoted as "long-bloomin- g, heavy-flowerin- and so cold-hard- g y that it survives astonishing winters without losing a root." Sporting masses of golden-eye- d, powder-pin- k daisies, the plants reach inches in height and spread 2 feet wide. 18 DO Financia I Drto:c3 RatocIII or we pay you $300 (Call for details) 426-505- 0 |
