Available in dozens of exciting varieties, fall mums can bloom for weeks.
BHG / Kelli Jo Emanuel
Are Mums Perennials or Annuals?
Both types come from the same original parent, a golden-yellow daisy-like mum from China.
Credit:BHG / Kelli Jo Emanuel
Today’s hybrids in both categories result from endless crosses between several species from China and Japan.
The result of such hybridization performed over hundreds of years isdifferent types of mumsthat perform for two distinct purposes.
Florist mums have many possible bloom forms, including quilled, pompon, spider, and more.
Credit:BHG / Kelli Jo Emanuel
Garden mums, on the other hand, can survive cold better.
Most garden mums areperennials in Zones 5-9and much more sturdy than florist types.
However, some cultivars are less hardy than others and can be killed by anearly spring frost.
Credit: Adam Albright
How to Care for Mums in Pots
Both florist and garden mums make excellent container plants.
Pop them into a clay pot or afall window boxby themselves or with other fall plants like flowering kale.
Making sure your potted mums thrive starts with picking the right plant.
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Don’t put potted mums out too early in the seasonwhen summer’s temps are still in full swing.
Plants likely won’t survive long.
After sitting in nursery containers, mostmums in containerswill have very compacted root balls.
Credit: William N. Hopkins
And don’t forget the water.
venture to avoid allowing your plants to wilt.
To get the maximum effect from far away, stick to only one or two colors.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
Another possibility is to arrange a gradual transition of related colors in an ombre effect.
Choose cultivars according to their bloom times to get the most from your mums.
It also helps to coordinate bloom time with the length of autumn in your location.
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
This will improve their chances of overwintering and reblooming the following year.
Some plants will even produce a few blooms in the spring before being pinched forfall flowers.
Their roots are shallow, so they don’t like competition from weeds.
Credit: Brie Williams
confirm to choose a sunny spot with good drainage, and provide plenty of water.
Sunlight
Whether in a pot or your garden, mums like lots of light.
Choose afull sun spotthat gets at least six hours of light a day.
Credit: Brie Williams
Plants that don’t get enough sunlight will be tall and leggy and produce fewer, smaller flowers.
Soil
Mums thrive inwell-drained soil.
You could also grow mums in raised beds filled with a garden soil mix that drains well.
Water
Water newly planted mums thoroughly, and never let them wilt.
After they’re established, give mums about an inch of water per week.
When bottom leaves look limp or start to turn brown, water more often.
Avoid soaking the foliage, whichcan lead to disease.
Don’t fertilize plants set out in fall as annuals.
The plants you hope to overwinter should gethigh-phosphorus fertilizerto stimulate root growth.
Mums have a better chance of surviving if youwait to prune old stems until spring.
As soon as the weather warms, pull away mulch to allow new shoots to pop up.
The old, dead growth from last year can be clipped away at this point.
Young spring plants will need pinching for maximum bloom and the best plant shape.
Start pinching once the stems reach about six inches tall.
Repeat the process with every 3-5 inches of growth (about every 2-4 weeks) until early July.
Stopping then ensures you will get good bud formation andblooms in the fall.
Each pinched stem will divide into two new ones, creating a dense, compact growth habit.
There are dozens of gorgeous varieties of chrysanthemums, each with its unique beauty.
Decorative Mums
Also known as florist mums, these chrysanthemums have long, tightly overlapping petals.
They all have small, spherical flowersfrom summer to frost.
Single and Semidouble Mums
You may often mistake single and semidouble mums fordaisiesbecause they look so similar.
These mums grow a stunning 1 to 3 feet tall, perfect forgrowing along a fence.
Spoon Mums
The name truly fits this bang out of mum, which sprouts beautiful spoon-shaped petals.
Quilled Mums
Quilled mums resemble the single daisy bang out, only with the tubular petals.
The florets are usually a darker color.
These cute little flowers only grow about 4 inches in diameter, just like ‘Spoon’ mums.
Spider Mums
Spider chrysanthemums look a lot like the quilled and anemone mums.
The only difference is in their thin, spider-like petals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Chrysanthemums generally aren’t a favorite for deer.
But a really hungry deer will eat anything if there aren’t other options.
Replant the outer portions into a rejuvenated bed, and discard the original center of the plant.
