It is hard to imagine fall without mums and their bright assortment of colors, providing us with one final grand display before heading into winter. Just us our summer annuals are fading and starting to look ragged, mums are in their prime and readily available. Mums come in all sizes, ranging from 4.5 to 14” pots, and a wide array of colors, including fall colors (white, pink, yellow, orange, red, purple), making them ideal to design with. Use mums to either refresh existent summer planters by simply replacing individual plants, or create entirely new fall plantings, as mums combine excellent with ornamental- cabbages, kales, peppers and chilies; Asters, Black-eyed Susans and grasses. Alternatively, mums can be planted exclusively in larger groupings to achieve those giant splashes of color.
Remain vigilant with watering mums; large plants require thorough, daily watering when temperatures are warm, or when confined to small pots. Check plants daily and water thoroughly. Avoid plants drying severely as this will cause bud loss. Water at the base of plants and avoid watering the flowers. Cool temperatures are ideal for mums, as this will both preserve flowers and lengthen the flowering period.
Latin Name: Chrysanthemum sp.
Light: Part to full sun
Bloom Color: White, cream, yellow, pink, orange, red, burgundy, lavender, purple, striped
Bloom Period: Fall (late spring also for hardy garden mums)
Height: 18” - 4 ft (if left unpinched)
Habit: Upright
Hardiness: Often not hardy when planted in fall, winter dependent. Purchase plants in spring and allow to root throughout summer and fall to achieve hardiness.
