In the front yard are the ghost mums: chrysanthemums I planted two years ago that haven’t died, but they don’t fully come back each year either. Mums are annuals, so it’s unusual that they come back at all. This spring, they sprouted and grew into 2ft-tall bushes; in the summer the stalks dried out (despite rain) and turned brittle enough to break in a strong wind. They’re now dark gray wisps with blooming white flowers. They remind me of zombies, half alive and half dead.
