Sunday, September 6, 2009

Mum's the Word

We have now become one of those houses which, in fall, puts in mums. I've never really thought much of the whole "changing out the flowers" thing that people do in their plantings. And, yet, since we put planting pots at the front of our walk this summer -- and since the dahlias and petunias are beginning to die back -- today we headed to the gardening store.

In theory, we had only gone to Gerten's for some tall, interesting grass to add in either near the driveway or to replace the 99% dead willow shrub outside Christopher's office window. We found out, though, that the gorgeous little reddish, feather-topped grass we like so much is actually an annual, not a perennial. So, instead, we bought some tall grass with interesting red and green stems which will coordinate well with the barberry shrubs in the same planting area.

When we got home, I plopped the bright yellow mums into the middle of our planting pots, and then turned my attention to the grass. The willow came out of the ground with no resistance (further proof that the roots hadn't ever grown), and I went to drop the grass in. I'll skip the saga of finding more dirt to fill in the hole, and simply say that the grass looks really nice.

I'll try to wrangle Christopher's digital camera in the next day or so, so you can see how everything looks.

Hopefully it will grow next spring and spread a little and fill out that planting bed. If not, I think Christopher is going to either pave that area or at least put in something non-organic.

Oh. And next spring we just might find some of that nifty reddish feathery grass for the front pots, after the mums come out. (Or are the perennial? Anyone?)

*****
Follow-up to the call for "polite digs" from yesterday's post...

So far, we only have one addition to the list:

beket said...

One of my favorite ways to say that (non-food way) is "he's got a hole in his marble bag." And I always use the phrase "not the brightest crayon in the box." But a food version? Hmmm, maybe -- a pancake short of a stack?

So keep them coming!

1 comment:

Robert said...

Received from my folks: Most mums with whom I have become acquainted are perennial.