Mums and poinsettias: Not everyone loves them

November 7, 5:29 PMGardening ExaminerRobin Ripley

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I realize that what I’m about to say will be heresy to some of you. I HATE mums and poinsettias.      

Fall and winter are trying times for gardeners. I’m not talking about the fact that for most of us gardening slows down to a crawl or even screeches to a stop when nature goes on holiday—although this does send some of us into seasonal fits of despair. I’m talking about the appearance of mums and poinsettias.

And I am not alone.

Thousands, perhaps millions, of gardeners detest mum and poinsettia season for one simple reason:  They are everywhere. And it seems there are no alternatives to the neck-less appearance of mounded mums and the bright pointy flowers of poinsettias.

Think about it. As Thanksgiving nears and you go out and about in the world, what flowers do you see? You see mums and poinsettias. You may see some pansies here and there, but for the most part, the mums and poinsettias have taken over the flowerpots.

At grocery stores? Yep. At fast food joints? Check. At the post office? Check. At your dentist’s office? Probably more than one. The 20 minute lube joint? There too, although it is probably dying. Heck, I have even seen cars with poinsettia wreaths strapped to their front grills.

See, during the summer months gardeners have a veritable banquet of choices at our disposal. If we have even the most modest of seed sprouting skills we have hundreds, nay thousands, of flower choices to populate our gardens. Even gardeners with more modest ambitions can choose from dozens of bedding plants available at the local nursery.

It is the omnipresence of those mums and poinsettias that rankles us so.  Anything that becomes an unrelieved part of the landscape risks this sentiment.

Remember that iconic smiley face from the 1970s? It used to be that the sight of that little yellow face made you smile back. But we saw it so much that I bet you don’t respond as positively now as then—if you were around then.

And what about those “Baby on board” signs? When they first appeared, everyone seemed to take care around those vehicles carrying precious cargo. But after seeing billions of minivans without any precious cargo at all we stopped caring quite so much or even noticing at all.

I think the only flowers I dislike more than mums and poinsettias are poinsettias that retailers bedazzle with glitter. I am baffled that people purchase these gaudy potted pretenders. If you want faux in your flowers, why not just buy silk? Or plastic? They take less care and last longer.

Well, since people will persist in purchasing these pernicious pots of posies, I will provide some tips on keeping your purchases perfect. In my next installment…