If you love bright and colorful heirloom mums that bloom in the fall, why not add more to your garden? The process is easier than you may think.
One way to propagate heirloom mums is to use cut stems from existing plants, place them in a rooting environment, and then nurture them until they can be transplanted. Earlier this week, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, did just that - before discarding the old plants, Ryan trimmed the stems to manageable sizes, brought them indoors and rooted dozens of cuttings. It's a quick and easy way to grow more of these gorgeous flowers.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Chrysanthemums, also known as mums, are popular fall flowers. They bloom when most of the garden flowers have already faded, and stand out in a variety of gorgeous colors and forms. This one in front is ‘Fleur de Lis.’ It’s often called the “Queen of Fall Flowers” with its vivid bright pink tones and delicately curved petals.
I grew these from small plants I received from Bear Creek Farm in Stanfordville, New York. Bear Creek Farm sells an array of flowers, tubers and seeds and hosts several interesting flower seminars through the year.
After the plants were done blooming, Ryan saved them and collected many stem cuttings.
Here are some of the cuttings brought indoors.
Ryan cleans up the cuttings, removing any leaves from their bottom halves.
He also cuts off any buds, so energy produced goes straight to root development.
The cuttings are about eight inches tall.
Ryan prepares all the cuttings and then puts them aside in a dry place as he prepares the soil mix.
I use Miracle-Gro Seed Starting Potting Mix, which is specially formulated for fast root development.
Ryan adds some vermiculite to the potting soil. Vermiculite is typically gray-brown in color. It is a naturally occurring mineral often used as a soil amendment to retain moisture.
Then he added some perlite, which is an amorphous volcanic glass and used as a draining and filtration agent.
Ryan mixes the elements together in a large gardening trug bucket. Ryan is potting up dozens of cuttings, so a large amount of soil mix is needed.
Next, Ryan moistens the mix.
And then mixes in a couple scoops of sand to improve drainage even more and enhance aeration. Sand also prevents soil compaction in the pots.
Then in production line process, Ryan fills a number of pots just up to the lips of the containers.
Using small pruning shears, Ryan gives each stem a fresh cut.
Then he immediately dips one cut end into a rooting gel hormone making sure at least one node is coated. Rooting hormone gel, or powder, is available at garden shops and online and is essential for promoting root initiation and development.
Most cuttings are planted in pairs. Ryan sticks the coated end of the cutting a couple inches into the potting mix until it is secure and the entire coated area is in the soil. Any cuttings that do not take can be removed later.
Once all the cuttings are planted, they are watered and covered with humidity domes. These potted cuttings will be kept moist but not waterlogged to maintain proper rooting environments.
Finally, the cuttings are brought into one of my temperature and humidity controlled hoop houses where they will remain for the season. I can’t wait to see how many of these mums take root.
If you live in Dubai or holiday traveling takes you there, please stop in at a Martha Stewart home store - it's open for business!
I hope you saw photos on my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48 as well as on @MarthaStewartMe - last month I went to the Middle East to celebrate the openings of my first-ever stand alone retail shops. Developed with UAE retail partner Apparel Group, there are currently three locations - one at Mirdiff City Center in Dubai, one at Dubai Hills Mall, and one at Mall of Emirates, with more to come very soon. Every beautifully designed space is filled with products I selected and use. Categories include kitchenware, bedding and bath, entertaining essentials, home fragrance, and décor. One can shop for everything from pots and pans to towels and sheets - there's absolutely something for everyone.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
What do you think? Here I am inside one of my new Martha Stewart home stores in Dubai. Additional stores are slated to open in India, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia in the coming months.
In my store, there are so many items for the home. Here I am under a rack of my signature pots. Every store has decorative touches from my own home. My most used pots and pans are hung above my personal kitchen counter for easy access whenever I am cooking.
My Martha by Martha Stewart Stainless Steel Saucepans with copper exteriors are essential in the kitchen. These pots and pans distribute heat excellently and have extra long riveted handles for strength and leverage. You’ll use them over and over for years.
If you prefer something more colorful, try my heavy guage enamel aluminum nonstick pots and pans. These work well for induction, gas, electric, ceramic, halogen, and glass stovetops.
Are you baking for the holidays? You’ll want to shop my collection of pans and other baking products. These are made of carbon steel with nonstick surfaces that are easy to grease and quick to clean.
There is also a gadget wall filled with different kitchen tools including my favorite square ladle.
My bestselling books are also available in the store – buy one for yourself or gift one, or two, or three for the holidays! Here, my books are displayed with my 12-quart enamel on steel scratch resistant stock pots in “Martha blue” – perfect for cooking large servings for holiday gatherings.
And looking for drinking glasses? There are martini sets, wine goblets, and glasses for every day use in a range of colors and designs, including my Hobnail Glass Tumblers – great for the kitchen and the bar.
And of course, bedding is a big category. Elevate your sleep space with my luxuriously comfortable and soft sheets.
I design my bedding to be ultra light and breathable. My sheets are also very durable and are made to resist stains, tears, and wear from frequent washing.
My stores are all designed to be bright and inviting.
Here I am with fashion entrepreneur and digital influencer, Karen Wazen. She has her own eyewear brand and gifted me these sunglasses during my visit.
Here are some members of my team and the associates at one of the stores before I arrived.
This photo was taken from the balcony of my hotel, Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab – so nice and luxurious. It is overlooking the sea and located across from the Jumeirah Burj Al Arab. The views were breathtaking.
Here’s another look from my balcony. The resort is located on this stretch of Dubai’s pristine coastline.
I also made a stop at the Pierre Hermé Paris Cafe, where I met Executive Pastry Chef Steve Thiery. Here we are with a box of their popular macarons. The café offers them in a variety of unique flavor combinations.
The shop is also well known for its excellent pastries and chocolates – all made by hand.
Here is a view from above the pastry case – hard not to want to taste every one.
And here I am with our own Chief Creative Officer, Kevin Sharkey, in front of one of my retail stores. I am so proud to celebrate their openings – and I can’t wait to open the next one!
Here at my farm, we're expecting rain, slush, and temperatures in the 30s.
So far, the weather has allowed us ample time to ready the property for the cold season ahead. My outdoor grounds crew has been especially busy blowing leaves, storing supplies, covering greenhouse vents, fertilizing the fields, mulching the garden beds, and completing other necessary tasks. Are you ready for the winter?
Here are some photos, enjoy.
As colder weather approaches and sunlight decreases, trees that drop their leaves seal the spots where the leaves are attached, which causes them to change color and fall to the ground. Many of the trees are now bare at the farm. Here, the crew has also mulched the ground beneath them. Mulch keeps the soil warm in winter and cool in summer and prevents roots from damage caused during freeze and thaw cycles.
All the garden beds are also mulched. This is one section of my long pergola garden, newly planted with thousands of spring blooming bulbs.
Here’s Jimmy in my trusted Kubota tractor transporting buckets of rich mulch to the beds.
Another big task this time of year – putting the stakes in the ground. Pete places stakes along the edge of all the carriage roads throughout the farm. These stakes are very important for guiding cars and other vehicles when there is snow on the ground. It also reminds drivers to go slowly – there’s a strict 5mph speed limit here at Cantitoe Corners.
I also like to mark where catch basins are located. This saves a lot of time and needless digging when clearing them of snow and debris. I use stakes that are tall enough to see in the deep snow and mark both sides with black so there isn’t any confusion when it comes time to access them.
As work is done in the woodland such as pruning and cutting down dead trees, logs and branches are neatly piled along the carriage road. They will soon be put through the chipper and thrown back in to the woods as top dressing.
In the goose enclosure, a new shelter is being made. Geese are very resilient animals and love the outdoors in all kinds of weather, but I like to provide shelter from high winds and falling snow along with a bed of thick hay to help keep them warm.
Cesar takes excellent care of all my birds – the geese, peafowl, pheasants, chickens, and turkeys. He’s also proving to be a very good carpenter!
Chhiring feeds the hay fields with NPK 20-5-10, which is a specific nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potassium mix that provides essential nutrients to support healthy hay growth and development.
Here is the spreader, which is hitched to the back of the tractor. It moves the granules and throws them about 30 feet out as it is driven through the field.
In the Japanese maple woodland, Ryan feeds the trees to replenish any nutrients lost during the growing season. Feeding at this time also helps to maintain robust root systems. I use Miracle-Gro food in my garden beds.
In my wood shop, Doug builds a new door for my Winter House kitchen – it’s easily the most used door here at my farm.
The crew cleaned and organized the giant Equipment Barn. All the equipment is checked and cleaned and put away on one side of the room. Any manual tools are also cleaned and hung on designated hooks so everything is easy to find and access.
All the telescoping sprinklers are collected, cleaned, tied, and stored away until next year. For years I’ve used hoses and sprinklers from Gilmour. I’ve always been pleased with the durability and performance of their supplies.
Just behind the Equipment Barn, my gardeners hurry to get evergreens into the ground in the pinetum while the ground is still soft enough to plant.
Here’s Pete wrapping the exterior vents around my small greenhouse. These vents are first covered with a layer of plastic and then burlap.
And then a custom frame to secure the material. Pete made this frame a couple of years ago making this task very quick and easy.
The flower cutting garden near my hoop houses and chicken yard was cleaned, tilled, and top dressed.
Daily tasks such as blowing the cobblestones outside my stable is always on the list. Juan uses a durable battery powered blower from STIHL. Juan and Helen keep the stable complex very clean and tidy.
And yes, it’s time to decorate for the holidays. Here’s Elvira pulling ornaments from storage. All my decorations are stored neatly by type and color. Wait and see how I planned this year’s décor around my home.
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