Mums Buying Guide

"Mum" is short for chrysanthemum, a genus in the Asteraceae family, related to daisies. There are thousands of chrysanthemum cultivars. In nature, the plants grow two to four feet tall with blooms that can be pink, white or yellow. In the Garden Center, you'll find chrysanthemum cultivars in a variety of colors like burgundy and purple and orange and an array of bloom sizes, from petite flowers to double blooms.

In gardens, mums are warm weather plants that bloom at the end of summer and into fall. Their abundant blooms and brilliant colors make them perfect plants for harvest displays and front porch decorations in autumn.

Depending on your area of the country, mums become available in garden centers in late summer to early fall.

Growers trim Garden Center mums for a pleasing rounded shape that brings light into the plant and produces the full flower effect.

Mums are often sold ready to display in decorative containers and mixed arrangements. You can also plant them in the ground in your garden. There are many different types of mums for sale in garden centers, florist shops and grocery stores. If you're looking for plants that come back next year in your garden, look for hardy varieties or "perennial" on plant tags. Annual mums will bloom for just one season.

In the Garden Center, look for mums with lush, green leaves and numerous flower buds.

For the longest life from your mums, choose plants with the most tightly closed buds. If you're looking for instant color, select plants with more open flowers.

Growers ship plants with tightly closed buds to stores. It takes about 10 days for buds to unfurl and an additional 10 to 20 days for the full effect of a solid mass of floral color.

Mix and match colors and sizes of mums in your outdoor space. You'll find a variety of options in the Garden Center, including containers like whiskey barrels planted with autumnal favorites.

In addition to the large pots of mums, look for quart size or smaller plants that you can pop into window boxes and planters for a fall refresh.

Mums are thirsty plants. To keep them looking their best, you want to keep the soil consistently moist, but not waterlogged. The best way to do this is to make sure the plant pot has adequate drainage holes and plant roots are not sitting in water.

The best way to water mums is to water the soil just under the blooms, and let the pot drain well. You'll know your plant is ready for water when you touch the soil and it feels dry. It's a good idea to check the soil each day and water every time the soil feels dry.

Mums love sun. Make sure they receive at least six hours of sunlight each day. If you live in a rainy climate, you may want to place the plants under a porch to protect the blooms. They can become mushy in rain.

During the growing season, you can fertilize mums with a water-soluble fertilizer, but it's not absolutely necessary. Most plants get enough nutrition from potting soil.

At the end of the season, you can compost the plants and recycle the plastic pots. Or, you can plant mums in your garden. Depending on the variety and your climate, they may come back in spring.

In the garden, mums like a full sun spot with well-draining soil. You can enrich your soil with organic compost to improve drainage and nutrition for the plants.

Space mums about 18 to 24 inches apart to ensure good air circulation and prevent fungal diseases.

Remove plants from pots and loosen the roots. Settle them into the soil and apply a layer of mulch to retain moisture and protect plants during winter.

When plants emerge in spring, you can top dress around the plant with organic compost. Fertilize throughout the summer with a water-soluble fertilizer.

Chrysanthemum plants put on a lot of growth in summer. To prevent plants from flopping over when blooms appear, cut foliage back by no more than a third in mid-summer. This will keep your mums tidy when the blooms appear in late summer and early fall.

Hardy mums are excellent candidates for division. Best time to divide plants is in early spring or fall. Use a sharp shovel to cut and dig up a portion of a plant, then place in a new part of your garden. Water and mulch to help plant establish.