Hardy Mums

Chrysanthemum × morifolium - is this right? Chrysanthemum ×.

The “butterfly effect” is an abstract idea, but with monarchs it shows up in plain sight. Their numbers have dropped because of habitat loss and climate shifts. Many monarchs are in our area in early fall and the reason we don’t see them is simple: most gardens have stopped offering anything worth a visit.

But the season doesn’t need to end that early. Monarchs will stop by through October if there if there is a reason to - like the blooms of single hardy mums

Grocery store mums are tight, double forms that don’t offer much to pollinators and look out of place in the garden. Garden mums are different. They are very hardy long lived plants with healthy, robust foliage that fills the empty spaces left by fading summer plants.

When they bloom, hardy mums produce tons of flowers - making October one of the most beautiful months in the garden. They give monarchs a reason to land - their single fall flowers provide exactly what they need. It’s a small step with a real butterfly effect in our own gardens.