Brightly colored fall chrysanthemums, or "mums," are hard to miss as summer winds down and fall approaches. They can be purchased just about any place that sells plants, from garden centers to grocery stores. It's easy to find mums in fall hues of yellow, bronze, purple or burgundy, but they also come in white, pink and red. These plants can either be planted in containers and hanging baskets or stuck into the ground to fill gaps in the garden.
Regardless of how they are used, do not expect them to survive the winter. The fall blooming mums that can be purchased late in the growing season have not been bred for cold hardiness. If they do manage to live through the winter, they seldom bloom again. It is almost always easier to treat them as annuals and add them to the compost heap after the first hard frost. Florist mums are large-flower plants with many possible bloom forms, from quilled to pompon to spider and more. Grown in greenhouses and used only as indoor plants, florist mums produce few, if any, underground stolens, which are necessary if the mum is to survive cold weather.
Florist mums planted outside are most likely being used as short-term bedding plants that will be removed when the blooms are spent. You can plant a potted florist mum you receive as agift, and it may grow for the summer, but it will not survive the winter, no matter how much protection you give it. Garden mums, on the other hand, produce underground stolens and can survive cold better.
Most garden mums are perennials in Zones 5 to 9 and much tougher than florist types. Some cultivars are less hardy than others and can be killed by an early spring frost. Mums prefer a sunny spot in the garden with well-drained soil. Avoid locations where water stands after a heavy rain. To get the best bloom on large-flowering types, pinch off all the buds in late May.
This will encourage more compact growth and additional blooms. In northern parts of their range, apply a winter mulch to protect mums from sub zero temperatures. If your mums grow too large, divide them in the early spring every two to three years.
After a few years some mums may begin to weaken or die out. Add new plants every year or two to keep the fall color show going. Deer and rabbits generally avoid dining on mums. Asters and hardy mums are the two most traditional perennials to grow for fall flower color. Hardy mums are about as easy to grow as a perennial gets. They come in great autumnal colors - yellow, bronze, red, white, orange, burgundy and pink and are usually hardy in zones 5-9.
When buying mums be sure you distinguish between hardy and florist mums. ( ") Garden mums have medium green, 3 to 5 lobed foliage. They grow in a radiating, spreading clump with daisy-like flowers that branch out from the ends of each stem. Flowers come in a wide variety of colors, with the exception of blue, and range from single petaled with a yellow center to semi-double or fully double blooms. Most of the pot bound mums sold in the fall at garden centers, greenhouses, and even grocery stores are annuals, intended solely for adding a single season of fall color.
Zone 5 when hardy, otherwise treat as an annual or short lived perennial. Planting chrysanthemum in the spring gives the perennial plant time to establish and adapt to its new garden home. You'll easily find mums in garden centers and nurseries in both fall and spring, but planning ahead is key to successful planting. Planting in the spring will also result in a bigger bloom the following season. Although some fall mums can survive winter if planted immediately, the odds are much better with spring-planted mums. Even though you'll start seeing mums in garden centers in late summer, if you plant them at that time of year or later, it's unlikely they'll survive the winter.
You'll have more success when you plant hardy mums in spring after the last frost to give roots a chance to grow enough before the colder months. Place them in well-drained soil in a sunny spot. Best grown in humusy, fertile, consistently moist, well-drained soils in full sun. Tolerates very light shade, and appreciates some afternoon protection from the hot sun in southern climates. Pinch stems back as needed from late spring to mid-summer (e.g., Memorial Day to the 4th of July) to control height and to encourage bushy vegetative growth.
For best bloom, feed plants several times during the growing season. Cut plants back to 6" after flowering and mulch (e.g., straw or evergreen boughs) for winter. Divide as needed (usually every 2-3 years) in spring or fall. In cold winter climates such as the St. Louis area, plants given winter protection will usually survive, but not always.
Winter hardiness can vary considerably from year to year and from location to location within the same hardiness zone. Perennial Hibiscus,such as ourSummerific® series, is another class that will add color to the summer and fall garden. They actually start to bloom in mid-summer, but will continue to bloom deep into fall - October up in Michigan.
The color range is pink, white, lavender and red, with some gorgeous bicolors. The plants are quite heat tolerant and prefer consistently moist soil. In general, they are hardy in zones 4-9 and are quite large feet tall and wide. However, more compact versions such as Summerific® 'Cranberry Crush,' which is 3-4 feet tall, do exist. The third key mum-wintering aid is waiting until spring to trim off the cold-killed foliage.
Research has found that the crumbling dead foliage helps insulate the crowns of the plants and increases their cold tolerance. Those amendments will aid drainage and add organic matter and nutrition to the soil. Also work a balanced, granular fertilizer into the soil at planting time.
Top the planted bed with 2 inches of mulch and then keep the soil consistently damp the first full growing season. A second winter-survivability consideration is not planting too late in the season. Because mums are one of the last perennial flowers to bloom, they're typically not bought and planted until October—often to replace frost-killed summer annuals. Other times they're not planted at all, instead being used as potted spots of color on decks, patios, porches and front steps.
Left outside in above-ground pots, those plants almost always freeze-dry over winter. Mums that are planted in spring, summer or very early fall have a better chance of surviving winter. That earlier planting gives the roots a chance to acclimate and establish, increasing the plant's winter hardiness. Roots that take hold before the ground freezes also prevent mums from "heaving" out of the ground in winter, leaving the top of the rootball exposed.
Even if you like your mums potted in fall, it's better to plant them late when the show's over than not at all. Just water them well, mulch them with about 2 inches of bark mulch or chopped leaves, and tamp them back down ASAP if you find them heaving during winter freezes and thaws. Plant mums as soon as the soil warms in the spring.
From late spring to mid-summer, pinch back the tips and flower buds on all shoots to make the plant bushier and prepare it for a dramatic fall show. For optimal blooming, the plants should be fertilized regularly throughout the growing season. After the blooms fade, cut the plants down to about 6 inches, and cover them with straw or another dry mulch to protect the roots over winter.
Established plants should be lifted and divided every two to three years. Occasionally garden mums do winterkill, especially if the soil drains poorly or if there are excessive temperature fluctuations in the winter. Since mums have shallow root systems they are very easily damaged by freezing and thawing. This type of winter damage can be prevented with mulching and proper care in the fall.
Garden mums are much more likely to survive the winter if the dead plant stems are not removed until the spring. Additionally, adding a 2-4-inch layer of mulch over the crowns of plants can help. Pine needles, shredded bark, clean straw or evergreen boughs work well, but avoid leaves as these flatten and provide very little insulation.
Remove the mulch once the ground thaws in April and cut back dead stems before new growth begins. Mums aren't exactly "pruned," but are instead pinched throughout the growing season. This helps the plant branch out, become fuller and offer more blooms.
When your plant reaches 6 inches tall in the spring, simply pinch off 1 inch of each shoot. Repeat this every 2 to 3 weeks until early summer.Deadhead spent blooms throughout the fall for an extended bloom time. Once the plant has died in the winter, resist cutting it back.
Research reveals that allowing it to die back naturally over the winter produces a stronger plant. Simply clean up the dead stems and foliage in the spring. When I first began to grow hardy mums, I was delighted to discover that this genus offers tall selections , which can be used to round out a planting and add variety.
I can think of no better one to start with than Chrysanthemum 'Emperor of China' (Z 4–9). Reaching a height of 3 to 4 feet, this selection has dark pink buds that form beautiful double flowers, which are pink with dark centers. The 1½-inch-wide blooms with quilled petals open quite late, usually not until the third week of October, but they last until Thanksgiving if there is no killing frost. 'Emperor of China' can appear lanky, so I recommend placing it in the middle or back of the border or pinching it in late spring. I call the potted mums that make it through the winter my "surprise" mums.
I can never decide which mum colors I like best, so I usually end up buying a rainbow of pink, lavender, red, bronze, yellow, gold and white for fall decorating. By the time I've uncovered and/or replanted several winter survivors in the spring, I don't remember what color flowers any particular plant will produce. It's a lovely surprise in the fall when each mum's tightly closed buds finally open to reveal their color.
Because these flowers have developed in my garden instead of being forced into bloom at a nursery, they seem to be extra tough. The fact that I have pinched them back until mid-summer causes the mums to open late -- not before October. Caring for fall mums is relatively easy, once you understand their basic needs. According to Better Homes & Gardens, three hours a day is minimal; six or more is better.
Mums that do not receive enough sunlight will lack fullness—imagine seeing more stems instead of leaves and flowers. Like most plants, mums do best in rich, well-drained soil. If your soil is dense, add compost and work it in at least eight inches. New plantings must never be allowed to wilt and established plants should be watered weekly. Water more often if needed but avoid soaking the plants, as this encourages disease.
Regular feeding with a water-soluble fertilizer during growing season will stimulate root growth and help the plants overwinter. Mums set out as fall annuals need not be fertilized in this manner. If you are selecting mums late in the season, for fall bedding, look for larger, full plants. That's what you'll get when you put a generous helping of chrysanthemums in your flower border or containers.
Generally sold in ready-to-bloom form, mums provide a fall finale of color to any setting. They come in a wide variety of flower colors and shapes, from small button-sized blooms to giant corsage-worthy flowers. Mum colors include white, yellow, pink, orange, red, burgundy, cream, salmon, and bi-color. There are also dwarf forms that grow just 8 to 10 inches tall and standards that can reach 3 feet in height.
Mums are very popular with bees and butterflies, too. If you want to grow a perennial chrysanthemum, purchase hardy, named varieties and plant them in the ground in full sun on well-drained soil. Container plants should be moved to a protected spot in winter. Plant mums at least 6 weeks before your first killing frost in fall.
That's usually early- to mid-September, depending on your location. Leave the foliage on the plant after frost so it can catch blowing snow for winter protection. You can also cut it back to the ground and pile bark mulch on the plant to protect the roots.
