Plant of the Month: Mums

Chrysanthemums, more commonly known as Mums, are a fall staple. Their button like flowers come in various shades of red, orange, yellow, gold, bronze, pink, purple, white and even green! Mums are also deer and rabbit resistant.

The trick to getting the most out of your mums and getting the longest bloom period possible is to select a mum that hasn’t started blooming yet. Mums in full bloom won’t last as long as ones where the buds have barely begun to crack open. 

While commonly treated as a seasonal plant, in this area Mums are perennials and can be planted in the garden or a larger container to be enjoyed year after year. To get the clean, rounded shape associated with Mums, pinch (or gently cut) back the top 2” to 3” of the plants once they are 8” to 10” tall. Pinch them back every other week until July.

Full sun, at least 6 hours. 

Well-draining soil. Not tolerant of overly wet soil. Avoid getting the leaves and flowers wet when watering.

Deadhead spent flowers to extend bloom time.