I wrote this article which appeared in the Jefferson Gazette in 2023.
In the fall, garden centers are filled with rows of colorful Chrysanthemums. This fall bloomer that comes in many shades from burgundy to bronze to bright yellow, creamy whites, pinks and shades of purple, is a hard flower to resist. Mums brighten doorsteps and provide garden color late in the season when most other perennials have stopped blooming. But this flower is not without its problems. Often a gardener will buy and plant mums in the fall only to have them die off during the winter. There are ways you can increase this flower’s chance of survival.
First, make sure you are purchasing mums that are hardy in your area. Many mums sold today are mot hardy in our area.and are labeled as annuals. Those labeled as “garden mums” may also be sensitive to cold temperatures. Read the tag and you may see them listed as “hardy in zones 7 and above”. While they may survive northeast Ohio’s zone 6 winter weather if given protection, they are vulnerable to deep freezes. I don’t know when some retailers began to sneak in the non-hardy varieties of mums but they have and the tags don’t always make that clear.
In the ideal garden, mums would be planted in the spring giving their shallow root system several months to get established. But most of us buy and plant mums in the fall when they are most readily available. Although not the best situation, fall planted mums can survive and thrive with the right care.
Many purchased mums are left in the pots as part of a fall display and do not get planted until late in the season, after the pumpkins have been tossed onto the compost pile. Planting too late will not give the plant enough time to establish roots before the ground freezes and it probably will not survive. Once you purchase mums, keep them well watered and get them into the ground as soon as possible. If you still have mums in pots at Thanksgiving, it might be better to try overwintering them indoors. Store them in a cool, just above freezing location such as a well-lit unheated garage. Don’t overwater but do not allow mums to dry out. They can be planted outdoors when spring arrives.
Mums require full sun (at least 6 hours per day) and loose, well-drained soil. They won’t survive in wet areas or planted in heavy clay. If you can plant them in a protected area, such as along the side of your house, so much the better. Mums planted in open, exposed locations are less likely to survive than those which have some form of wind break.
Dig a hole twice the size of the root ball and add some compost or other organic matter. Fertilize your mums throughout the growing season and stop fertilizing them when buds are formed.
Adding a thick layer of mulch will keep the soil temperature more consistent and will prevent heaving which can damage your plants. Mulch also helps to maintain moisture. Remove the mulch once the ground thaws in the spring. Although we do not typically think of watering the garden in the winter, be sure to keep your mums watered during dry spells at any time of year.
Mums are more likely to survive if the stems are left standing through the winter and cut back only after spring arrives but before new growth begins. When spring growth reaches 6 inches, you should pinch about ¾” to 1” off of the growing tips to create a bushy plant with more flowers. Pinching off the growing tips two or three times until mid-July will delay blooming until fall. Plants that are not pinched will bloom early and the longer stems may not be able to support the flower heads.
With proper care, your fall blooming mums will not only survive the winter, but they will begin to spread, increasing the size of your display year after year.
Sources:
“Why do my mums always die?” at https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/good-growing/2021-09-10-why-do-my-mums-always-die-how-grow-and-care-fall-mums-your-garden
“Chrysanthemum Care” at https://extension.psu.edu/chrysanthemum-care
“Can fall mums be planted in the garden?” at https://extension.unh.edu/blog/2019/09/can-fall-mums-be-planted-garden
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