Hardy mum winter survival care tips
I had saved my hardy chrysanthemums in their original plastic pots and put the potted plants into the ground to over-winter. Now, I want to remove the plants from the plastic pots and transplant directly into the soil. When is the best time to do this?
Not many of the “hardy” potted mums bought in autumn in zone 4 will survive the winter. Even though they are called hardy mums, their hardiness can vary. Cold winters and poor draining soil are some of the factors that have an affect on their survival. In addition, when growing mums for the market, growers pay more attention to color, shape and abundance of flowers than to cold hardiness. The result is a beautiful plant with a root system that cannot support it.
Buying mums
When buying mums make sure they are hardy cultivars that fit your climate. In northern climates early blooming mums are more suitable. In zone 6-7 mid-season mums are better. Choose plants with buds that are just starting to open and show color.
Watering
By the time your potted mum hits the market, the plants are usually pot bound and full of roots. They will have a tendency to dry out much faster and need to be monitored every day for watering. If allowed to dry out, the lifespan is reduced.
Planting mums
Planting in the fall, doesn’t always work because there may not be enough time to develop a good root system, so for any chance of success plant in early fall or 6 weeks before the first frost. Plant your mums in an area with good winter drainage.
Best time to plant hardy mums is in the spring. In your case, try transplanting in the spring, when the soil is workable; if any viable roots wintered over, you should see some green shoots emerge when the weather warms up. Otherwise, buy hardy mum plants in the spring and see how big they get by autumn.
To help hardy mums survive the winter outdoors cut them back down to 6″ after they are done blooming leaving some of the stems to trap winter snow for insulation. Also, mulch your mums after a hard freeze with several inches of straw, pine needles or evergreens, the added insulation will protect the root system. Avoid using leaves as they tend to mat down and add little insulation.
Save your mums
Too late to plant outdoors? Keep your mums through the winter and plant them in the spring. Bring your mums inside before a hard freeze. Leave the plant in the pot and don’t trim it. Store your mum in a cool spot such as a garage or a shed. Water occasionally to keep the soil from drying out completely. Check on them periodically during the dormant winter season. In spring, when new growth emerges at the base of the plant, trim the dead stems and plant in the garden.
From the reader archive
Useful reader questions
My mother brought home a pot of mums only 6 nights ago from Home Depot. I’m in New York, and I was surprised to see that almost every single blossom was in full bloom. They were a lovely dark yellow tinged with…
Read Claire discussionI bought three plants, ester plant (white lily flower), potted-mum Chrysanthemums (yellow-orange flower) and another plant. Two of my plants are dying, i guess. Can you please tell me why? I am new to this plant growing. The potted mum (Chrysanthemums) gave…
Read Hari discussionFlorist Mum Hi, My fiance gave me a potted mum on the day he proposed to me, back on Nov. 23rd. We live in the NW of Montana and in an apartment so I won’t be planting it outside. It’s very pretty…
Read Dani discussionI live in South Jersey and I have a question about buying mums that are already bloomed this early. I was told that if I remove the wilted flowers that new ones will come back, is this true ? I am planting…
Read Michelle discussion
robin leger
I was wondering what the botanical name is for garden mums.
I had beautiful mums planted and the deer nibbled the flowers off and more buds are forming. can I spray the plants with deer repellant without hurting the plant?? Also I planted Missouri Primroses in the fall,, which are perennial, will they sprout in the spring?? thanks for your help.. thanks for your help on getting my Peace lily to bloom for me with the right fertilizer you recommemded’ middle number higher then the first’
Winterize hardy mum
We have received potted mums as a gift. We are in Connecticut. They are currently in beautiful, large ceramic planters and these are outside on our front patio. We would like to care for them properly over the winter so that we can plant them in the garden in the spring. We have either dark rooms, or rooms windows that the sun comes through so strongly it burns anything we’ve put anywhere near them. Would it be too cold for them to winter in the garage ? There are windows and the garage is attached, so nothing in there actually freezes.
What else do we need to do? trim them? water ?
Thank you.
I planted some hardy mums in pots with coleus. After a few weeks, the blooms died and I haven’t had any more, but the plant seems to be healthy. How can I get them to bloom again?
I recently received a potted mum from a garden center – just the spring flower displays of potted plants. Since it has absolutely no information on the pot to identify the mum, is there any way for me to know if the mum is a hardy variety or an annual? I want to plant it outdoors permanently, but if it is an annual it might turn out to be wasted effort.
My fiance gave me a mum for Mother’s Day. It actually has three plants in the pot: one yellow; one pink; and one light purple — very pretty. We live in southwest Missouri. Can I plant it outside?
I have bought 2 mums from a popwarner football fund raiser..can i plant these mums into a pot then into the ground after flowering and hope they’ll come back or will this lessen the chances and they should be directly into the ground first…thank you
Hi,
I bought some mum plants from Lowe’s. They were v.pretty when I bought them but as the days passed they lost their color and they no more look healthy. I have other mums that I planted last year and I managed to keep them alive thru the winter by keeping them in the apt.Today to my horror, I discovered that the plants I got recently have some insects and worms on them. I don’t know what pesticide I shud use… I am worried that it may spread to the other plants I have…I live in CA
Hi, Thanks for the response… the insects r really tiny… smaller than mustard seeds.I’ve seen such insects on rose plants back home…. and there r some brown worms in them too…The plants r outdoor but I may have to keep them inside during winter. I have a toddler at home and am 8 months pregnant.. Anyways, I am clueless ..I don’t have the receipts either…Reema
Pinching Mums
I want to buy hardy mums to plant in my front yard next year where there is currently grass. 3 questions: When is the best time to buy a hardy mum? When I dig up the grass/dirt to plant the hardy mums, will there be a regrowth of grass? How do you pinch a hardy mum?
Pelee mum
I got a Pelee Mum for my birthday in Sept. and I was wondering if I can plant it outdoors now or do I have to wait. I live outside of Portland in Oregon. Thank you for your help.
I live in southern new jersey , should i leave my mums in pots now until next spring.
I live in South Carolina and received a mum in a pot as a gift about a week ago. I would like to transfer it from the pot and plant it my yard. When is it ok to do this or should I leave in pot until a certain time?
I live in Southwest Arizona and would like to plant the potted mums purchased for Halloween outside in the ground now. Will they survive and bloom again next fall?
I bought four mums for display thru the autumn, in pots. Now they are “dead” in the pots. I was told they will come back. What do I do with them. Keep in pots and wait till spring to transplant or transplant now? I live in southern Indiana?
In fall of 2007 we planted Hardy mums from pots we purchased at the nursery. They did well and in spring of 2008 we saw green foliage under the deadness (for lack of a better term) and the old plant just sort of pulled out of the ground uncovering the new mums. We allowed them to do their thing and by fall these massive mums were 4 feet in diameter and bloomed like crazy. Beautiful. This year the green growth is appearing, however the old dead plants are so large and rooted that when we tried pulling them up the new growth was attatched and its damaging the plants. I know so little about doing this I am sort of stuck. Also, how do I keep them from becoming so huge and taking over my flower bed? Thank you in advance.
I have a mum from my grandfather’s funeral that I would love to plant and care for properly so it lives on in his memory. Right now it is in a plastic planter, but would like to transplant it to the ground.
It has dark purple flowers, and three plants that go into the dirt. There are no markers in the plastic tub to identify the mum – is this an annual or a perennial?
I live near Des Moines, Iowa (which I looked up to be zone 5a).
If someone could tell me how to best care for this plant, I would greatly appreciate it.
I live in central illinois and we have purple and yellow mums on our football field ends. Our Purple ones come back but the yellow ones do only about 1/4th of the time if not less. Does color play a factor? What could be the problem?
Spring blooming mums
I have a green house in NC and have been using cuttings (Mums)to get more.
Some of my mums are flowering now. (daisy and some cushion and Bonsia)
Will these also bloom in the fall?
Or will they continue to bloom until winter.??
Is it a good Idea to plant a mum in the spring when they are at least a foot high or higher??
Thanks
Todd
Do mums like sun or can I plant in the shade? I am in WI.
Hardy Mum seeds
Hi, I would like to start hardy mums from seeds instead of dividing the plants. Do you know where I could buy hardy mum seeds? I have not seen any for sale in stores. Thanks
I moved at the end of last summer and found that I have hardy mums in my new flower bed. I never had a garden before, but I read somewhere that you could use the cuttings after you’ve pinched back the mums to start new roots. I would like to use them to fill in some gaps from a bush I removed, so I placed them in some water and have them in a window that gets morning sun. Should I be doing something else to get them to root? How long before I know if this is actually working?
Do you know a website that sells hardy mum seeds,getting very frustrated loking for hours only finding plants not seeds. HELP!!!!! thanks
Leaf spot disease
I have Mums that return each year. This year, many of the leaves are getting lots of dark spots that show through the leaves top and bottom. What could that be?
I have numerous mums & I usually cut them back twice a season & this year I’m behind and only getting it done once. I am tempted to not do them all. Will it matter? What will happen? I’m thinking they may just bloom in summer. Most all of mine are so tall & thick & I’m growing weary.
Hardy mum wilt disease
I live in Zone 7 and have had several hardy mum plants in my bed out front for a couple years. This summer I noticed one of them was beginning to look a little funny…the underneath started to die and the tips of the stems were wilting. The whole plant ended up dying. Now another mum plant is doing the same thing. They were both perfectly healthy. The only thing I noticed was an excessive amount of (I think) flies inside of them. Could this have killed my plant and be affecting my other one?
My mums are already blooming, and there are some dead flowers on the stems. Should they be removed?
I planted several mums in my yard about a week ago(I live in NC). They’re in partial shade and a mixture of about 3/4 topsoil, and 1/4 of our local clay soil, with plenty of fertilizer. On some, the flowers are turning brown and the leaves don’t look so great either. Some of the other mums are doing well. They’ve been watered/rained on every other day. Do you know why some are struggling and some are not? Thank you.
I planted a mum and it died very quikly (in 4 days). I planted it near my sidewalk and an evergreen. The soil looked like clay.What would have caused this.
Bugs on mums
I successfully got my purple mums to come back this year. The one at the end of the driveway is covered in flies. Every time you walk by they swarm everywhere. I am trying to sell my house and am pretty sure that will be a deterrant. I hate to destroy the plant, I have sprayed wasp spray on it, that didn’t work. Any suggestions?
How long will they last
I live in zone 4 (Western WI) and just purchased some mums today. They’re beginning to flower now. I’d like to use them for a portion of wedding flowers for Oct. 24. Do you know how long they’ll last in the pots? Will they continue to flower if I leave them outside and keep them watered until October 24? Any suggestions? I’ve only purchased 2 pots, but planning on getting more. Thank you.
my yellow mums grow so tall they fall over. i pinched them off but they still grow to tall. what else can i do?
I live in South Jersey and I have a question about buying mums that are already bloomed this early. I was told that if I remove the wilted flowers that new ones will come back, is this true ? I am planting them in the ground in their pots and want to see the blooms when they are planted. I don’t like to buy the ones with closed buds and I’m worried that they won’t make it until Halloween. I could wait and buy ones that are bloomed in October (which is when I usually buy them) but chances are they will be the same ones that are there now. Please help, ths is driving me crazy !
Propagate mums from cuttings
How can you make a sprout off a live mum? I would like to spread mums around and I don’t know how to spread them.
Hello
I just bought a few mums today. I live in the Northeast and its the 1st of October.
Is it too late to transfer them into the flower bed ??
Do i need to water them in winter ??
Any other advice and tips are greatly appreciated .
Thanks a lot.
I have a lot a bees and flies flying around my flower bed since I planted mums. Why is this happening? I thought flies would be gone with the fall tempertures at 50 degrees. How do I get rid of the flies without killing the mums?
MY MUM IS IN A POT. JUST GOT IT YESTERDAY. HOW OFTEN DO I WATER?
My mother brought home a pot of mums only 6 nights ago from Home Depot. I’m in New York, and I was surprised to see that almost every single blossom was in full bloom. They were a lovely dark yellow tinged with orange. I put them on a south-facing window sill that night, and the next morning at about 10am I went to water them, but half of the blossoms had died and the rest of the plant began wilting (in one night!). I watered them and moved them to another window sill, this time on an east-facing window, fearing that the building across the street was limiting sun from the first window. The next day the plants condition had gotten worse. Since, I have rotated it to windows around the house and nothing has helped. We haven’t turned our heat on yet, so days have been reaching 70F degrees maximum inside, with nights creeping to 50 at lowest. I have almost no experience dealing with flowering potted plants. Can you tell me what I have done wrong, and if they can be saved, what I should do? I’ve read through the comments and realized that I should remove the dead material, so I have just done that.
Growing mums pruning tip
I live in the Shenandoah Valley and, for two years, have bought “starter” mums and grown them in plastic pots. I transplant them in September and they all are doing beautifully. The Mennonites in the area (some own the greenhouse I buy from) have a rule of thumb for cutting back mums: Mother’s Day, Father’s day and the 4th of July. This works like a charm, keeping the mums from getting two leggy and helping them produce an abundance of flowers.
My orange mums or turning yellowish a drying out. If I pinch off the dying blooms. Will this make the plant look better or will it kill it.
Thanks in advance to all.
Hi,
I live by Denver co. and i just bought 2 beautiful mums for Berlin OH (no tag of what kind) how do i know what zone they are for or what kind they are (hardy?). I guess I will try to winter them in my garage over the winter. Someone told me that they will not come back next year no matter what I do.. Is this correct.
10/19/09
We received two mums as gifts yesterday. One is a cherry color; the other a “golden color”. We live in the Piedmont of NC. How do we take care of these plants through the winter? Thank you for your help.
The pot mum, “Point Pelee” is it a perennal or annual flower? Should I plant it now or keep it indoors until spring if it is a perennal.
Thanks,
Aces
Florist Mum
Hi,
My fiance gave me a potted mum on the day he proposed to me, back on Nov. 23rd. We live in the NW of Montana and in an apartment so I won’t be planting it outside. It’s very pretty with dark purple or burgundy daisy-like blooms. I was just wondering how to take care of it, to keep it as long as possible since it has sentimental value now. I water it about every four days when the soil looks dry. All the blooms have been gone for a long time (which I removed when they died) and the stems and leaves started to turn brown so I cut them back a bit and picked all the dying leaves. It’s still green and starting to get new, bright green leaves around the base. Should I put it in a new pot at some point, maybe with rocks in the bottom for drainage? Should I quit watering it at some point and how do I tell it is going dormant? Thanks, anything helps!
I bought three plants, ester plant (white lily flower), potted-mum Chrysanthemums (yellow-orange flower) and another plant.
Two of my plants are dying, i guess. Can you please tell me why? I am new to this plant growing.
The potted mum (Chrysanthemums) gave me lots of flowers and suddenly all the leaves started browning and drying. I cut lot of those brown leaves yet no use. No regrowth. soil is moist and it is kept near window but the plant doesnt look healthy. It has two branches of greeny leaves one branch full of brown-died leaves. another independent plant stem has all the leaves brown except only one leaf. 🙁
Easter plant (white lily) is also giving me trouble. It gives brown leaves in the bottom of the plant (stem). This one also gave five beautiful white flowers and I cut those flowers off after few days. Why does the leaf become dry and brown.? Will another leaf grow if i cut these brown -dying leaves? Will it give more flowers? Soil is moist and it is kept little bit inside the window (7 ft) but it does get window brightness all day.
Please help me.
Wintered mums
I purchased mums from Lowes in the fall and planted them. I am wondering if they survived the winter? So far they are still completely brown and are not greening up at all. I am in SE Michigan. If they survived when should I expect them to green up? or are they just dead? Thanks.
We have had hardy mums in our flower bed for about eight years. Each year they get larger and taller. We have only been cutting them back in the spring. We live in Central Indiana. Is it too late to cut them back? How late can I cut them, and how far back is safe?
Thanks,
Pinching mums
I planted several mums in early May this year, they already start to be very tall and one of them started blooming. Will they grow out of control? I am worried that they may take over my garden. Can I move them in the summer when they bloom?
Thanks for the comments. The mums are Helen Yoder Garden Mum. When they were planted in early May, they were only a few inches tall. Now they are more than 18″ tall and wide. I did not pinch them as I thought they were new plants. But I probably should have. A few flowers showed up and lots of buds formed. I guess it is too late to pinch them. I will wait until fall to move some of them.
I read it somewhere that these mums are very aggressive. So I am worried that they may take over the rest of the garden bed. Thanks for your advice.
Spindly tall plants
I planted some “hardy” mums last fall in my garden. Most came back this spring but as the summer progresses they are getting very spindly not short and bushy. What can I do?
Heat stress
Will mums (in Pots) weather the warm summers outside in AZ. I have taken them out of the direct HOT sun and placed them on my covered patio. They seem to be struggling. I am wondering if it is better to over water or under water. I get worried that they are getting hot and i give them more water. It has been explained to me that if I under water it will be to late to recover them but if I over water them I will show brown leaves at the bottom of the plant first, giving me time to recover and back off the watering. Your thoughts. thanks
Little growth
Our dog Maggie pasted away in Sep. 2008. To remember her I planted a dark red mum next to her grave. It’s going on 2 years now and the mum is very small and green. I live in upper Michigan, in the woods,in a marshy area. What can I do to make the plant bigger and flower? The soil is good with no clay. I’ve never fertilized it. It is in a shaddy spot, I’m thinking this is the problem. Thank you for your time and suggestions.
Hi Sabrina,
Sorry to hear about your dog.
For my mums, In mid May, I put ~ 1 table spoon Miracle Gro continuous Release All Purpose Plant food (Shake ‘nFeed) around the plant, just under the mulch. All my mums are doing really great. I pinched 8 mums in early July, but left one un-pinched as there are many flower buds. This one mum is now blooming beautifully with dard red flowers. They other pnes start to develop buds. My mums are in a mostly sun location.
Good luck,
Vivian
Thank you both for the advice. I moved my mum to a sunny place. As for my dog Maggie, some black eyed susans showed up right over her grave. I have no idea were they came from. Very cool.
I received a large hardy mum from a relatives funeral but do not know how to care for it! I would love to plant it outside eventually but would like to know if I could care for it indoors until it is ready to be planted, and how would I go about it?
I planted several large mums next to each other last fall and they all grew back beautifully. The only weird thing is that one plant in particular bloomed several weeks ago, and now that those blooms have all turned brown, the others are just beginning to bloom. All of the plants look healthy – no rot or spots on the leaves. Should I pinch off the dead blooms and hope that new buds grow? Is it normal for one plant to bloom/die that quickly before the others have come out?? I’m in upstate NY. Thanks!
Wintering mums
I live in Massachussetts. I bought 6 mums (don’t know if they are hardy or not) from Home Depot to decorate for Fall. I planted 4 of them and left 2 in pots. The planted ones lost their flowers and the potted ones are still vibrant with flowers. I’m going to put the potted plants in the garage for the winter and plant them in the spring.
Should I trim back the ones in the ground and mulch them now?
i planted fall mums a year ago and my mums came up pretty good but i am having 1 problem with them, the plants seem to seperate in the middle causing a big gap in the center of the plant why? and how can this be fixed
Winter mumsI just planted 5 mums. And I’m like I want to learn how I can make these survive the winter in Indiana. Wow, I just learned its best to plant these in the spring. Why don’t these people tell us that when we buy them. I have been buying them for 20 years (well not every year, I’m sure I missed 10 years )and this year I decided I really want to try to take care of my mums, so that they come back every year. If anyone has any tips for me, it will be appreciated. But none the less, I am reading up on them, hoping I can get them to survive this winter.
Hi Rita
Yes, spring is a better time to plant mums. Most of the mums on the market are sold for decorative purposes, although they can be planted in warmer climates and even in cooler climates, if you get them in the ground early.
Get your mums in the ground asap and make sure they are watered in well. Leave the stems during the winter so that leaves and snow can accumulate and insulate the crown of the plant. Once the ground is frozen add 2-3 inches of mulch around the plant. Hopefully, it will winterover and return next year.
Pelee mum
My daughter just bought me a Pelee Mum, which is gorgeous. I live in Ohio and was wondering if it can be planted outside. I would assume that I have to wait till spring to do so, but don’t know if it could survive the harsh winters we have. Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Pinching mums
I live in Minnesota. Six years ago, I transplanted potted mums in the ground during late fall.
They are so big that I have thinned them out 3 times over the years. Now they are so heavy that they are drooping and have lost their nice round shape. I trim them back to 5-6 inches every year and leave a mulch on them over the winter. Is there something that I can do so they retain their shape?
Winterover mum in pot
I live in Minnesota. My mother just passed away and she loved flowers. At the funeral there was a nice pot of mums that are now at my cabin, still blooming. Any advice how and where you did the transplant here in Minnesota would be so nice. I have been thinking just to maybe cut them back and put them in the garage with a window exposure. And water as needed. My cabin also stays fairly cool downstairs with good light available. How cool do they need to remain? I also have some potting soil available. Location is mid-northern Minnesota west of Duluth for a weather reference. Ground not frozen yet, but I think it would be best to keep them in the pot until Spring. Just because – you know?
I live in the central part if Michigan and have a couple of huge hardy mums in ground, they are in full bloom. I have been cutting them back each year after the flowers have dried. What is best?
I live in Northeast TN and just received multiple mums for a relatives funeral. I am very new to gardening and I would like to transplant these outside. I need to know how and when to do this. Thanks.
Winterover mums in pot
I am going to be moving and it is now november and i am wanting to take my mums with me can i dig them up and pot them? I also want to know what to do with them if i am able to do that (keep them in the garage or in the basement)? Please help i am running out of time before the snow starts..
A friend of mine bought 5 potted mums from Lowes to decorate for a Halloween party. She was going to get rid of them but I ended up taking them in. She cut back two of them with scissors. They are full and have green leaves but the parts she cut seem to be drying out. Two others are full, have a few flowers alive and a lot of dead brown flowers. The last one looks bad. It does not have the fullness like the others thick stems with a few flowers and brown leaves. They are in good pots but they will slide out with lots of roots showing. So I know I will need to do something about that. I live in an apartment in south Texas (near the beach) with a large porch that gets morning and some mid-day sun. I have never taken care of plants like this mostly ferns and palms. Help!! Do they have a chance or am I in over my head. I really want to keep them alive but I don’t know were to begin. Thanks
Hi Shanel
Usually, mums are planted into the garden so that they have room to grow. You can try to grow them as potted plants but it may not be worth the effort. If so, repot them in fresh soil. It sounds as if they are root bound-so cut off some of the roots before you repot or place in a larger pot.
Winter survival
Hello, I recently purchased a home last fall and received a couple of mums as “housewarming gifts”. I re-potted them into clay pots and they were outside all winter. I absolutely have no green thumb at all, but I was wondering if I should even bother re-potting them this spring or if you think they are a lost-cause and prbably won’t grow back? Thanks, Britni
Divide hardy mum
When is the best time to divide them.? can you divide them?
I bought two mum plants for my mom and dads grave for memorial day. I haven’t been out there to pick them up for a couple of weeks, it is now June 13th. Even though I live in Washington state and it rains quite a bit the mums were dry and in desperate need of some care. I live in zone 7 and would like to plant them in the ground. I gave them a good watering of miracle grow. Should they come back and what else could I do to get them healthy before I plant them?
I bought some mums 2 years ago. They grew very well because my husband kept feeding them with plant spikes. They grew really big. This year, my brother is putting a brick wall across my flower bed where the mums are and he asked me to dig up 5 of them so he could finish the work. If I transplant these mums to another location in my yard will they grow back again next year or not? They were made for outside and they are perennial mums. Please let me know if it was wrong to transfer them from one place to the other. Thank You
Bloom to early
I have had numerous hardy mums which come back and bloom every year and are so beautiful. I do cut them back in early or mid June so they will not bloom until fall but this year I did the same thing and now have one of my largest plants starting to bloom already. If I cut anything back now will it rebloom or is it too late. What happened to the one plant?
Heat delay
i have planted the mums last year and they made it throw the winter and thay came back great but the blooms die before they ever open any ideas on why or what is making them do this i live in SC.
I have hardy mums (facing east) along the front of my home in Amarillo, Texas. They are huge and some have already bloomed (I think because of the extremely hot summer speeding up the blooming cycle). The remaining are all full of buds but when you look inside the bush, the leaves are brown or gone altogether. I have sprayed for leafhoppers and treated for snails. However, I now believe I am fighting some sort of fungus. Some of the bushes are separating and sections of the bush are dying. These are established mums (3rd year in place). I have watered every morning because of the 100+ weather nearly all summer. Have I killed them with kindness. Suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Pruning mums
August 28th, hottest summer ever in Kansas. I have had beautiful mums on the south side of my home for a number of years. I cut they back Memorial Day Weekend, but now they look tall, scrawny, with brown dying stems and leaves. Afraid the over 100 degrees hot days of summer may have done them in. Is it okay to cut them back now? Will they have time to bloom for October and November. Just heart sickening.
Thank you for any advice.
I have an event scheduled for September 13 and I need the mums to be in full bloom and look great.
If I buy them now and they are just buds – how do I care for them. Keep them in the shade or sunshine , water – no water,
thank you
Cut off flower buds
My overzealous spouse got carried away and cut the tops off of all our well-established hardy mums which were covered in buds and blooms. These were bushy plants a few feet wide and a few feet tall; now they are sorry green stems with very hacked-off tops. And fall is upon us here in Zone 5b.
Is there hope? Can these plants recover for next year? Is there anything I can do?
Save mums for wedding
Hello! We live in Iowa and we just purchased 4 large beautiful mums from Costco hoping to use them for our daughter’s wedding on Oct. 15th. They have many buds but show no color yet. What would be the best way to keep them in good shape for the wedding? Can we keep them outside during the day and bring them into the garage at night? Also do we need to fertilize them or just water? Thank you so much!
Best time to plant mums
I just purchased 10 pots of hardy mums. They have buds that aren’t out yet. I thought I could plant them now but in reading your blog you are saying not a good time to plant. I live in Flint Mi and will not be here to water for the winter should I return them or put them in the ground
It’s mid-September and I just purchased several healthy mums in 8 inch pots. They are just barely starting to bud.
Save mum for Wedding.
I would like to use these at my sons fall themed wedding in November. I want to keep them in their pots. Is there any special care I should take to ensure they will look good for the wedding?
Flower buds drying out
Hi,
I bought mums 2weeks ago. They had many flowers and few flowers then. but after 10days the buds are drying out. drying is from bud to below. the leaves are good. Though some buds did flower. I kept them in the same pot I bought. They are inside my apartment. get sun for short time in the morning. How should I save them from drying. Pl help me. thank you
Winterover mums
My questions are regarding potted mums purchased in September in Zone 4a/3b (located north of the Twin Cities): 1) When should the mums be brought inside to overwinter? Before the first hard freeze? 2) Can they be kept in their pots the following year or will they need to be planted in the ground?
Thank you!
Also, as a follow-up question: Since I’m planning on overwintering my mums and my uninsulated attached garage can get below zero on extremely cold nights, I was planning on wintering the mums in the unheated crawl space under the stairs of our split-level house. Temperatures there are probably in the 50s…is that cool enough for the mums to stay dormant? Thanks again!
One color survived
i have several hardy mums that i transplanted this spring from pots that overwintered. they all are huge this fall and putting out tons of blooms. the problem is that most of them are blooming deep burgundy and i’m pretty sure that only one or two of them at the most were burgundy the year before. has anyone come across this problem and and suggestions as to why this might be happening?
Die too quickly
Good Day,
I just purchased two beautiful rust colored potted mums for either side of our front door. I love mums. Love Love Love mums. Sadly every year, they die on me pretty soon after I get them. It makes me so sad. I know they require full sun, and on either side of our front porch, they don’t get that full 8 hours of sun they evidently like. Heck, I don’t know if they get even 1 hour! Will they live in my partly/mostly shady spot, or must I move them?
Happy Fall!
I purchased some beautiful yellow hardy mums a few weeks ago. I decided to keep them in doors until the spring to be able to transplant them. They were doing great. However, the bloom has started to look very dull and dried out. I keep them next to a very sunny window. I’m not sure what to do. I live in Arizona. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Buds not opening
My mums are covered in blooms but not blooming. They are near a small street light near our condo. Is this effecting them and if so what can I do?
When to divide mum
My garden hardy mum has gotten too big can I di vide roots and when.
Winterover indoors
I got a small Ursula Lavender potted mum for a gift, will it survive in the house, do I need to water it any and will it come back in the spring and do I need to transfer it to a bigger pot, it is in a small pot.?
I bought mums from my daughters school fundraiser in mid september. They were beautiful with many buds. I kept them in their pots outdoors for a month and watered occasionally…they also got alot of rain. Now some have started to shrivel and die…others are wilty. When I took them out of the pots to check, it turns out the roots took up everything and the pots had not been holding water. I have now planted them (october 11th) and watered hoping they will “come back”to their original beauty. Will this happen? If not will they root and come back next spring? I live in northeastern new jersey.
No the mums will not come back to their original beauty. They may perk up a bit. If the winter is mild and roots are mulched at protected they may sprout next spring. It’s really hard to say what will happen.
Pelee mum hardiness
I live in eastern middle Tennessee, just 40 miles south of Knoxville. I just saw a beautiful Pelee Mum in a store and was wondering if it would survive out winters if I planted it outside? Thank you.
I live in Pennsylvania near Philadelphia I purchased a few large beautiful “hardy’ mums and asters at the Home depot.In my zeal to plant these beautiful fall bloomers I didn’t test my soil. My assumption is “hardy ” meant hearty! Within 6 weeks my blooms stopped and all but two straglers have withered up and died. I’m soooo disappointed I wanted them to be gorgeous for fall. My soil is quite poor it has a lot of clay I believe. Home depot will take them back in exchange for new ones. I don’t want a repeat of dead plants. What should I do? The asters are kaput too. Any help is great!
wintered over
I brought my Chrysanthemums inside last fall and put them away and did nothing to them until now, I gave it enough water to drain from the holes, is it too late or can it be saved?
Hi all,
My landscaper just came by, cleared off the cut-down stalks I was using for winter cover and dropped 1-2″ of cedar mulch on top of my just sprouting mums. Will the mums be able to push through or do I need to dig them out?
Regards,
Andrew
Early mum blooms
Not sure what type of mum I have but there a tons of blooms on the right now in June. Should I pinch out the buds now?
I’m so glad to find your site! I’m a mum murderer. I never pay more than 50 cents for a mum because I know I’m gonna kill it, so I just enjoy it for a few short weeks. That’s sad, isn’t it?
We just moved to Modesto, CA. I think the heat and being root bound has been the problem. I’m more hopeful since I started reading your posts. My cheap little mum plants look all dried up and dead in their pots. I don’t know how to give them another chance here. I don’t know which varieties I have or if they’re greenhouse grown because I bought them from the hardware store last fall. Should I just trim them and plant them in my yard’s sunny, sandy soil to see if they get new growth in fall? I’ve really got nothing to lose at this point.
I want to stop murdering these innocent little plants. Help me, Obi Wan.
Early blooming mum
I have been googling an answer to this and you seem very knowledgeable. I have a mum, I think the kind is beryl. It really took off this spring and got over 6 inches tall so I cut it all the way to the ground in May. It grew back nice and bushy. Now it already had buds on it and one of them opened yesterday. It has always been an earlier bloomer, usually late July or early August but never this early.
If I let it bloom now will it rebloom again later in the summer/fall or should I pinch off the blooms now? Thank you for your advice!
I have a bed full of mums and they are finished for the season. They look Spindly and dying off from the heat. I live in South Alabama, does anyone know if they think it would be ok to cut them back now? I hate the look when they finish blooming and just lay there.
I’m not making a comment but have a few questions; hope that’s okay? It is August 4th and I live in PA. My mums have wintered very well. Two of them are very big and have a lot of flowers in bloom. The flowers are beginning to die off…the other bushes are smaller and have not gegun to bloom. What should I do about the larger bushes? Is it too late to remove the flowers…will they bloom for the fall? Also, my mums are a year old already…how should I add compost in the spring? I can’t dig down 2”becaise of the root system. HELP
Mum flower buds not opening
All of my mums were beautiful when I purchased them. Full of blooms and buds. Some I kept in pots and some I planted in the ground. All get morning and early afternoon sun.
On all of the plants, both planted and in pots, the buds are dying before they open. Some of the buds open a bit and there are few petals that emerge but they die before they are fully open.
The foliage is beautiful – very lush. What is happening to the buds? Thank you.
Hello,
I live in northern Illinois, on the border of Wisconsin. I bought a bunch of mums from the various home and garden venues around my home. I’ve transferred all of them to large pots–I’m not sure these pots have holes in them, which may be the problem. Come to think of it, the ones that are doing the best are in the brown hanging sacks.
My white and yellow mums are turned purple and then some of the flowers shriveled up and died. They bloomed beautifully for about 6 weeks–so I’m not sure it’s the pots that matter (or perhaps, they do). I’ve taken off all of the dead flowers (and left the discolored ones). My largest plants still has a ton of unopened buds. Will these still bloom or should I call it is season? We haven’t had a frost yet, but temperatures drops to the 40s overnight. Many of my neighbors still have blooming mums, so I’m wondering what I’m doing wrong.
I bought few 4 mums in home depot and they are is covering with flies what can I do to get rid it all these fly from my mums.
Hi Nena
what kind of flies are they?
i live in a zone 6 planting zone and i had purchased a quite a few hardy mums last fall between the beginning of sept to the end and planted them in the ground in numerous flower beds. i mulched around them for winter and added straw around the base not so much on top of the plants we did not have a really bad winter i don’t think we even had a day below zero. what do you think the plants survival rate of the plants would be good or a total loss?
Hello,
I ordered some giant football mums online in August of this year and just received them now, Oct 15th. They have very little growth, I don’t think for a second if I plant them now in the garden they’ll have enough time to establish themselves before frost hits. My question is how do I take care of them so I can have them for next year beautiful, healthy and most importantly alive?
Thank you
Hi Monica
What zone are you in?
I am in sw Florida and wonder if I can plant a Point Pelee mum in the soil here and expect it to grow – evenblume???
I have a Pelee Mum in my house. If I repot it and leave it in my house, will it live?