Mums

For me, mums have always been a waste of money. They're so lovely (and expensive) in the stores in the fall, and I'm always tempted to buy a few and plant them.  But they always suffer winter-kill. Then somebody told me potted mums are only meant to be potted plants anyway.

Last fall, when we built our new greenhouse, my husband bought 3 potted mums. He wasn't planning to plant them in the ground. He just wanted some color for the greenhouse. Winter came (the mildest winter I can remember in my lifetime) and the mums appeared to have died off. But when they started showing green leaves in the spring, I thought what the heck, I'm going to plant them outside.  I coddled them through the heat and drought of the WORST summer I can remember in my lifetime and --- Voila! Beautiful mums this fall.