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Queen of Fall Flowers continued from page 31 tender October 7; and late season extender October 14. Mums give us a burst of color before the drab winter. In addition to white, yellow, and bronze, you’ll find shades of pink, lavender, and maroon. Try to purchase field grown mums, grown outdoors right in our area. They will be more likely to survive their first winter in your garden. Blooming mum plants can be planted in the garden in fall with a little extra care. Here's how to help them survive their first winter in the ground. Select bushy, well-branched plants with small, leafy stems emerging from the base of the plants, or sprouting around the edge of the pot. The earlier you plant, the longer your mums will have to develop good root systems—a crucial factor in determining winter hardiness. Choose a very well-drained location. More fall-planted mums die from root rot than from the effects of low temperatures. Dig a planting hole twice as wide as the plant's root ball and set each plant in the planting hole one inch deeper than it grew in its nursery pot; spread out the roots. After cold weather kills the flowers and leaves, water only if the soil becomes very dry. Trim back tops very slightly to remove dead blossoms. Don't mulch mums until the end of December. If there is no snow cover at that time, lay conifer boughs or a layer of shredded dry leaves over the plants' crowns. Gradually remove the mulch in spring. Removing the mulch all at once may cause the tender new growth to die. Wait until after the last spring frost to move mums. That's the best time to dig and divide any garden chrysanthemum. When growth resumes in spring (or just after transplanting), work some compost into the soil around each plant. If you are adventurous, leave new mums in their pots until they finish flowering. Cut them back to six inches high and put them in an unheated
garage, shed or basement – anywhere they won’t get frostbite. Water them once a month. When you see new growth in spring, start watering them weekly. Take them outside during the day for a week after all danger of frost has passed, then put them in the ground. When treated this way, your mums will be more likely to survive their first winter and give you many more years of enjoyment in exchange for minimal care. To prevent mums from becoming lanky, cut them down by one-third on
Blooming mum plants can be planted in the garden in fall with a little extra care. Memorial Day, then again on July 4th. This will help the plant become bushy, while still allowing time for flower buds to form. Try tying a “belt” of green twine around mums. Sometimes, no matter how bushy they become, a hard rain or strong winds will cause them to flop open anyway. By the time mums in the garden have finished blooming, you may want to cut them back for aesthetics, but try to leave them up if you can. The dead branches catch blowing leaves and snow, and often manage to collect just the right amount of protective mulch. Trimming off dead blossoms and wayward branches is fine, but as the mum experts say, "Nature doesn't trim back the dead branches in winter, and neither should you." Start your own beautiful autumn garden with these low-maintenance, high-satisfaction plants. Then sit back and watch them put on their show.
Crafts continued from page 8 tinue to make her own pottery for commissions and for exhibition. At first she offered group classes for children after school, but found that set hours like that would not accommodate parents in the area. So she stopped the group classes and began giving children individual classes, giving both parents and children more flexibility. Adult classes are structured groups and individuals. The classes for adults are held from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon and from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. During the fall and spring there are also adult classes on Friday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. In her classes the principles of ceramics are learned from stretching clay and manipulating clay to tooling and glazing. Everything possible to make with clay is done by the students: tile, jewelry, pots, plates and molds. Nicole also does her own work. She does commission work and demonstrations. She makes items for people that like to come in and paint already made pottery. “They come in and apply color and glaze and I fire it.” Nicole is well aware of the privilege she has as an artist and as a businesswoman in the community. So she also uses ceramics to raise money for various organizations that directly help people. One is the Daily Bread pantry, which helps feed people who are in transition, homeless or in temporarily difficult situations. Black Sheep Pottery is located at 4038 Skippack Pike, Skippack Village, PA 19474-0393. For more information about classes and community events, call 610584-5877 or visit www.blacksheeppot tery.org. Bob Waite is the editor of MONTCO Homes, Gardens & Lifestyle.
Lori Pelkowski, The Midnight Gardener, is a Temple University Certified Master Home Gardener.
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