Enjoy the Fall Mums---But Plant in the Spring

In the garden centers flowering chrysanthemums (mums) are being promoted to plant outside. For good reason: flowering mums provide a great assortment of late summer and early fall colors as the annuals begin to fade.

However, the time to plant mums is not now---but in the spring!

So, if you are looking for a nice pot of mums to set out in the garden for fall color, do not be disappointed if the plant does not come up next year in the garden. Autumn planted mums now do not have sufficient time to develop a root system before the ground freezes and often times will not survive through the winter.

But that being said, next year in the spring be sure to add these great perennials to your garden.

Chrysanthemums prefer full sun, well-drained soils enriched by compost. To prevent leaf fungal diseases which can wipe out the mums, plant where the plants will get good air circulation. When selecting mums, select those cultivars, which are deemed hardy for your planting zones.

Generally, the very large flowering mums you might purchase for bouquets are not winter hardy for the colder northern planting zones of 3-5. Most of garden centers will only offer mums hardy to your planting zones.

Through the early summer, mums will set out flower buds. Keep those buds pinched off to not only form a bushier plant but to preserve plant energy for the fall blooming time of the flowers.

Mums are photoperiodic which means their flowering periods are affected by light duration. As autumn approaches, the ever so slight shorter daytime hours and longer nighttime hours will stimulate fall flowering.

Though I prefer to plant flowers which require minimal care, it is often times recommended to mulch your mums in the winter with straw to provide some winter protection---however, I have seen many gardeners who do not mulch their mum plantings which are still very dramatic. So, the best guide is to purchase mums which are deemed winter hardy for your geographical area.