Chrysanthemum – Fall and Winter Care

Q: Our church recently put out one hundred mums in pots for our dedication. Someone told me that these cannot be planted in a garden. We hate to throw away that many mums. Can they be successfully transplanted to a bed?

A: DON’T throw them out! They can absolutely be transplanted into gardens…and would be, in years to come, a nice remembrance of the church dedication.

Truth be told, florist mums grow taller than garden mums….. but with a bit of care they can look spectacular next fall.

Once the flowers have faded, cut the foliage down to three inches tall and plant each mum in a sunny garden spot. Mulch lightly around them with pine straw. New foliage will sprout up next spring.

This is important:

Shear it to four inches tall in late May and shear again to eight inches tall in mid-July.

This makes a sturdy, compact plant.

There will be plenty of regrowth by September, on which the chrysanthemums will make a mass of flowers.