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If you’re using a mum as a perennial, plant in early spring, or in the fall at least six weeks before the first killing frost. If you’re using chrysanthemums for a pop of fall color to boost your late season garden, plant them when they’re blooming in later summer or early fall and treat them as annuals.
Will mums come back every year?
They will grow back and your plant won’t look dead in the middle.” Many people buy mums in the fall thinking the plants are annuals. But if you buy hardy mums, you can get them to bloom year after year.
Can I plant potted mums in the fall?
Technically, however, they can be planted in your garden any time before the first frost of fall. This means you can try removing the mums from your pot and planting them in the ground in the fall. Although your potted mums may look dead, they might just be dormant.
How long do mums last outdoors?
Mums that are on special with fully open flowers are OK to buy, but be aware that they will not last as long in your garden. Depending on weather conditions and mum varieties, you can expect to get a good display of color for four to six weeks. Extended periods of hot weather will age the flowers more quickly.
Can I keep mums in pots over the winter?
Overwinter your mums in pots. If you’re not ready to give up your beautiful fall blooms, you can overwinter mums in pots as long as they’re hardy mums. Fall-blooming mums (Chrysanthemum x morifolium) grow in USDA plant hardiness zones 4 to 9, and they’re often grown in pots as annuals in other zones.
Can garden mums survive winter?
Although garden mums are often called hardy mums, they may not survive the winter if drainage is poor or if you live in an extremely cold climate. If your mums survive the winter, you’ll see new growth developing around the base of the plant in early spring.
What temp is too cold for mums?
Mums are cold hardy to about 20 degrees Fahrenheit. They can survive hot temperatures from 90 to 100 F, but they’ll need plenty of water and a little shade.
Do mums like sun or shade?
Chrysanthemums are sun-loving plants. Although they technically require only 6 hours of sunlight each day, the more light they receive, the better their growth, bloom and hardiness. Slight shade in hot, summer afternoons is appropriate in warmer gardening zones to prevent scorching.
Are potted mums annuals or perennials?
There are potted florist mums, which look just like garden (hardy) mums and even share the same botanical name (Chrysanthemum x morifolium)—and they’re perennials, but their survival depends on when you get them and where you live. Garden mums, also known as hardy mums, are perennial mums.
How do mums come back every year?
The leaves of the plant will die back and become brown after a few hard frosts have hit your area. Leaving a little bit of the stems will ensure that next year you have a full plant, as the new stems will grow from these trimmed stems. If you cut the mums back to the ground, fewer stems will grow next year.
How do you care for outdoor potted mums?
How to care for outdoor garden mums After planting, give them a good watering and keep the soil moist everyday until they are established. Mums don’t like to get dry between waterings, so make sure you water them at least every other day and especially if they start looking wilted.
When should I buy mums?
Mid-September is the earliest time you should consider buying mums. However, each year the longer and hotter summers are pushing that date later and later into September, even into the month of October. As a rule, we at Southern Living recommend “buying plants as they start to break bud. You’ll maximize bloom time.
Do mums do better in pots or in the ground?
—your best bet is to overwinter them in their containers in a protected space (above freezing, never letting the soil dry out). Then, you can plant them in spring, providing lots of time to establish strong roots before their first winter in the ground.
Where is the best place to plant mums?
Mums grow best in full sun. Give them too little sunlight, and you’ll get a weak plant that produces few flowers.
Can mums be replanted?
Mums (Chrysanthemum spp.) Transplant any potted mums in spring after frost danger has passed or in fall six weeks before the first expected freeze. These colorful fall flowers bloom most profusely when they receive all-day sunlight in a well-drained and moderately fertile bed.
How do I save my potted mums for next year?
Keep mums indoors until one week before the last expected spring frost. At that time, take the pot outdoors to its summer location for two or three hours, then bring it back indoors to its winter location. Each day, bring the pot outdoors and leave it there for an hour or so longer each time.
How long will potted mums last?
Garden mums may be grown in containers, or planted in beds with existing shrubs and flowers. Flowers generally last about two or three weeks, depending on the outdoor temperatures and how far along the blooming process was when the plants were purchased.
Can mums survive frost?
Most garden mums should be able to endure a light fall frost. Cover the plants at night when freeze warnings are in effect. However, if you are in a cold climate, leaving the dead foliage on the plants has been found to help the plant survive colder temperatures better than pruned plants.
