Mums – Hardy Chrysanthemums for Beautiful Fall Color

Chrysanthemums are among the leading flowers for our backyard gardens in fall. 

It is no surprise that everyone loves mums and their large, beautiful blooms in autumn.  They are great for container gardening or planted in the ground.

Some hardy chrysanthemums will come back every year if you simply snap them back before the winter freeze.  I have one mum that is several years old.  Each fall, it is one of the first bloomers in my garden.

I do have that one planted in a concrete container that sits next to my house.  I believe the house provides shelter and just enough warmth throughout the year that the mum thrives year after year.

(See the care instructions at the bottom of this page for additional information.)

 

Hardy Mums for Fall Planting

Because mums do so well in pots, they are often moved from place to place in a garden, in fall displays, all around your home for a beautiful flowering presentation.  Mums are often treated like annuals and planted every year.  However, if you purchase a hardy chrysanthemum from a nursery they will often come back each year (perennial).

Because they come in a huge variety of colors, mums compliment just about any garden or flower bed.   Some varieties resemble daisies and add a completely different point of interest to a garden.  That actually allows us to plant a variety of flowers and colors, yet the plants are all mums.

The Mammoth Red Garden Daisy Mum is an excellent example of a mum that looks like a daisy flower and makes a visually stunning addition to a fall garden.  They are available through Nature Hills Nursery online and can be found in the Perennials section.  Simply click the photo on the right and type the word “mums” in the search box on that site to buy the Daisy Mum.  I have bought plants from Nature Hills for many years and have come to depend upon them for beautiful and healthy plants and bulbs.

 

Mums Available to Buy Online

In addition to Nature Hills featured above, there are variety of chrysanthemums available on Amazon.com.  Here are some of my personal favorites that are listed there.  It is often so much easier to buy from the comfort of your own home and have plants shipping directly to you for planting.

As you can see below, a selection of varying colors and variety of mums can make a gorgeous garden all by themselves.

NOTE: Chrysanthemum plants are NOT available year round. I do not recommend seeds. Wait for the live plants to be available

 Chrysanthemum – MUMS – Flamingo Pineapple Pink – Live Plant – 1 Plant QuartCheck Availability LovelyGarden HARDY MUM – MUMS – DAZ STACY ORANGE – CHRYSANTHEMUM -1 PLANT – 4.5Check Availability Chrysanthemum Clara Curtis Hardy Mum Shasta Daisy 2.5 Inch Pot 1 Live Potted Plant Og003Check Availability

 

Caring for Mums

Chrysanthemums require very little care.  Once the blooms have died, snap or pinch off the deadheads.  When their blooming season is over (varies by region, but based on extreme cold weather), cut the stems to approximately 8″ in a ball shape.  For colder winter climates, you may want to cover your plants with hay to keep the ice off of them.  The dead stems may break off later, but Do not pull the plants out of the pots or ground.  If you do that, you will be removing the roots as well as the stems.

I recommend planting with Osmocote Plant Food.  It will feed your plant for several months.  In the spring, I always sprinkle Osmocote around the plant and add a new thin layer of top soil.  However, if you use Miracle-Gro gardening soil, you would not add the Osmocote because it already contains plant food.