Two bonus arrangements to showcase my fall mums
In the weeks leading up to today, Thanksgiving Day, I have continued my year-long “Slow Flowers Revisited” series, a project to redesign each of the 52 weekly floral arrangements I originally created for my 2013 book, Slow Flowers: Four Seasons of Locally Grown Bouquets from the Garden, Meadow and Farm.
The dahlias are over, and there’s hasn’t been much left in the garden, bloom-wise, other than our diehard but tiny roses. But . . . I have been waiting to use the gorgeous chrysanthemums all season! I grew several varieties from small starts in 2022, but only one survived last winter and returned this season. It is incredibly prolific.
I’ve been interviewing so many flower farmers lately, and in answer to my question about pinching my mums, the advice is so varied! But I didn’t pinch or disbud this year, and as a result, the stems produced voluptuous sprays of multiple flowers.
I created two arrangements using the same ingredients:
- Chrysanthemums (variety unrecalled)
- Ferns
- Golden Cotinus
- Cotinus ‘Grace’
- Ninebark ‘Diabolo’
- Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’
More Details:
The colors are so varied and as the days have passed, it has been fascinating to watch the ferns dry and become wheat-colored, as well as watching the changes in the foliage. And through it all, those mums continue to look pretty amazing.
Note to self: Add more mums to the garden next spring. They are a beautiful remedy for the bloom-deprived at this time of the year!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING, friends!
