Mums in Your Fall Garden

Chrysanthemums – often referred to as mums – are a classic favorite fall plant.  Mums are now available everywhere: grocery stores, box stores, hardware stores, and garden centers.  They have arrived just in time to tune up the garden. where a few annuals are beginning to lose their luster.  Purchase mums when they are budding rather than in full bloom. 

Mums Need Water 

Mums won’t wilt or show signs of drought until it is too late.  If you leave your newly bought mums in their grower’s pot, be sure to give them water every day and fertilize once a week with 20-20-20 to keep your blooms going as long as possible.  Even when fall brings cool and cloudy weather, mums remain thirsty.

Plant them in the Ground

To extend the life of your mums and have them blooming again next year, it is a good idea to plant them in the ground.  Simply tip the potted mum on its side and slide it out of its pot.  Water well before and immediately after planting.  I place mine before planting at least for an hour in a large bucket, filled with water.

Plant Mums in Full Sun

Plant mums in good garden soil early in the fall.  Garden mums are perennials, meaning they’ll succumb to frost, remain dormant through winter, and regrow in spring.  Before the ground freezes, add a layer of wood mulch or leaves over and around the plant to provide insulation.  Leave the plant stems intact, rather wait until spring to cut back the dry stems. 

Early in spring, once the soil warms up, remove the mulch to reveal fresh new growth.  In the garden, mums can be left alone and likely will bloom periodically through summer.  But if you want a repeat performance of fall’s impressive bloom:  Prune or pinch your plant once a month to between 7-10 cm.  This pinching will start to form a tighter, more compact plant with strong branching which results in a fuller, stronger plant with more flowers.  You should do your last prune around July 1st for early flowers, or July 15th for a more traditional fall flowering time.

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Fabulous Fall Color Perennials

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Annual flowering plants have a finite life: they are called annuals, since they complete their life cycle in September, latest early October of each year.   So, think about Fall colors in early Spring, before you even plant your seasonal Summer blooms.  They look great, not only in flower beds but also in containers:
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Sedum Autumn Joy.
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This lovely plant produces a broad flower in a variety of colours that cover the range between pink / red / bronze and magenta. They work well in containers and certainly in the garden where butterflies will find them.
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Chrysanthemums.
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The introduction of Belgian Mums means you can now purchase the most gorgeous new varieties for less than the old-fashioned ones and with an amazing amount of flowers. You can’t get better value in Fall for your bucks than that. In cool weather, they last up to six weeks.  They tolerate early-season frost, and with some luck, they may come back next year.  Plant them later in garden beds and give it a try. Most of the time I could get some of them back, blooming in next years season, albeit with a bit less blooms than in the first year - or I should have added more compost to their soil…

If you have a chance to visit the Chicago Botanic Garden or Longwood Gardens south of Philadelphia, you will be overwhelmed by the beauty of their Chrysanthemums.

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Roses.
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Rose bushes generally bloom a second time - provided you cut their first flowers immediately after . Fall Rose blossoms lasts much longer than the spring production, due to the cool temperatures this time of year. There are often great deals on Rose bushes in Fall at plant retailers.  All you have to do is prepare the soil with lots of triple mix and plant them. Shrub Roses such as Rosa Rosae will survive the Winter without protection, but many others need to be mounded up with soil or mulch about 30 centimetres in late Fall.

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Ornamental Grasses.
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They always look best in autumn, when they have the most attractive seed heads that you can imagine, swaying in the breeze. Come winter, the seed heads are frequented by Chickadees and Sparrows. Watch out when you are buying ornamental grasses, make sure that you choose the clumping varieties and not the ones that travel by roots and rhizomes around your yard and under your fence to the neighbours.

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See at HGTVgardens webpage photos of 27 ideas for using fabulous Chrysanthemums indoors and out.  And don’t forget to plant bulbs for Daffodils, Tulips, Crocus and other early Spring flowers - before the first frost comes up.

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