Florist mums are sold throughout the year at floral shops, supermarkets and other retailers. Unfortunately, florist mums do not perform well when planted outdoors. Most florist mums will not survive the winter when planted outdoors in Iowa. Those florist mums that manage to survive the winter typically don't bloom outdoors.
Oftentimes freezing temperatures destroy the flower buds before they are able to fully develop and open. It's usually best to toss a florist mum in the compost pile after blooming. If you would like to plant mums in your garden, purchase garden mums at a local garden center in spring. Garden mums are more cold hardy than florist mums. 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. Gorgeous mums in shades of red, yellow, orange, purple, and white pop up everywhere in the fall.
I like to use them for autumn displays on my porch, along with dried cornstalks, gourds, and pumpkins. But by the following spring, my plants are usually reduced to clumps of dead stems. After checking in with a few mum-growing pros, I realized I was planting my mums too late. In fact, garden mums are fairly easy to grow, once you know the following common mistakes to avoid.
Unfortunately, fall planted garden mums usually don't survive the winter even when given winter protection. Flowering mums purchased in late summer or early fall should be regarded as temporary additions to the landscape. Spring planted mums have the entire growing season to get established and usually survive the winter much better than those planted in fall. Several things can be done to increase the likelihood of garden mums surviving the winter in Iowa. Select early flowering cultivars that are known to possess excellent cold hardiness. For example, many of the University of Minnesota introductions perform well in Iowa.
Fall planted mums usually don't survive the winter. Stop fertilizing plants in July to discourage late season growth. Finally, cover plants with a protective winter mulch in late fall. Choose an area in your garden that gets a full to half day of sun. They also get pretty big, so if you are planting them in your garden beds, space them at least 12 inches apart. Gently remove them from their grower's pots and place them in the soil.
A few inches of bark mulch around them after planting will help preserve moisture in the soil. Water them once a day for a week while their root system adjusts to the new site and then water as needed. A mum will tell you it isn't getting enough water when its leaves start to wilt.
They will usually bounce right back after a cool drink. Mums do beautifully in your planters so you can decorate your deck or patio in the fall. Clean out your summer flowers and combine mums with purple fountain grass, sedum, or ornamental peppers to make the perfect fall combination.
Mums won't survive in your planters over the winter, so in November, transplant them out of your pots into a chosen area in your garden so they will grow again the following year. 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. The name "mum" is the shortened version of Chrysanthemum. From the basic yellow colors of mums, plant breeders and gardeners have produced mums with an array of colors and flower shapes.
Mum plants come in white, yellow, gold, bronze, red, burgundy, pink, lavender, and purple. Nature Hills markets mums that are basically called hardy mums. Hardy mums produces flowers after five to seven weeks of short days and thus they are often called fall mums. Fertilizing your mums gives them an added boost of essential nutrients for the best growth.
The primary growth of chrysanthemum plant varieties takes place in spring and early summer. If you plant fall mums, wait to begin their fertilization until the spring. Fall fertilization can actually reduce the hardiness of chrysanthemums to survive cold winters.
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. If you live in a cold climate, it is best to leave the foliage on the plant, even after it has browned and died, to increase the plant's chance of surviving the winter. In spring, you can prune out the dead leaves before the new ones start to develop.
Amy Enfield, a horticulturist for Miracle-Gro, says garden mums should be planted outdoors by late summer or early fall, so the roots have time to form before the soil freezes. Also known as hardy or Belgian mums, garden mums are sold in garden centers and nurseries, and they're perennials in USDA Zones 5 to 9. But even when they're planted at the right time, they need a few other things, like excellent drainage.
Enfield adds, "There's no guarantee they will survive the winter, particularly the further north you live in the U.S." 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.
In general, the densely flowering mums that are offered for sale in full bloom in the fall should not be counted on to overwinter. You should find true winter hardy mums offered at garden centers alongside other hardy perennials, available throughout the planting season. Ideally, these should be planted in spring or summer to allow the roots a chance to establish before winter. Finally, keep in mind that the fall mums sold in garden centers nowadays aren't the same kinds of plants sold 20 years ago, Enfield says. Although garden mums are considered hardy to Zone 5, breeders have developed fall mums with big mounds of showy flowers. This has resulted, she says, in plants that may not be as cold hardy as in the past.
So, if your fall-planted mums don't come back like true perennials, just treat them like annuals. Replace them with beautiful, fresh plants when you're ready to do your fall decorating and enjoy their colorful blooms for a season. Plant each piece in a new hole with some organic matter and fertilizer. 2) Regardless of the age on your mums, they can be propagated through cuttings. When a new stem is about 6" tall, break off or cut the top 4".
Dip the cut end into some rooting hormone (this isn't absolutely necessary) and plant the cutting into a pot with sterile potting soil or a mix of sand and peat moss. In about two weeks the cuttings will have formed roots. Before planting the cuttings in the outdoor bed, gradually acclimate them to brighter light. However, there are varieties that are truly perennial in most climates when planted in the early spring or in the fall several weeks before the first frost.
These plants grow fast, and you should have flowers in the first growing season. Bloom times vary with variety and climate from early September through mid-October. Garden mums (Chrysanthemum spp.) are herbaceous perennials in the daisy family and are stalwarts of the flowering autumn garden.
When garden centers sell blooming potted mums in the fall, they are usually used as annuals and discarded when the blooms fade. And when gardeners try to transplant these mums into the ground late in the season, chances are they won't make it through winter and become perennial. While many of these Mum varieties are indeed hardy, they are unlikely to overwinter in our northern gardens. This is because they are entering the winter in a weakened state. Growers pamper them in greenhouses throughout the season.
In fall, when the plants are supposed to divert energy into root development to survive the upcoming winter, growers pump them with fertilizer to produce a profusion of flowers. If you want to avoid this hamster wheel of fall color hassle, consider planting perennial mums – winter hardy chrysanthemums – in the landscape beds instead. Johnson's Nursery carries 5 of the Mammoth® Series , introduced by the University of Minnesota. Like most plants coming out of Minnesota, they are very cold tolerant and have a much better chance of surviving winter than their less expensive counterparts. Even better, they have been bred so you don't have to pinch them back during the summer for a bushy appearance.
Nestle a pumpkin next to your perennial mums for the perfect harvest time landscape. If you're using a mum as a perennial, plant in early spring, or in the fall at least six weeks before the first killing frost. If you're using chrysanthemums for a pop of fall color to boost your late season garden, plant them when they're budded in early fall and treat them as annuals. If you want fall flowers on your mums, you will need to trim the plants back periodically throughout the summer.
Start when the plants are about 4 to 5 inches tall and repeat every 2 to 3 weeks until about mid-July. This will cause the plant to get stocky and bushier, and by late summer, it should be covered with flower buds. In late summer when other plants call it quits, mums hit their stride. Like poinsettias, they're photoperiodic, meaning they rely on specific amounts of light to send the signal that it's time to start putting on a show. Garden mums are short-day plants and initiate flower buds in response to an interaction of day length, temperature and plant age.
On average, garden mums will not start to set buds until the nights last about 10 hours long. Wondering if that gorgeous mum you bought is a perennial? Garden mums, also known as hardy mums, are perennial mums. Most mums planted in August or September are planted too late in the season. They are in bud or flower, and all their strength is going to those flowers and seed production, said Columbus garden consultant Deb Knapke.
There isnt enough time or energy to produce roots that go out into the garden soil before the heavy frosts hit. Without strong roots in the soil, the plant will probably die over the winter. Flowering mums planted in the fall don't consistently make it through the winter. The plants don't have the time to extend their roots beyond the pot-bound root ball into the soil. The fragile roots are damaged by frequent cycles of freezing and thawing over the winter. Some growers have had success by wintering mums in a cool, dry location (garage, porch, etc.) that doesn't freeze.
After cutting off the foliage, keep these plants barely moist throughout the winter . Expose them to warmer temperatures and more water once the threat of frost is past. This is a good time to purchase hardy mums so you can enjoy their full fall flower show. Hardy garden mums can survive winter in the ground and will usually come back next spring and bloom again next fall. It can be tempting to plant mums closely together.
Smaller, spring mums don't seem to fill out a garden space as well. However, keep in mind that by fall, most properly planted mums will reach up to 3 feet in height and width. Like many perennials, mums will often become larger each year. Even if your flower bed looks a bit bare when you first plant your mums, in time it will fill in.Spacing mums properly is essential for plant health.
Plants that are too crowded compete for nutrients, have root system issues, attract pests and suffer from disease. Following the plant spacing directions for your chrysanthemum variety increases the health of your garden and protects your investment of time and money. Many mums bloom throughout the fall months, but some species will provide blooms from late spring through the fall. In some cases, mum season varies according to the vagaries of the weather. There are perennial varieties, and if those are planted early enough, they can usually be counted on to last through the cold months and bloom for years to come. For mums to be truly hardy, they need time to become established in the ground.
Ideally, they are best planted in the spring and allowed to grow in place all season. When planting mums in the fall, it is best to plant them before they start flowering in late August or early September. Planting them before or during bud stage ensures that their energy is not completely going to their flowers yet.
