The difference between florist mums and garden mums is how hardy they are. Mums in the garden are hardy perennials that you put outside where they can survive all year. If you plant florist mums in your Midwest yard, they won’t survive the winter because they are utilized as indoor potted plants. Make sure you are purchasing the appropriate mother for your needs. Want to beautify your home for Thanksgiving guests with a flowering plant? In the grocery store’s floral department, purchase the foil-wrapped pot of chrysanthemums. Want a mother plant in your yard that will last for years? Visit a nursery or garden center to purchase a mother that is suitable for the outdoors.
Various species of Chrysanthemum Common Names: Mums, chrysanthemums, and garden mums Zones of Hardiness: 5 to 9 (Some varieties to Zone 4) September to the end of frost
Mum plants grow indoors or outdoors?
Mums are beautiful fall decorations and can be taken indoors. Mum plant care is simple, and with only a few pointers, you can maintain a mum plant’s health for three to four weeks. Given that they are less expensive than the majority of flower bouquets, they offer excellent value. Let’s discuss how to maintain their finest appearance!
Mums are best viewed as long-lasting cut flowers. They make an excellent stand-alone decoration since they are a fantastic, bushy, lush plant with plenty of lovely, colorful blooms.
How long do moms in pots survive outside?
Long before summer ends, chrysanthemums are frequently offered for sale at your neighborhood grocery shop or garden center. But wait, should you buy these seasonal plants just yet? Hold onto your pumpkin spice latte. Mums are a favorite for outdoor fall décor because they bloom at precisely the same time that many other summer-flowering plants, like zinnias and petunias, begin to slow down in the chilly autumn months. Because of this, placing a couple potted mums on your porch to usher in the fall seems like a no-brainer. However, if you want your plants to survive, don’t rush. Even while merchants begin selling mums well before fall officially begins, you might want to wait a little while before purchasing them.
Mums prefer cooler temps, so purchasing them when they are first available when it’s still going up to 90F during the day can be problematic. If you want to maintain the vibrant display throughout the season, you’ll need to replace the flowers more quickly because they will all fade in the heat in only a few weeks. Mums will bloom for up to 8 weeks once they are planted if you wait until it has cooled off before putting them out. You can store your mums in your home or garage until the weather cools down again if you occasionally experience warm days after the cooler season arrives.
How soon may I place moms outside?
Every fall, when garden centers and huge boxes are overflowing with cheerful chrysanthemums, I have a case of mum crazy. Although they have beautiful fall foliage, is September truly the optimum season to grow them? (The response is that it depends!) Find out how to plant mums and keep them healthy all winter long!
The Best Time to Plant Mums
Chrysanthemums and asters are abundant in October, growing in everything from six-inch pots to bushel baskets of enormous orange, yellow, pink, and copper blooms. I only want to cultivate and acquire everything!
After giving myself a hard slap on the forehead, I exclaim, “You really should have planted these in May! People begin pointing at me and yelling at their spouses and children to stay away from the insane woman. To escape additional humiliation, I slink away to my car or the plumbing department.
It is true that spring is the ideal season to plant mums. They have plenty of time to establish themselves, receive sunshine in the summer, bloom profusely in the fall, and prepare for the coming winter. But that doesn’t make it impossible to plant them in the fall and have them come back the following year. It simply requires a bit more effort!
Why Mums Don’t Often Last Through Winter
The optimal time to plant chrysanthemums is in the spring; however, those that are offered in garden centers in the fall are typically regarded as annuals. Along with fall wreaths and gourds, they are already in full bloom with stunning jewel-toned colors for decorating your home. A flower is actually passed its peak and beginning to decline after it is fully bloomed. (If you want your mums to last until the fall season, make sure to purchase them with many of unopened buds.)
In regions where winter temperatures drop to single digits, most of these plants won’t survive the winter if they are planted after late September. This is due to the fact that late-planted mums are close to or already in the blossoming stage and won’t invest their energy in developing roots to survive the winter. The blossoming is the focus of all energy.
Mums are best planted in the spring or early fall since they will have time to set roots before the cold of winter sets in.
However, even sturdy mums planted in the spring can succumb during winter in zones 4 and below, where temperatures regularly drop below zero. By keeping the dead foliage on mums and asters rather than shearing it off for neatness, you can tilt the odds in your favor. According to a study from Iowa State University, unpruned plants can withstand significantly lower temperatures than pruned plants because the foliage acts as additional insulation. After the ground has frozen, be careful to add 4 to 6 inches of mulch for even greater protection.
In general, potted mums from the florist or grocery store, as well as exotic or seasonal varieties (such as enormous Football chrysanthemums, delicate Spiders, and Spoons), are not the best options for landscapes because they are not well-suited to withstand harsh winters. It is not their hardiness that is admired; rather, it is their form, color, and size. Consider them, along with the pumpkins you purchase for Halloween or other holidays, as disposable holiday décor.
How to Overwinter a Mum
The easiest strategy to overwinter your mums is to put them in the ground by late September if you live in Zones 5 to 9, where they are inherently hardy. In most places, they won’t require any further winter protection, but in Zone 5, it’s a good idea to cover the plants with a 2-4 inch layer of mulch.
Your best hope is to overwinter your potted mums indoors in a cool, dark location if you reside in a colder area (Zones 4 and colder) or if it is already October. This is how:
- After the first fall frost, if the plants are in the ground, pot them up and be sure to include as much of the root system as you can. Leave the plants’ leaves alone.
- Place in a sheltered area where it is completely dark, between 32° and 50°F, and water well. It works best in a cool, dark closet or an unheated cellar.
- As long as you prevent the roots from drying out, the plants will hibernate for the winter. Remember that they won’t be needing much water while they’re hibernating, so be careful not to overwater pots. Check them once a week.
- After the last fatal frost in the spring, gradually adapt plants to light and then plant them in the garden. Once you notice new foliage emerging, remove the old leaves and stems.
Your mums will continue to blossom each year if you plan ahead and take good care of them.
Read more about mothers here. For growth and maintenance advice, consult our Chrysanthemum Growing Guide.
All About Fall
Want more fall? For fall-themed tips, folklore, and entertainment, visit our Autumnal Equinox page. To find out what kind of weather to anticipate this fall, check our Fall Weather Forecast.
Mums can they live indoors?
We published a blog piece regarding mother care last week. If mums can be grown indoors in a container, Kelly Stover wanted to know. Sure! They can be cultivated inside, although the answer to that is actually a little nuanced. Mums are not your average houseplant, but they may provide a seasonal pop of color to your decor if you take a few precautions.
Mums may be grown indoors, but it can be challenging to keep them looking well. I tend to treat them in the same manner as I would a poinsettia at Christmas because of this. They outlast cut flowers and make a lovely living arrangement. I just don’t have the dedication to see them through. That’s all.
My moms, should I bring them inside?
Several plants are likely to come to mind when you consider the seasons and the blooms that go with them. Most likely, when you picture fall, you picture lovely, blooming mums, or more particularly, chrysanthemums (Dendranthema x grandiflora). Mums are hardy in zones 8 through 10 of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s plant hardiness scale, however they are frequently considered as annuals and thrown out each year. This is not required. Especially with a covering of mulch in the cooler zones, you may leave your garden mums in the ground throughout the winter. However, bring your mums inside for the winter as potted plants are more vulnerable to damage from the cold. Take them back outside in the spring and begin your routine of watering, feeding, and trimming so you may create the desired lush, compact, blooming beauties that mums are known for.
How are mothers in pots kept alive outside?
Similar to indoor mums, outdoor or garden planting needs lots of sunlight. Make careful to plant your mums in soil that drains well; compost or organic soil will result in robust, healthy moms. Additional requirements for caring for mums planted outside include:
- Give mothers a lot of room. To give their roots room to spread, mums should be placed about 18 inches apart from other plants.
- Not too much water, though. Since watering the blossoms and leaves can lead to fungal, water beneath the foliage at the soil level. Make sure moms receive an inch of water each week after the first week when you should water often.
- Deadhead. As was already mentioned, keeping your mums blooming longer by removing wilted blossoms and dead stems or foliage.
- Your mums can require mulching with leaves, wood chips, or straw in colder areas. Mulch should completely encircle the base of your mums and be three or four inches high.
- Don’t worry if frost destroys your mums. Just cut them back until the stems are barely visible above the soil, leaving the mulch in place all around the plant. Your mums will regrow in the spring.
Mums in pots can they survive the winter?
Choosing the best moms while making your purchase is the first step in keeping your mums alive from year to year. Mums come in two varieties: garden mums (also known as hardy mums) and floral mums.
Garden mums are a real perennial that can be stored and grown year after year with a little fall preparation. You want to buy and save on these mums because of their hardiness in growth zones 5 to 9!
On the other side, floral mums are gone forever. They just lack the root structure to survive any amount of cold due to their shallow, delicate roots. When even the smallest amount of frost is applied, they die immediately.
How then do you distinguish between them? To begin with, the plants are frequently described as “hardy” or “garden mums.” You can tell they are suitable for saving if you see this.
What if they are not marked, though? There are a few telltale signs, though, that can let you know:
small mothers Usually, unsalvageable floral kinds are seen in small, shallow containers and planters. Additionally, floral mums typically have fewer blooms.
Meanwhile, garden mums that are larger and in larger pots are more likely to survive. It’s not an exact science, to be sure, but it’s a terrific place to start if you want to know if the mothers you have or are buying may be preserved.
How To Save Hardy Garden Mums For Next Year
Now let’s save them mothers! What they are in and how you plan to display them will determine how to save your mothers. Let’s start by discussing mums in vases or baskets.
The first rule for caring for potted mums is to never let them freeze inside the pot or container. Mums can withstand small frosts and cold weather pretty easily, but a harsh freeze can permanently harm roots that are growing in pots.
On evenings when a freeze is predicted or when exceptionally low temperatures are predicted, always relocate your mothers to safety.
It’s time to relocate the plant permanently to safety after your decoration season is done or when the temperatures simply get too cold. And for potted mums, that means spending the first winter indoors rather than outside in the ground.
Mums placed back into the ground in the late fall, however, have very little chance of surviving. even when mulching heavily. They merely lack the time to become established in the soil to provide protection.
Cut the mum back a few inches above the soil line of the pot before bringing it inside. Next, keep it in a semi-heated garage or a cool part of the basement for maximum results. The idea is to prevent them from freezing while they hibernate.
Throughout the winter, you should water them sometimes, but only gently once every few weeks.
Planted Mums
One quick aside on mums for the fall. If you purchased your mums in early fall and planted them in the ground for display, they can be left to overwinter. If they have a good 4 to 6 weeks before the first frost, the roots have most likely set.
For these mums, wait until spring to trim the foliage because it will assist to protect them over the first winter.
What To Do With Your Potted Mums Next SpringHow To Save Mums
The simplest approach is to just plant your mums in the yard. You can plant them like any other perennial once the risk of frost has passed.
This is also the ideal time to split and divide any overly large moms to produce new plants. Simply use a shovel or sharp knife to divide the plant into equal portions before replanting.
For the first several weeks, make sure to water plants often to help them become established in the soil. Mums appreciate rich, fertile, and well-draining soil, therefore when planting, adding compost is essential for success.
Repotting Mums In The Spring
You must re-pot your mums with fresh potting soil if you want them to grow again in a pot or container. This enables an abundance of nutrients for the time of year. (See: How to Make Your Own Potting Soil.)
Move to a larger container or split and divide the plant to make room for root growth if the roots have gotten too huge for the same size pot, which they most certainly have. Wait to pot up your basket and container plants until the risk of frost has passed.
Summer CareHow To Save Mums
You will need to clip or remove the early flowers from your mums as the summer months approach. This will allow the timing of the blooms for fall rather than late summer and keep the mums’ foliage compact and close together. (Read: Summer Mum Care Tips.)
Keep in mind that moms can survive the winter in the landscape. However, if you dug them up to pot them, you will have to overwinter them indoors once more until the following spring.
Here’s to saving your garden mums for the following year by overwintering them! Jim and Mary, Happy Gardening