Mums In Little Space
My gardening activities are interesting, I suppose, not only because I have grown some prize-winning chrysanthemums but also because I pack them by the hundreds in a small plot of ground and do it in my spare time. I am a motorcycle patrolman and many people don't expect a police officer to be so fascinated with growing hardy chrysanthemums and are surprised when they hear of such goings on.
From the days I worked on my father's farm in Georgia, I have been keen on growing things but so many years intervened before I could get my fingers in dirt again that when I finally got my own backyard, my zeal was unbounded, perhaps excessive. Very soon my own place became too small to contain all the plants I wanted to grow.
They say where there's a will, there's a way. A half block from my house was a corner lot, 50 by 100 feet, vacant full of stones and weeds. I got the owner's permission to use it and planted some shrubs and all of my mums there and added to them.
The neighbors liked the mass of color. It became "their" Corner Garden and they protect it with watchful eyes. Some parents have thought it wise to instill awe of me in their children to keep them from becoming frisky with the flowers. But, when the kids ask, "Bob, are you really a policeman ?" I say, "Naw."
My trust has not been unfounded. During the past five years few flowers have been destroyed or missed and, although the lot is not fenced in and is planted right up to white stakes set out to mark boundary lines, no one has really trespassed.
One day this spring, though, up trotted a little guy and rang my bell. He had dozens of labeled tags to sell. Upon examination they proved to be the very ones I had carefully named and placed next to newly planted varieties to identify them. What do you do with a five year-old who has a staggering sense of commerce like that?
This year the borrowed land contains 1,000 plants of 55 varieties of chrysanthemums alone and with some bromeliads. For the first few months, it is really hard to care for bromeliads and chrysanthemums. I also consider shows to be the best places to exchange experiences with other growers and to make lasting friendships with people who like your favorite flower as well as you do.
I have shown my mums nearby, and my preparations have not been elaborate. I've simply cut blooms, plunged their stems in deep containers and placed them in a cool, shaded spot to drink up all the water they could overnight. Then, I've taken them to the show right in the same containers or packed them, with a lot of tissue paper, in cartons.
Join Thomas Fryd at http://www.plant-care.com as he continues to explore more effective ways on bromeliads. Visit the Uber Article Directory to get a totally unique version of this article for reprint.
