Chrysanthemums or “mums” are associated with autumn, appearing in jewel colors in garden centers in September and October. However, if you are growing mums, they are hardy perennial plants best planted in the early spring. Discover how to plant, grow, and care for these colorful members of the daisy family!
About Mums
The Chrysanthemum is a member of the Asteraceae (Compositae) family, related to dahlias, sunflowers, marigolds, zinnias, and cosmos. Each bloom is made of hundreds of tiny flowers called florets. The plant ranges in size from a common small cushion mum to the giant spider mums, and they bloom in almost every color of the rainbow: yellow, lavender, pink, purple, red, bronze, orange, and white. They leaves are a lovely blue/green.
A Brief Mum History
The chrysanthemum was first cultivated in China as a flowering herb back in 15th century B.C. Based on early illustrations, it appeared as more of a daisy-like flower. Since then, the mum has been bred in so many shapes, sizes, showy styles and a multitude of colors that don’t always resemble its humble beginnings.
Credit: Mums.org
According to the National Chrysanthemum Society, “the genus Chrysanthemum once included more species, but was split several decades ago into several genera, putting the economically important florist chrysanthemum in the genus Dendranthema. The placement of the florist chrysanthemum in this genus was very contentious. A ruling of the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature in 1999 changed the defining species of the genus Chrysanthemum to C. indicum, giving the florist mum back its prized generic name.” The National Chrysanthemum Society divides bloom forms into 13 classes.
Decorative Mums
Mums that are sold in garden centers in the autumn should generally be treated as annuals. They are decorative gift plants which are not bred to be hardy; it’s their color, size and form that are prized! If these plants are put in the ground in late fall, many won’t make it through the winter in cold regions.
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Overwintering potted mums
Potted mums purchased in autumn will often overwinter with little effort, at least mine do. I do repot them when I bring them home, however. Most people leave them in their plastic tubs and simply dispose of them after bloom. I look forward to a few hours in the cool garage in fall, potting up the new mums - there's always a new color that catches my eye, too. Standard, inexpensive potting soil, no need for fertilizer. I only buy mums that are just starting to bloom or have only buds - obviously, they last longer. When they are done blooming and repeated nightly frosts are likely, I take them into the garage: detached, unheated. I let the greenery fade a little, then I cut them down. There is always new green hidden at the base of the plant. The article suggests leaving the greenery and giving some water overwinter - I may try that on a few as an experiment this year, but previously I have not watered or left green. In spring, around mid-April, I just set them outside, give them a drink and wait. Within 2 weeks they are greening up again. Once in a while one might not return, but usually they all do if they are a single season old. I've had many, many that return for a third year! I know this is not supposed to happen, but it does! Now, they take all summer to keep growing and get buds. Mine from last year are just starting to flower now - some need another couple weeks. They usually double in size, too. It's fun remembering the colors I have as they open. A few big pots of greenery all summer are nice to place strategically around and I also like to keep a big grouping of them all together in another area, then bring them out front as they flower. Of course this will tie up your pots for a couple years but I have plenty of pots now. I still buy new mums yearly to replace the ones that won't make after a second or third bloom, so the pots get rotated. Give it a try, even with a few, just to see what happens!
Chrysanthemum Plant
I'm not a gardener. I had a plant that I planted last fall, after the blooms were gone. I summer in PA, and when I returned here, the plant had survived the winter, and grown to about two feet. Should I cut it back? Do you think it will bloom again?
Flower information
I do enjoy the article on each flower you select to give us information about. I too copy and put in a binder for reference later; I also do a copy for my 94 year old gardener who still gardens in pots but has extended beds around her house being kept up by her gardeners. Thank you for each day’s write-up. I look forward to my Almanac email each day while I drink my coffee. A request; could you please do an article on the Tuberoses? Thank you.
gardening tips and ebooks
Love these and have a file just for Farmers Almanac info on my computer for quick reference. Grew up with vegetable and fruit trees and flowers but can always find more info that I use. Thanks.