One of the great things about the fall season is that it presents the opportunity to enjoy the vivid color of chrysanthemums, helping gardeners to achieve four-season interest in their gardens. Chrysanthemum flowers are also a favorite of florists for arrangements, due to the longevity of their blooms.

Chrysanthemums were cultivated in China as a flowering herb as far back as the 15th century BC. The flower was introduced into Japan in the 8th century AD, and the Emperor adopted the flower as his official seal. Today there is still a "Festival of Happiness" in Japan celebrating the flower. Mums were brought to Europe in the 17th century and the rest of the world has enjoyed them ever since.

Modern chrysanthemums are much more showy than their wild relatives. The flowers occur in many flower forms, and can be daisy-like, decorative, pompons or buttons. Chrysanthemums come in a wide variety of colors, including white, off-white, yellow, gold, bronze, red, burgundy, pink, lavender and purple.

Chrysanthemum plants can grow to be 2-3 feet high, depending on the cultivar and growing conditions. There are "hardy mums" and "florist mums." Hardy mums put out stolons. Florist mums put out few or no stolons, which makes them less likely to over-winter in cold regions.

Mums look best planted in a mass--but for good health don't overcrowd them, since good air circulation reduces the chance of disease.

Plant chrysanthemum flowers in full sun and well-drained soil, enriched with a soil conditioner. Chrysanthemums are "photoperiodic," meaning they bloom in response to the shorter days and longer nights experienced in fall. Therefore, do not plant chrysanthemum flowers near street lights or night lights: the artificial lighting may wreak havoc with the chrysanthemums' cycle.

We invite you to visit us and bring some hardy mums home for your garden to brighten up your autumn garden. Chrysanthemums also make great housewarming gifts--and your friends will thank you for thinking about them. So remember, mum's the word!

Ray is a customer favorite. He has been in the Garden Center business for 13 years, including 9 at George's Market. Ray always starts out by listening. If you don't know what kind of plant or tree you want, then Ray will ask you all of the right questions to help you select a variety that will make you happy and thrive in the place you are going to put it. If you're still not certain, you can have the George's staff deliver it and plant it for you. Ray is a proud father and an avid reader. He travels to California and Colorado to see his children in the off season, and he loves to read gardening books.

Ray also has an interest in phenomena like UFO's and Bigfoot. Ray hosts a website dealing with this at : Independent Researchers of Anomalous Phenomena

Some of Ray's favorite things:
Favorite Restaurants:Christina's (On Central Avenue) Otis and Oliver's (At Cocca's on Rte. 7)
Favorite Movie: Sound of Music
Pets: 2 Yorkshire Terriers

Stop by George's Market and visit with Ray today!

Autumn is a good time to prepare your lawn for the year ahead, and the best time to tackle any long-term improvements. Tasks such as raking out lawn debris, eradicating moss, feeding, and aerating will improve the quality of your lawn greatly if carried out on a yearly basis.

Unders some conditions, grass clippings and debris can form a thick "thatch" on the surface of your lawn. This affects growth of the grass and should be removed with a lawn rake. Raking also removes moss.

If grass growth is poor, aerate the lawn. You can do this by pushing the prongs of a fork about 15 cm (6 in) into the ground. Brush a soil improver into the holes made by the fork. Use sand or a mixture of fine soil and sand if the ground is poorly drained. Alternatively, use peat, a peat-substitute or very fine, well-rotted compost if the ground is sandy. Reseed as necessary; fall is an excellent time for reseeding.

If your lawn is in poor condition and needs reviving, apply an autumn lawn feed. It is essential that you use one formulated for autumn use, as spring and summer feeds will contain too much nitrogen. If the grass contains a lot of moss, apply a moss killer. Use one recommended for autumn use; the mixture known as lawn sand, sometimes used to kill moss, contains too much nitrogen.

You can (and should) tidy an uneven edge whenever it's necessary, but doing a full job of it in autumn will relieve the pressure at busier times of the year. Hold a half-moon edger against a board held in position with your feet.

You don’t need to focus just on plants that bloom at night. Foliage plants can do the same, or scent the air. Plants with white variegated foliage can also brighten up an area with their soft reflective glow. Many plants flower exclusively at night. Many more wait until evening to release their wonderful scents.

Plan your garden in layers with vines and tall plants in the back and shorter perennials and spreading groundcovers and annuals in the front. Each of these elements, individual or combined, will produce a beautiful garden anytime of the day, but especially at night.

Some excellent choices for taller background plants include Camellia, Clematis, Honeysuckle, Hibiscus, Hydrangea, Jasmine, Lilac, Magnolia, Mock Orange, Oleander, Rhododendron, Viburnum and white climbing roses. For smaller shrubs consider Azalea, Bridalwreath Spirea, Brunfelsia, Gardenia, Rockrose, roses, Russian Sage, variegated Euonymous and Pittosporum.

For great perennial color consider Achillea, Astilbe, Boltonia, Cuphea, Daylily, Dinathus, Euphorbia, Gallium, Gaura, Geranium sanguineum 'album', Heuchera, Iberis, Iris, Penstemon, Peony, Phlox, Physostegia, Salvia, Shasta Daisy and Veronica. Consider incorporating Dusty Miller, variegated Hosta, Lamb's Ears, Lamium, Licorice Plant and Silver Artemesia for added foliage interest.

Complete your Moonlight Garden with annual color such as Alyssum, Caladium, Calla Lily, Cosmos, Impatiens, Nicotiana, Pansy, Poppy and Violas; or groundcovers such as Bacopa, Cerastium, Verbena or varieties of fragrant Thyme.

Overall remember, the idea behind a moonlight garden is to reflect the glow and stillness of nighttime, and to create a peaceful refuge that really offers its best qualities at night. So instead of coming home and watching TV, kick off your shoes and step out into the cool, quiet evening and enjoy your garden in the reflective light of the moon.

Fall is the time to plant spring blooming bulbs for that wonderful first show of spring that we all love! When you think of spring, daffodils (Narcissus) or maybe crocus come to mind, but there are many other bulbs for fall planting to bring gorgeous color to your spring garden. Some of these even have bloom times that extend into the early summer. These bulbs are originally from all parts of the world. Aren't we lucky that we can grow them here, too!

Preparing your soil for bulb planting is simple. Amend with a good planting mix where you intend to plant your bulbs. As you dig each hole for the bulbs, add a bulb food. Each bulb, corm, rhizome or tuber requires a different planting depth. Follow the packaging instructions or ask one of us for help.

Following this preparation and giving your bulbs the sun/shade and watering that they require will bring you a vividly colorful spring garden.

Holiday cacti are not hard to take care of, if you remember not to overwater them; getting them to bloom on time is a bit more complex.

Here's how to do it:
In order for these plants to form flower buds for holiday blooms, they need extended darkness for at least four weeks.

Place the plant in a dark room or keep it covered (under a box or bag works fine) for at least 12 hours a day.

When buds appear (it usually takes around four weeks), the darkening schedule can stop.

As the buds get larger, move the plant gradually to where it will be displayed for the holiday, avoiding extreme temperature or lighting changes.

Continue to water and feed while the plant is budding and blooming. Water only when the soil is completely dry--these plants do not like soggy roots.