| I want to plant mums in the ground because they are my favorite plants. I am so confused if all mums are perennials or are some annuals. I want to make sure I plant the right ones in the ground so they come back every year. |
| I buy Garden Mums. They come back year after year. Hardy mums only last for one season. |
| "hardy" does actually mean it will last thru the winter...most perennials meant for your locale are hardy!! The key is planting way before Fall....if you plant in August or after and you have cold winters....they are not established enough to come back!! |
| I had asked this question some time ago. Read: The thread "chrysanthemums and Zone 5A planting" in Ask a Question forum One mum lived, it is thriving and one didn't. If I buy one now as they are available, I would go back to Tractor Supply because they are the ones that took. The second one tried. Try it. Honestly it is an in expensive investment for such a beautiful shrub. |
| Even if hardy be sure it is hardy for your growing zone. It is also a good idea to mulch new planing for the winter. Remove mulch in spring as you see growth. Leaving it on too long with smother your plant. Good luck mums add wonderful fall color |
| I live in the Northeast. My experience has been - if I plant mums I purchase in the spring, they do not return the next year. The ones I purchase in the fall, and plant in the fall, are the ones that are perennial in my garden. The ones I planted last fall are big, and beautiful. Some are starting to bloom, but all 11 plants are full of buds. |
| I live on Long Island, NY and I have had the same experience. Plant in the fall and they returned the next year and bloomed beautifully. |
| It is difficult to find mums at garden centers in the spring, when they do need to be planted. They are readily available online. I have some nice ones I've ordered from Bluestone Perennials. |
| Julie, anybody, I've had bad luck buying mum seeds. Do you know a reliable source of perennial seeds? Do seeds from your plants germinate? |
| The chrysanthemums you find in garden centers are perennial; florist mums (typically found at the grocery store in the fall) are annual, because they are unable to develop enough runners to overwinter. It's best to plant garden mums in the spring so that they have all summer and fall to develop extensive root systems before winter sets in. You can plant in the fall, but you'll want to find good sized plants with well developed root systems. Mums prefer a rich, moist, well-drained site. Provide them with plenty of water throughout the summer; flowering is affected by lack of water. These plants do not tolerate wet soils, especially in winter, so be sure the planting site drains well. Plant in full sun. In the spring, when new shoots appear, regularly cut or pinch them back to promote branching. Pinch about every 4 weeks, up to the beginning of July. Enjoy your mums! |
| When you say cut, where do we cut the mins back to? The crown or half way? |
| Not sure where you got the word "cut" from the above response? But you should never end a sentence with the word "to". Grammar 101 |
| Margarden, the idea that a person shouldn't end a sentence with a preposition is based on conjugating Latin, a dead language. That stricture is no longer followed. In my opinion, it is far worse to correct someone's grammar than use a prep ending. As Emily Brewster, editor at Merriam-Webster says, "A preposition is a perfectly appropriate kind of word to end a sentence with". |
| Margarden, here is where the word "cut" comes from: Quote: when new shoots appear, regularly cut or pinch them back Unquote. Not only are you rude, you are unable to read. |
| Winston Churchill stated that ending a sentence with a preposition was a situation "up with which I will not put." |
| Seriously Margarden!!..this is a gardening blog not a grammar blog..get over yourself. |
| I love reading the comments in this blog, even if they veer off track from the original post or questions. Hilarious. |
| Cut back the plants in mid- summer to keep it to compact. There should be an increase in number of buds. |
| remember it depends how much sun they get and also what side of your house you plant them on... |
| From PerennialReference.com The genus Chrysanthemum was separated into several unique genus in 1961. The individual genus is commonly used in botanical nomenclature. The "corrected" genus for these common garden plants is: Dendranthema - hardy garden mums Leucanthemum - oxeye daisies, shasta daisies Tanacetum - feverfew, painted daisies, tansy Chrysanthemum is still commonly used for marginally hardy florist mums to differentiate from the true hardy Dendranthema. https://www.perennialreference... I have many Dendranthemas in my garden for late blooms also many produces daisy-like blossoms such as: Chrysanthemum (Dendranthema) 'Will's Wonderful' Will's Wonderful' is a late October and November with strawberry colored buds which open to 1" creamy yellow to strawberry blossoms; get tall and lanky (3') so pinch back plants to the ground around the fourth of July for a tidier plant (18-24") . Spreads buy stoloniferous roots, and is happiest in well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade. |
| I'm uncertain if anyone correctly answered the original question, although I do think bits and pieces emerged from several posts. Almost all mums that are found in garden centers or even hardware stores in the months leading up to fall (late August through early October) and hardy in "most" areas. I've had them in North Dakota and also in Florida. But there are some--usually sold in the spring for Easter or in florists--that have larger leaves and usually larger flowers that are not hardy in most areas. It's not unlike azaleas; there are hardy ones and floral ones; the latter usually only grow in very southern climates. As for cutting them back, it's best to cut them back once or twice before the 4th of July. I usually don't find there's too much magic to this cutting; just cut them back about 1/3 each time. And if they grow really well, I sometimes cut them back a third time. |
