Fall Mums for color
Hi everyone! It’s been a crazy week with back to school. Hubby and I dropped Little off and then went out to breakfast. It was nice after along summer to have time for just the two of us. I think sometimes we get so caught up we forget we need some time just to have an uninterrupted conversation. Eggs and a full sentence are a pretty awesome combination!
I saw some Fall mums at Walmart and I had to buy some. My front walk needed a bit of a pick up, as my summer flowers were beginning to peter out a bit.
It was time to assess what I need for next year and what needed to transition over. I like to have some color year round.
A few years ago, we pulled up to the front of the house mid-summer and noticed everything was green, green, and more green. After that I’ve been slowly trying to see when something was blooming and then add something appropriate for that bloom time. It’s been a fun process, kind of like fitting together a puzzle of plants and color.
I like Mums for a quick burst in the Fall. If you pick ones without a lot of opened blooms, they last much, much longer into the season.
I went for the straight dark red ones. I like how they are against my white house and the different shades of greens.
They show up a bit better against the yellow and reds and make nice color contrast.
My chartreuse coleus are finally starting to hit full stride.
This used to be a full shade area.
When we had to take our dying ash tree out last year, it instantly went from full shade to full sun.
Some of the plants don’t mind so much like the darker Hosta’s and Coral Bells, but the lighter ones are getting burned out.
I ended up adding some Penstemon and a Purpleleaf Sand Cherry for some color. The dwarf cone-flowers are thriving in the sun. They add a pretty deep pink color.
I also have some silver sage in the back ground that adds some nice contrast.
I am looking forward to next year when everything will fill in a bit more. We are also going to be adding a larger tree in front. We really need the shade. At about 2 pm it’s like we live on the sun.
I am thinking about a Little-leaf Linden, or I want something that gets about 20-30 feet tall and about 15-20 feet across like our ash tree did. It’s a shame, but you just can’t replace a 35 year old tree. That’s why I am so against people cutting down trees unless you absolutely have to (and sometimes you do).
We had to take down out plum tree this year too. It had some kind of fungus that completely killed off. It really leaves a huge bare spot in our yard. I am actually looking at a Beech tree for that space now. We’ll see what spring brings and what the nursery’s have!
Jen, your landscaping looks good, and I know exactly what you mean about the full sun and feeling like you live on the sun in the afternoons. We had 3 white birch in our landscape at the start, only to get birch bore AND, combined with our area getting rezoned into a warmer climate, just killed all of them. I haven’t replaced them, but one maple we planted in the center has grown really tall to help. I’m actually happy to see the mums out already – I’m ready for a little change in the garden and in the porch. Have a good day!
Rita
River birch is a beautiful clump. Check it out. Of course, it doesn’t provide a tremendous amount of shade, but it is pretty.
Losing a tree that old is hard to replace. We had 11 (13 years old) maples that popped out of the ground during Isabel in 2003. The landscaper didn’t cut away the root ball that was wrapped in nylon and steel. We replanted and they are just now starting to look like the old trees we lost. Research your tree choice and plant well. River birches love water so don’t plant near water or sewer lines. Same goes for maples. We had purple plums and they have a life cycle of about 15-20 years so do flowering Pear trees. You would think that the landscapers would help you with a good choice. Some will but most don’t; they want to sell a tree. Remember that little tree will be a huge tree one day; plant wisely.
Jen, your garden is coming along nicely. One place you might want to contact is The Conservation Foundation. Check out http://www.theconservationfoundation.org they have all kinds of ideas for plants and trees that are native to Illinois. By being native these plants will tolerate our weather better.
Love the mums! Oh, fall. Mine will be blooming out back in the next month and they’re my favorite bloomers in my lil’ back flower garden area. We have two ash trees in our back yard planted years ago. They need a lot of triming (every couple years) but are beautiful and in the fall not too hard to clean up as the leaves are smaller/can just mow over after they’ve dried and crumpled. Those date times are so important. My husband always wants to do breakfast, too!
Hi Jen! I love the red it just pops! It’s great to get out and just talk without the kids, we are overdue!
I was visiting your kitchen remodel pics what color and brand was the white on the beadboard on your back splash and lower walls . It looks great. Please let me know I’m ready to go for it and paint my beadboard
HI Michele,
It’s Linen white from Benjamin Moore
They are just now putting mums out around here even though it is still in the 90s. I could not resist though and brought few home. Hope you have a great holiday weekend Jennifer!