Growing Hardy Mums - Chrysanthemums to Take Your Garden Out in Style

Overview: Chrysanthemums or ‘Mums’ are a stalwart of the autumn garden. With varieties hardy in most climates and their ability to be pinched and forced to bloom at the end of the season, these jewel toned beauties make a welcome splash in the garden when most summer bloomers have begun to fade. Bloom times vary with variety and climate, from Early September through mid-October.

There are also shorter, mounding varieties of mums generally grouped as ‘cushion’ mums

Latin Name: Chrysanthemum

Common Name(s): Mums, Garden Mums, Hardy Mums

Zone: Varies with variety from Zone 3 - 9 Bloom Period/Days to Harvest Late Summer / Fall

Size: 4 - 36" H, 12 - 36" W

Exposure: Full Sun

Bloom Period: Late Summer / Fall

Description: There are multiple flower forms, although many varieties are hard to find and need to be specially ordered. Mums come in every color but blue. Blooms last for weeks, even when cut. Here are some more commonly found varieties:

• Anemone: 1 or more rows of petals with a cushion-like center.
• Pompom: Familiar globular shape
• Regular Incurve: Petals curve up and in, forming a sphere
• Single or daisy: Looks like its cousin, the daisy
• Spider: Long, curled petals droop down and give a spider-like look

Design Tips: Keep in mind that for most of the season they are going to be a non-descript plant in the border. Plant mums next to early bloomers and use to hide plants whose foliage tends to become unattractive late in the season. While mums make a wonderful impact in containers, they will end your garden season with a bang when paired with other fall bloomers like Sedum, Goldenrod, Perovskia and the changing foliage of ornamental grasses.

Suggested Varieties: You will rarely find named mums in garden centers. To obtain the exceptional varieties or exhibition mums, you will need to order from a nursery.

• Chrysanthemum ‘Clara Curtis’ - Rubellum Group (hybrid) Long-lasting, early season, single or semi-double pink flowers
• C. ‘Mary Stoker’ - Rubellum Group (hybrid) Early season, apricot yellow single flowerheads.
• C. ‘Apricot Moneymaker’ - Mid-season Anemone style with bronze petals

Cultural Notes: Mums need at least a half day of sun for good bloom, but full sun is best. Mums set buds in response to day length, so avoid confusing them by planting where they may be exposed to bright night time light.

Best if planted in the spring and allowed to become established. They refer a rich, well-drained soil, slightly on the alkaline side. Feeding every 3-4 weeks until buds set will improve flowering.

Maintenance: To promote a sturdy, bushier plant with lots of blooms, pinch off the top 1 to 2 inches of growth once taller varieties are at least 6 inches high; shorter varieties, 4 to 5 inches high. Continue pinching the tips every 3 - 4 weeks until early July in cooler climates, the end of July in warmer Zones.

Deadheading is only necessary in warmer climates, where the plants remain green. In areas that experience freezing winters, allowing the old foliage to remain until spring helps the plant’s survival. During cold, snowless winters, mulching will be necessary. Even then, there’s no guarantee all your mums will make it, especially those planted in the fall.

If mums have not been hardy in your area, you could try potting them and moving them to a more protected area of the garden for the winter and return them to their intended spot in the spring.

Established mums can be dug and divided in spring, every 2 - 3 years as necessary.