Mario Bautista
Backyard Gardener (Photo Illustration/MetroCreative)
Hello, Mid-Ohio Valley farmers and gardeners. Unfortunately, the drought has hung on here in the Valley as many counties are now classified a D-4 or Exceptional drought (per the USDA Drought Monitor). The lack of rain has dried up creeks and springs and lowered water levels in ponds.
Even the Mighty Mississippi River is not immune as water levels have dropped significantly due to the drought, disrupting barge traffic. The Ohio River basin typically supplies more water to the Mississippi than any other major tributary.
Let’s talk about something positive – the arrival of fall and decorative mums. I love the autumn season, and no decorative plant sets the tone for fall like chrysanthemums (Chrysanthemum x morifolium), the garden mum.
Over the past two decades, dozens of new varieties have been introduced, dazzling us with a plethora of colors and flower shapes. We used to refer to these plants as hardy mums because they can be planted and will overwinter in the home landscape.
Mums add a pop of color to the garden or porch just as most other blooms are starting to fade, and there is surely a color that will appeal to every gardener’s taste. These brilliant plants can either be planted in containers and hanging baskets or stuck into the ground to fill gaps in the garden.
The color selection for mums is almost endless, with hundreds of varieties ranging from white to yellow, pink, purple, bronze, red and all shades between. To shake things up, select some different types of mums. My personal favorite are the vivid, bright yellow mums, but there are so many types and colors to bolster your fall decorations.
Mums are classified according to shape and arrangement of their flower petals. The major types of hardy mums include daisies or singles (daisy-like flowers with yellow centers), anemones (similar to singles but with a rounded crest of deeper color), decoratives (double or semi-double flowers and usually over 18 inches tall), and pompons (small, ball-shaped flowers, on plants usually under 18 inches tall). Cushion mums are not a flower form but a name used for early-flowering, low, bushy mums.
Backyard gardeners need to do a little preparation before planting hardy mums in the home landscape. They love fertile, well-drained soil with good organic matter. Mums don’t like having wet feet, so avoid low spots and areas with heavy soils. They require a least six hours of full sun. Mature plants set in a shady area will give nice color the first year but do very poorly the following year.
Mums grow between 1½ to 3 feet tall depending on cultivar, growing conditions and whether they are pinched regularly during the growing season. Mums should be spaced 18 to 24 inches apart for best results.
Some more vigorous cultivars may need 30 to 36 inches of space allowed so the plants can develop to their full potential. Plant the mums approximately the same depth that they were growing in their containers. Water thoroughly after planting.
You may want to set mums in a protected location such as near the house. Plants placed out in the open will be exposed to more extreme weather conditions and are more likely to be damaged over winter.
One of the secrets of growing mums is providing them with the right amount of water. Not providing enough water will slow growth or stop it completely. Mums absolutely need plenty of water when they bloom. Field-grown mums require plenty of water to prevent wilting until they re-establish a good root system.
Get ready to fertilize, because mums are heavy feeders. A weekly application of soluble fertilizer is a good practice. Mulch will help retain soil moisture, control weeds and improve appearance.
Many backyard gardeners ask this common question, “Why won’t my mums survive the winter?”
A major reason mums fail to overwinter is when we plant them. Spring is probably a better time to plant, allowing plenty of time to establish roots. However, mums are much more commonly available in the fall.
Regardless of how they are used, many varieties will not survive the winter. The fall blooming mums that can be purchased late in the growing season have not been bred for cold hardiness. If they do manage to live through the winter, some will not bloom again. It is almost always easier to treat them as annuals and compost them after the first hard freeze.
However, there are some mums that are hardy enough to grow as perennials. These “garden” mums are typically hardy in Zone 5 but may require extra winter protection. Some of the single-flowered varieties like “Sheffield” or “White Bomb” are hardier than the double florist varieties.
“Red Daisy,” “Igloo Icicle,” “Dream Weaver,” “Firestorm,” “Clara Curtis” and “Red Chimo” are a few more winter hardy varieties.
The greatest chance of survival for mums is to plant them in the spring so that they have the entire growing season to become established before winter. Choose a spot in the garden that has rich, well-drained soil and full sun.
If you plan on planting mums this fall, get them in the ground as soon as possible to let them set up a healthy root system. Be sure to select varieties which are winter hardy to our area before planting. I would use mums hardy to Zone 5 just to be safe.
Another characteristic of mums is they have a shallow root system. Unfortunately, this makes them prone to heaving during the winter, which can severely damage or kill mums. A simple solution to this issue is to apply about 4 inches of mulch to your plants when the ground begins to freeze. This will help protect them during the winter season.
Since mums are shallow-rooted, they are also prone to drying out. Drought-stressed plants are less likely to survive the winter than well-watered plants. Therefore, they may need to be watered if conditions become dry. Mulch also helps retain soil moisture.
A neat characteristic of mums is their flowering or bloom is in response to shorter daylength. Mums are considered short day plants. In spring and early summer, daylight is increasing so the plants only produce vegetative growth. As fall approaches and day length shortens, their flowering response is triggered and they set buds.
When growing mums, control of both flowering and height is accomplished with a type of pruning called pinching. Pinching, very simply, is the removal of the growing tips and about 2 to 3 inches of growth. You can do this by hand or cutting back the growth with pruning shears.
Pinching will result in shorter, compact plants with many blooms. Without pinching or pruning, plants will develop tall and leggy with few blooms.
To keep mums healthy, they should be divided every few years. Dividing plants every other year reduces crowding, which can contribute to foliage disease, and provides new plants for the garden.
Divide plants in the spring, after the average date of the last killing frost. Lift plants out of the soil and gently wash some of the soil from the roots. Each old plant will be surrounded by several small new plants, each with its own roots. Separate the plants carefully, replant the small ones, and discard the old ones.
Contact me with questions at the WVU Extension Office at 304-424-1960 or at jj.barrett@mail.wvu.edu. Good luck and happy gardening!
