Gone Gardenin’: Decorative corn cobs gussy up fall displays

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/10/2011 (5232 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In the spring, I have often admired pictures of decorative corn in catalogues, and in the fall I often see it at some garden markets, but I have only attempted to grow it once a number of years ago.

Decorative corn requires a long growing season and a hot summer to mature before fall frost strikes. My trial in my Birtle garden years ago was unsuccessful as the cobs were not even fully filled when hard fall frost put an end to it.

Last spring, however, while I was doing my seed orders, I saw listed in a couple of seed catalogues an extra-early variety of ornamental corn called ‘Painted Mountain’. It’s “time to mature” of 85 days is similar to several corn varieties that are grown in our area so I decided to give it a try.

‘Painted Mountain’ is not just a decorative corn as it is listed as “a Native Indian decorative flour corn”, the kernels of which contain soft starch that will produce corn flour.

Bred for the cold soil areas of Montana, I thought it would be a good experiment; I was not interested in using it as food, but rather I wanted to grow it to get the brightly coloured cobs for use in fall decorations.

The kernels can be red, orange, burgundy, and even purple and other interesting hues. I liked this variety because of its bright colours and because many of the cobs are multi-coloured.

I planted the seeds in the garden about the third week in May but it was slow to emerge because last May was cold and rainy; eventually it came up and grew vigorously despite a cool summer. It developed cobs about the same time as did our main crop corn and by the end of the first week in September the kernels in the cobs were hard to the touch.

Even though the husks were still green, I harvested the cobs because I did not want them to freeze. I was a bit worried because instructions said to leave the cobs on the plants until the husks are brown.

Knowing mould could be a problem and drying needed to occur quickly, I peeled the husks back off the cobs and removed the silk — being careful to leave the husk attached at the base of each cob as I wanted the dried husks as part of my fall displays. I tied the cobs in bundles, three to a bundle, by simply tying a piece of twine around the ends of the husks.

I strung the bundles on a sturdy line in the garage allowing the bundles to hang cob-end down, and I set up a fan to blow air on the cobs; for the first few days I turned on the electric heat in the garage as well. I was amazed at how quickly the cobs and husks dried and although I was afraid that the kernels might shrink because I had picked them prematurely, they did not, so I guess they were mature enough when I picked them.

This drying process continued for a couple of weeks and then the cobs appeared dry enough to use in displays — even the husks had dried nicely. I put some of the cobs in baskets on beds of raffia while I combined others in baskets with mini-pumpkins and decorative gourds; each basket was finished off with a bow in autumn colours.

This year my plan is to create an autumn wreath using some of the cobs — although I think a miniature variety might be better for this. The earliest miniature variety that I can find, however, is a 90 day one — perhaps requiring too long a growing season for my zone 2 area so I may have to be satisfied with the cobs of ‘Painted Mountain’.

I am fond of growing things for autumn display, including mini-pumpkins, decorative gourds, and pumpkins and squash of all sorts. Combined with some raffia or some dried grasses and corn stalks, and, of course, paired with my colourful cobs of decorative corn, they make great porch arrangements and seasonal basket displays to be denjoyed inside the house.

‘Painted Mountain’ was included in my planting plan again this year so I have a nice supply of decorative corn cobs to work with.

What wonderful Thanksgiving arrangements I was able to make with the addition of my decorative corn cobs!

Albert Parsons is a consultant for garden design and landscaping who lives in Minnedosa.

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