After Spending Quite An Amount On Mums Again This Year,…
Shirley Asked
After spending quite an amount on mums again this year, I decided to try my hand at putting them in the ground somewhere to try to get them to come back up for next fall. But i’m not sure how to do this. I covered one up in the flowerbed one year at winter time, but it came back up just tall and long and only a small bloom. I want them like the way they look at the stores, round, short, and full of blooms. Any help on how to do this? My mums are in pots at this time.
The Gardener’s Answer
Hello, Shirley: The discussion on planting fall mums in the garden and expecting them to come back year after year as any other perennial would do is always a hot topic this time of the year. Here in Kentucky, the fall mums that are sold at garden centers, farmers markets, and grocery stores are not considered hardy perennials. They should be not be sold as perennials like other hardier chrysanthemums. Now, having said that, it is not unusual to hear from other gardeners that they put theirs in the ground and they have successfully come back. Every garden is different and some have microclimates within the garden, so with some winter protection you may also have luck with them coming back next year. They should be planted where they will receive full sun and well-drained soil rich in nutrients. The normal bloom time for these plants is in the summer, so you will have to pinch back the flower buds if you want them to bloom in the fall. Cutting them back will prevent them from becoming tall and leggy with less blooms as you have found out. Cut them back halfway after they have grown to about a foot to a foot and a half tall. This will give them the shape you are after. For now, the sooner you can get them in the ground the more time they will have to establish their root system before the winter arrives. After they have finished blooming, cut back the spent blooms and mulch generously around the base of the plant. This will help insulate the roots and give them a better chance of coming back next year.
