I prefer the pom pom mums that have larger petals but with fewer of them. They make for a nice, long-lasting bloom and hold their colors well. With the pom pom, there are always more petals to unfurl to keep the colors fresh.
Bees, butterflies and other pollinators prefer the daisy-type mums. There are fewer petals to unfurl so the sweet goodness held within the central 'button' is exposed for them.There is no traffic on the pom poms. There's really nothing for insects to forage on. I'll be adding more of the daisy mums next year to balance my pom poms so everyone finds something to enjoy.
While working in the veg bed I got a good look at this English lavender plant in one of the large pots. It was WS'd 2 years ago, was brought inside for last winter where it didn't fare well at all, got planted out as an after thought late this spring and pretty much just left to fend for itself.Well, fend it did. What a beautifully shaped plant. It didn't bloom this season, but I'm sure that it will be just lovely next year. It's sure nice when a good plant succeeds!
<== Meanwhile, for other vegetable bed news, click this pic.
Hi Kris,
ReplyDeleteLarry and I are sitting in our local coffee shop, and I am cold with my jacket on. I hope to get out and get the rain barrels emptied and pull out the dead veggie plants this weekend. I do most of the flower garden clean up in the spring.
I like all of your mums. As long as we have some blooms for the pollinators, I think it's fine to enjoy other blooms as well. I do seem to prefer most of the ones they do, though.