Belgian mums will be the fall hit

Fri., Aug. 20, 2004

Norman Winter Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service

I was visiting a grower last week and even though I am still thinking summer, there they were: thousands of Belgian mums that would soon be arriving at garden centers. If you are not familiar with these relatively new mums you will want to shop quickly when your mum season arrives if you expect to get any because they will disappear like snow cones in July.

There are more than 25 selections of Belgian mums grown in the United States. The names are a little tricky compared to the old standards. For very early flowering varieties look for Temptress and Urano. For early season look for varieties like Camina, Cesaro, Jambo, Molfetta, Novare, Padre, Savona, Siam and Terano.

Some of the mid-season varieties are Celino, Frimo, Mistretta and Prato. Look also for late-season varieties like Carpino, Dark Veria, Sapiro and Tripoli.

These are no ordinary, fall-flowering, winter-hardy chrysanthemums. Belgian mums produce an abundance of flower buds in a quantity much greater than any other mum.

Every year I try to urge gardeners to buy mums while they are still in tight bud so they get the most landscape value for their purchase. Belgian mums have so many buds that gardeners are quick to realize their superiority.

An exceptional feature of the Belgian mum is its durability. While other mums break branches easily, the Belgian mums can take a lot of abuse without damage.

The Belgian mums are mounded in shape and require no pinching or staking. Treat these like your other mums. After they succumb to freezing weather, trim the foliage back to just above the ground and give them a good layer of mulch After this, cut them back again to get ready for fall.

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