Mums: The Flowers of Fall
Chrysanthemums, more commonly known as mums, are the beautiful burst of color that looks like summer, but belongs to the fall. It’s a cool weather flower that’s in full bloom when other flowers have lost their last petals. There are actually two different types of mums: florist mums, which are annuals and usually sold as potted plants, and garden mums, which are perennials and sold for garden planting.
How Often Do I Water Mums?
Potted mums are thirsty plants. They don’t like to be dry. Water them every other day. Or water them every day. Or water them every three days. Whenever they’re dry. It depends on your climate. And as much as you may be tempted to do it, don’t shower them with water all over their leaves. That could cause fungal growth which could lead to disease. Instead, water them at the soil level. They don’t want to be wet, just moist.
How Do I Know If I’m Overwatering My Mums?
There’s a fine line between just enough water and overwatering. Yes, mums like to be watered, but too much water and they begin to suffer. The first sign of overwatering is that their leaves will start to turn yellow. Then they’ll turn black and fall off. Obviously, with your planted mum, you can’t control when it rains and the leaves on the mums planted in your garden will ultimately get wet.
Now that we know you’re not killing your mums by overwatering them, you can put them on your porch along with.
Decorating Your Porch With Pumpkins
Fall is a favorite season for many, and the unmistakable signs of this seasonal favorite are hard to miss. Leaves changing color, pine cones and acorns, chunky knit sweaters popping up everywhere, cornstalks and pumpkins. And what better way to say “Welcome back Autumn” than to decorate your porch in full-on fall regalia. While every porch will be different, one item you’ll see on just about every porch is a pumpkin. You’ll see whole pumpkins and, as it gets closer to Halloween, pumpkins carved with spooky faces.
When Should You Put Pumpkins Out on Your Porch?
To answer this, you have to first know what you’re planning to do with your pumpkin. If the pumpkin is strictly for decoration, mid- to late September is a good time to put a pumpkin out on the porch. Uncut, it can last up to three months. If you plan to carve the pumpkin, you should wait until a few days before Halloween to put it on the porch as an open flesh pumpkin will eventually attract bugs.
When it comes to pumpkins, you do have options. Fake pumpkins are just as Autumn-inspired as the real thing and they last for years. You can arrange them in random clusters of varied sizes and try different colors too.
Bales of Hay
A scenic drive along a country road on a clear sunny day is enough to relax even the most stressed person. You pass a string of farms dotted along the way with cows, chickens, wide open fields, horses and bales of hay. Haybales and pumpkins go hand-in-hand. Bales of hay would make a great addition to your Autumn-themed porch. Just make sure the hay hasn’t gone off. Good hay shouldn’t have a musty or moldy smell and the color should be more green than brown.