If you have been out shopping this week for some new flowers, you will have seen the first batch of chrysanthemums in the centers. You certainly can use these as a burst of color for the fall, but I do not recommend them as a perennial for the long term in our desert pots.

• Chrysanthemum

I always like our pots to be full of color. Mums will have their bloom time and then be green. Dedicated gardeners may be able to get them to bloom again but I do not have the patience to wait, often a full year and then still no blooms (for me at least!)

Instead, watch for osteospremums as they will give you a much longer season. And if you really like chrysanthemums, use them in a small decorative pot for temporary color.

• The Contained Gardener
• Osteos in All Their Glory!

For more pictures on potted gardens in the desert, visit the Sonoran Gardens website today.

Have a question? Email Marylee, Tucson's Potted Garden Expert.

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