Fall Favorites: Chrysanthemums

Visit any garden center, big box store, or supermarket anytime between late August and early November, and you will see Chrysanthemums for sale. Their blooms in bright shades of red, orange, and gold, or deep mocha and rust tones, are the definitive flower statement for fall. Chrysanthemums bring color to porches, patios, and gardens, as well as indoors as floral centerpieces. Often, they are marketed as short-lived annuals, when, in fact, some varieties can be quite long-lasting perennials in the mid-Atlantic area. 

Chrysanthemums, or mums for short, are native to East Asia and northeastern Europe. Their name comes from two Greek words, chrysos for gold and anthemon for flower. The earliest cultivation was in China in the 15^th Century BC, and they were introduced to this country during Colonial times. 

For the home gardener, mums can be started from seeds, from cuttings, or purchased as plants. Plant in spring, after all danger of freezing has passed, up until a few weeks before your first frost of fall to allow them to get nice and cozy in your garden. They prefer full sun, but in very hot areas, would prefer some afternoon shade. Plant in loamy soil, and water regularly if rainfall is scarce. 

To ensure the most flowers, pinch them back significantly in spring. In fact, you can easily start new plants from the pinching, so long as you finish this by July 4^th. Pinching encourages the plants to be bushier and produce more flowers. Flower farmers and others who want to produce more plants often order rooted cuttings to arrive in early spring. This allows them to take a cutting a few weeks after arrival, root it, and then take another cutting from the original plant and the new a few weeks later. This is an inexpensive way to increase your stock.

Garden mums are exactly what the name tells us: plants for the garden that form low mounds. If cut back after the first frost and well-mulched with leaves before the garden freezes, these should return. Typically, garden mums are the cushion or charm types.

Another type of mum is heirloom or florist mums. These plants grow taller, three or four feet high. If pinched several times in spring, the plants will produce longer stems and more blooms. Again, pinching should be completed by July 4^th each year.   If cut back to the ground after they finish blooming and well-mulched, they will last for many years in your garden. 

Show mums are mums that are grown to enter into competition. These are often disbudded to form just one large flower. To disbud, use a pair of zips to cut off all but one bud on the end of each stem.

Mums are long-lasting cut flowers, making beautiful arrangements for two or even three weeks. While all types of mums produce blooms, the heirloom mums have the widest variety of colors and forms, and the longest stem length. Each variety of mum has a particular bloom time, with the earliest in September, and the latest in mid-November. Select carefully, and you can enjoy mums in your garden for several months.

Mums benefit from monthly fertilizing with a water-soluble fertilizer. Aphids can sometimes be a problem, but these are easily sprayed off with water.

To start your own collection of heirloom mums, it definitely pays to start early and order from several suppliers. King’s Mums in Oklahoma opens for orders in early January. However, it is best to get on their list before then. Some years, demand has been so high that King’s limits sales to current customers. 

Several reputable flower farmers also sell rooted cuttings. These include Sunny Meadows in Ohio https://shop.sunnymeadowsflowerfarm.com/collections/mum-cuttings, Harmony Harvest in Virginia https://www.hhfshop.com/collections/mum-plants, and Clara Joyce in Illinois https://www.clarajoyceflowers.com/mum-cuttings. Check with flower farms near you as well, as they may also offer rooted cuttings from their stock.

Want to learn more? Check out the National Chrysanthemum Society at mums.org for fascinating details about the history of mums, to find local chapters and shows. 

Do you have a favorite mum? Let me know at [email protected].

Lisa Derx is a member of the American Daffodil Society, Membership Chair for the National Capital Dahlia Society, President of Chesapeake Flower Exchange, Local Flowers Liaison for the Independent Floral Designers Association, and a member of the Association of Specialty Cut Flowers and the Maryland Cut Flower Growers Association. Her home is in Dayton, Maryland, where she lives and grows flowers with her husband Dan and cat Sebastian.