Mum's The Word!

Photo Courtesy of Sylvia Liss-Odgers, Personal Photo Collection

Mums the Word!

Truly the Queen of the Autumn, The chrysanthemum is one of those classic flowers that never seems to go out of fashion. Think fall flowers, and almost universally mums will come to mind. Their flowers are wrapped in the colors of the season, and bring a wonderful grand finale to the gardening season here in the southern Great Lakes region

Mums come in many varieties and forms. There are the large football mums, cushion mums, garden mums, spiders and spoons. Colors range from white to Indian red, russets, oranges, yellows, purples and pinks. My favorites are the blood red mums and the russet colored mums. Placed together in an arrangement with a touch of beige-white to cool them down a bit, it is something wonderful to see!

Growing mums in our area is not that difficult. The trick is to purchase varieties that will do well in our climate. Not all mums are reliably hardy. Those florist's mums that we see and receive as gifts are often bred to perform in the greenhouse. If we receive them as a gift around Easter, we can cut them back, plant them, and often get a second bloom from them. However, they are often not well-adapted to our climate, and generally will not survive the winter.

When choosing hardy mums, keep in mind that most of these mums will survive the winter with adequate protection. There are years, however, when many mums simply will not survive, no matter what variety or cultivar one chooses. It pays to pick the hardiest varieties that one can find:

The University of Minnesota has gone a long way in developing hardy mums. The newest of the introductions are the maxi-mums. These are mums bred for superb hardiness, form, and reliability of flowering. They come in many forms and colors, and can be grown easily in our climate.

The Prophets series of mums is a venerable group that are proven performers, and do well in our climate. Once again, there are many forms from singles to classics in bud form and shape.

Growing mums is not that hard: Good soil, with plenty of organic matter, a well-drained site, and plenty of sun and a consistent supply of water and organic fertilizing will help these plants to display their very best. Generally, spring planted mums will survive an average winter in our region. Fall planted mums, those pots we pick up at the garden center and do-it-yourself garden shops, are more likely to perish in the winter. They have not had time to become established in their planting spots. Some might survive a milder winter, but the gardener who hasn't planted spring stock should consider fall planted mums as annuals.

Once you have planted your mums in the spring, start a program of pinching to produce full and compact plants. This will result in many blooms, and will result in fall flowering. If mums are not pinched consistently, they will bloom earlier and the plants will not have the numbers of bloom or the compactness of pinched plants. Pinch back about four inches of growth every few weeks. Stop pinching around July the 10th. This will allow the fall buds to form. You can fertilize at the same time with a good, all-purpose organic fertilizer whenever you pinch your plants.

Mums are bothered by few pests and diseases. Most pests can be controlled with insecticidal soap. Powdery mildew can afflict mums, and is usually not a fatal disease. Organic sprays can also be used to help control this, such as baking soda spray. One thing that is very deadly to mums is verticillium wilt. It might sound silly, but if you have grown tomatoes and are converting a spot to a flower bed, avoid planting mums in that area for about three or four years.

When the fall show finally ends, cut the stems back. Keep the plants watered, and after the ground freezes, mulch them with shredded bark or a blend of shredded bark and shredded leaves, about three inches worth. I avoid using only leaves, as these can mat, particularly if they haven't been shredded. Periodically check your mums during the winter thaw cycles to make sure they haven't heaved out of the ground. Exposed roots will dry and die. If you have chosen your planting site wisely, poor drainage should not be a problem. The two biggest reasons mums do not survive winter is frost/thaw heave cycles and poor drainage.

As new growth resumes in the spring, gently remove mulch and divide your plants. Take care to cut the outer parts of the plants with plenty of roots. Set the new plants slightly deeper than the level they were previously growing. Usually, the center is woody and shows few if any shoots. This can be discarded.

Along with the beautiful trees of autumn, there truly is no other plant the represents the season so well as the chrysanthemum. If you haven't started them this spring, go and buy a few pots, plant them, and take your chances. Perhaps they will survive the winter! Just remember, if it's fall, mums the word!

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