Mum’s the word come autumn in Ashtabula County

By SHELLEY TERRY - Staff Writer - sterry@starbeacon.com
Star Beacon

September 07, 2008 01:37 am

— These days, mum’s the word as thousands of chrysanthemums in shades of red, yellow, purple and orange appear on the market.
The colorful flowers give northeast Ohio residents an opportunity to enjoy an array of autumn colors in their gardens and landscaping.
At Mike’s Farm Market, 1800 E. Prospect Road, Ashtabula, 8 1/2-inch pots of these colorful flowers, which also go by the name of “Belgian mums,” are just starting to bloom.
“We have a variety of colors, including yellow, purple and that rusty brown color,” said Laura White, owner.
These mums are expected to be bought up by gardeners who can be seen walking away with their arms full of the long-lasting flowers.
The arrival of mums in stores after Labor Day is one of the best horticultural events of the year, said Chris Nichols of Sasquatch Farm Market, 4348 E. Center St., Conneaut. Gardeners get a beautiful plant that blooms for about six weeks. Then, if you plant it, water it and mulch it, it will come up again next September and bloom again.
Grace Kirch, owner of Gracie’s Greenhouse in Monroe Township, suggests planting spring bulbs when planting mums. Dig the hole, place the bulb in the ground and set the mum on top. Then, fill with dirt, she said.
In the spring, you will have a tulip or daffodil, and in the fall, you will have a colorful mum.
Gracie’s Greenhouse, 7145 E. Route 84, now boasts more than 1,000 mums in more than 15 colors and two varieties. The plants come in one gallon size and in terra cotta planters, ready to decorate your porch or patio.
In Jefferson, there’s a Jefferson Farm Market, beginning at noon in the parking lot of the community center, that offers a bounty of delights, including herbs, honey, cookies, vegetables and fall flowers.
More ideas for your garden this fall:
n This is an ideal time to plant trees and shrubs;
n Display flower pots, replace spring and summer pots with gourds and sunflowers;
n Perennials flourish in pots year round in Ohio, if you move them to a protected spot indoors in the winter, and
n Get out those scarecrows and pumpkins — two more weeks until the official start of fall!