I have been wanting to add more hardy 'mums to the garden, so was very interested in Kevin's thread last year about the Mammoth Mums. I was able to find several (Red,Dark Bronze, Dark Pink) this year but I'm undecided about how well they will suit the garden/where they are best used. I have two main issues/concerns.
The first is their potential size - they seem to be listed as both quite tall and quite wide-spreading, which raises concerns about whether I have the space for them!
The second issue is their appearance. While I generally prefer the look of simpler, single forms of flowers, to me 'mums are supposed to be very much doubles - the Mammoths are not. Looking at Google images, a lot seem to be mounds smothered in flowers and looking very artificial - I'm not sure if that is their natural form or whether they've been pruned like that. The bright yellow centers of their daisy-like flowers strike me as a bit brash - I prefer the more subtle transitions of the old style mums.
So, where I am at the moment re mums is in an assessment phase. I have the Dark Pink Mammoth planted in the ground but the Red and Bronze are in pots, where they will likely stay for a year or two until I get a better feel for how big they get and what their natural look is, so I can assess where (or if) they should be placed in the garden. I am also trying several old-fashioned style mums to compare with the Mammoths. I've planted a Dreamweaver and a Tigertail to see how they compare with Dark Pink and Dark Bronze Mammoths. I also have some pass-along old-fashioned 'mums from neighbours The white one has been in the garden for several years now. I like it but it is the old weak-stemmed ones that need regular cutting back earlier in the summer in order not to flop when it blooms! It's quite a large patch now and blooms quite late (buds are present now but none open). When I originally got the white 'mum from a neighbour a few years ago, there was a pink one mixed in. I was lamenting to another neighbour last August that the pink seems to be disappearing. She said 'Oh, I can give you pink ones.....' and a few days later (in the midst of a very dry spell) a bunch of mums appeared on our driveway! I stuffed them in wherever I could find a bare spot - and forgot about them, assuming none would survive the planting in the drought.... Most obviously did indeed die but one very nice patch has grown up through the Boomerang lilac in the moat bed! I didn't realize it was there until it started blooming a week or so ago. It never got pinched back but that hasn't seemed to bother it and the lilac seems to be supporting it to keep it upright.
The pink old-fashioned one has been the first to bloom followed by the Mammoth Mums. The Tigertail is just starting to open a few blooms but Dreamweaver isn't showing color yet. The white old-fashioned one usually starts later this month and blooms into November. It looks like the ones I'm trialing will cover a long bloom period between them, so I'll probably try to find suitable places/companions for them all in the end I suspect!
Some pictures:
First to bloom - pink pass-along 'mum
{{gwi:272624}}
Its current companions:
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Dark Pink Mammoth (I used to have a rather vivid pink aster and rather wild purple asters is this spot and where the hosta is now)
{{gwi:272628}}
Red and Dark Bronze Mammoths (The Dark Bronze looks more red than bronze to me! I suspect mislabeling, although Google images shows quite a variation so there must be at least two different Bronze ones.)
{{gwi:272629}}
Tigertail just starting to open - this color will, I think, work best with the oranges at this end of the south driveway border.
{{gwi:272630}}
What are your favorite hardy mums? Which varieties would you suggest I look for to extend the trial? :-)
katob Z6ish, NE Pa
prairiemoon2 z6b MA
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katob Z6ish, NE Pa
katob Z6ish, NE Pa
katob Z6ish, NE Pa
katob Z6ish, NE Pa
woodyoak zone 5 southern Ont., CanadaOriginal Author
rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
woodyoak zone 5 southern Ont., CanadaOriginal Author
vic447
rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
karin_mt
flowergirl70ks
rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
vic447
woodyoak zone 5 southern Ont., CanadaOriginal Author
vic447
rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)