Chrysanthemum – November birth flower

If autumn were transformed into a flower, I believe it would be a mum.  Chrysanthemums, or mums, echo the colors of the turning leaves with rich shades of yellow, orange, red and burgundy.

Many of the colorful mums in garden centers are perennials although often treated as annuals because they are relatively inexpensive and can be temperamental when it comes to surviving the winter. There are two types of mums found in stores; Florist (can also be called Garden) mums.  Florist mums will not survive our winters.   Hardy (Garden mums) are from a cross breading of perennial and florist mums which product large colorful mums.  So, although the tag says ‘hardy’ there is a small chance they will survive our winters.

The best way to get Chrysanthemums to survive through winter is to purchase perennials (Chrysanthemum x morifolium) and plant in late spring/early summer.  They need to be in a full sun location and with good drainage.  Keep them watered, but not over watered.   Water at the roots and not the leaves to help avoid fungal diseases.  Don’t cut back the foliage in fall or winter.   Add some mulch over the crown of the plant to help protect it and remove this in spring when danger of frost is past.  In spring prune out any old or broken branches.   In early June pinch back the stems to just above a cluster of leaves.  This helps keep a more compact habit.

Perennial Chrysanthemums will need to be divided every couple of years.   The center section often dies out.  Do this is spring after danger of frost is past and when new growth appears.   Dig up the plant in one piece and carefully separate the outer sections and replant them.    Toss the center section.  

Whether you treat them as annuals or perennials, you can count on mums to provide a burst of autumn color to your garden.