Mums Flower For All

For the perfect late-season bloomer. You can’t go wrong with fall mums! Get tips to selecting the right variety. Planting, growing and enjoying this fall favorite. Mums Flower For All!

Mums Flower For All

Mums or Chrysanthemum of the family Asteraceae (asterfamily). Some cultivated in Asia for at least 2,000 years. The chrysanthemum is the floral emblem of the imperial family of Japan. The highest officials are honored by orders of the chrysanthemum.

The flower heads are mostly late blooming and of various shades of red, yellow, and white. They range from single daisylike to large rounded or shaggy heads. Chrysanthemums were introduced to England in the late 18th cent. And today innumerable named horticultural types exist.

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Mums Are Easily Fooled

Mums can easily misread weather patterns. Resulting in unseasonal blooms at unexpected times. If a mum blooms prematurely in the late summertime, it won’t bloom again for the season.

If it blooms in the spring, as long as you cut it back within 8 inches of the ground, it will bloom again in the fall.

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Winter Protection

Keep your garden mums’ soil moist as winter approaches. There is no need to prune back plants until the following spring. In fact, Yoder Brothers of Barberton, Ohio have proven, by experiment. That mums cut back in early spring, instead of fall, survive hard winters better.

Mulch the plants after several hard frosts with straw or evergreen branches. In spring, remove any old stems, a rake works fine, and gradually remove the mulch.

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Are Mums Annuals Or Perennials?

Although the most widely available mums are grown as fall annuals. There are varieties that can also be grown as perennials in some regions with a little care to over-winter them. In colder zones, leave the top growth in place and add loose mulch such as straw or evergreen branches around them for protection. Waiting to cut back in spring after new growth emerges.

In warmer winter climates, they can be cut back to 6” tall after flowering. Check your local garden center to see what varieties work best in your area.

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Taxonomy

The genus once included more species, but was split several decades ago into several genera. Putting the economically important florist’s chrysanthemums in the genus Dendranthema.

The naming of these genera has been contentious. But a ruling of the International Botanical Congress in 1999 changed the defining species of the genus to Chrysanthemum indicum. Restoring the florist’s chrysanthemums to the genus Chrysanthemum.

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Decorating with Mums

If you decorate for fall with pumpkins and gourds, choose orange, bronze, yellow, and creamy white mums. If you have a lot of evergreen plants that provide a backdrop of varying shades of green foliage. Try bright pinks, lavenders, pure whites, or reds. With such bold colors, a large grouping of mums can excite even the most drab of fall landscapes.

Because of their tight, mounded habit and stunning bloom cover. Garden mums are perfect for mass plantings. To get the maximum effect from far away, stick to only one or two colors. Another possibility is to arrange a gradual transition of related colors in an ombre effect. Look around your yard to see what colors would best complement the existing landscape.

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