Plant Mums for Plenty of Fall Color

Mums: The Fall Flower

Few flowers enjoy an association with fall like the garden mum. This fall favorite brightens up flower beds with colorful blooms from late August through November, and they flower prolifically in a wide array of colors including white, yellow, pink, lavender, red and bronze. These versatile plants also look great in garden beds, borders and containers.

Are Garden Mums Annual or Perennial?

While garden mums are technically perennial, most people, especially in the North, grow them as annuals because mums do not reliably survive the winter. When planted later in the fall, garden mum roots don't have enough time to properly establish before temperatures start dropping and the ground freezes. 

If you want your mums to last as a perennial, there are a few steps you can take to increase their chance of survival:

• Plant mums early, in September, or as soon as you see them available in your garden center. You want to give them as much time as possible to develop roots.
• Make sure your soil has excellent drainage. Poor drainage will cause mums to rot over the winter.
• Plant in spring. This is actually the best time to plant mums, especially in colder regions. You'll need to keep a close eye on your garden center as the availability of mums may be limited in spring.

Planting your Mums in the Garden

Mums are easy to care for and perfect for planting in mass for a bold color statement. They need to be planted in a sunny location with well-drained soil. 

To plant mums in-ground:

1. Mix a 3-inch layer of Miracle Gro® Garden Soil Flowers into the top 6 inches of your existing soil before planting. 
2. Dig a hole in the soil that's twice the size as your mum's root ball and deep enough that the top of the root ball is even with the top of the hole.
3. Remove your mum plant from the container and loosen the root ball.
4. Place your mum plant in the hole, fill in around the root ball with soil and gently tamp down.
5. Water mums thoroughly after planting. 

Decorate Outdoors with Mums in Containers

A display of vibrant potted mums adds fall color to your patio, deck or front steps. Place containers in a spot where they'll get plenty of sunshine.

To plant mums in containers:

1. Select a pot with a drainage hole. 
2. Fill the pot about 1/3 full with a quality potting mix such as Miracle-Gro® Potting Mix.
3. Remove your mum from the container and loosen the root ball.
4. Place your mum plant in the pot, and fill in around the roots with more potting mix.
5. Water mums thoroughly after planting. 

Caring for Mums

Watering. Whether in-ground or in containers, mums like a steady supply of moisture and should be watered whenever the top 1-2 inches of soil is dry. In-ground mums may need to be watered 1-2 times per week, or as needed to supplement fall rains. Potted mums dry out more quickly and need more frequent waterings, as often as every other day or even daily. 

Feeding. To get the most from your garden mums, feed them every 7-14 days with a water-soluble plant food like Miracle-Gro® Water Soluble Bloom Booster® Flower Food. If you have a lot of in-ground mums to feed, try the Miracle-Gro® LiquaFeed® Garden Feeder with Miracle-Gro® Liquafeed Bloom Booster Flower Food. 

Frost Care. Though mums don't reliably survive a hard freeze, most plants will withstand a light frost (temperatures between 28 °F to 32 °F for a few hours). If below freezing temperatures are expected in your area, bring container plants into a protected space like a garage or shed, and cover in-ground plants with blankets or sheets.

Enjoy! Mum flowers last for weeks, so enjoy the beautiful show of fall color!