I like to refer to August as the limbo month of the garden center world. Everyone is in the midst of summer and have seen their flowers grow into the beautiful full plants we knew they’d become. At this point, not very many people want to buy more flowers because that, of course, means more to water in the hottest month of the year. The mums are not quite ready to go but you can definitely start seeing the plant take shape. There is still plenty of plants to choose from. From annuals to tropicals, and plenty of succulents left to keep some all year color around inside your house. All of these selections are now 75% off and still look as good as they did in May. So if you are looking to fill the gap between your May flowers and your fall mums, then stop on by!
Mums are our main focal point this time of the year, and they like A LOT of water. On these hot days that we have been having they take a bucket-full, it is incredible how much water mums need. It is important that we don’t let them dry out and make sure they are well watered each and every day. Unfortunately, the days are getting shorter and shorter but for mums it is important. They are a short day crop, which means, in order for them to flower they need only about 8 hours of sunlight and hopefully 16 hours of darkness. What is fascinating about their photo period is that the time spent in the dark is just as important to the plant as when it is in the light, this is the time where the plants generate hormones for flowering. So even though we feel that we are in limbo this time of the year, the plants are just getting started!
Photo recognition: Laura Ketcher, Farmington MN
0 Comments