Day 328: I'm mad for mums, and since it has been several years since my last one gave up the ghost, I decided to make up for lost time and bought three of my favourite colours yesterday. They are all small plants, so I put them together in a pot I can easily move to a protected area when temperatures start dropping below freezing. Although they're sold as annuals, chrysanthemums are astonishingly sturdy. I've never had one which didn't come back at least one year, and more likely, three or four. Even if only one of these survives the winter, I'll be happy.
Mums are long on a natural insecticide, pyrethrum. Their flowers are processed to extract an oleoresin which is marketed under the name "pyrethrin," available in almost any garden center, but if you plant mums, you'll see a decrease in mosquitoes, ants and aphids, at least in proximity to the plants themselves. Surround your favourite sitting area with them, and enjoy mosquito-free tea-times. Autumn is here. Go mad for mums!
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