Keep your mums blooming as long as possible
For many of us, Labor Day marks the unofficial beginning of fall. Even if we want to hold on to summer for the rest of September, there are reminders of fall everywhere.
Stores flaunt the new season's fashions, school supplies are on sale, the football season has started, and mums are back. They are out front when we go into grocery stores and box stores. The benches of garden centers are loaded with them.
Whether you love these quintessential flowers of autumn or not, it can't be disputed that their brightly colored blooms announce fall has arrived (or is at least right around the corner).
Mums are fall-flowering plants that, if left to their own genetic wiring, bloom in cool weather. The mums in full bloom before Labor Day have been forced to bloom ahead of their natural schedule to satisfy consumer demand. As anxious as we are to replace tired annuals in containers or add fall color to garden beds, it may not be wise to buy mums in full bloom.
Their flowers fade quickly in high temperatures. September is notorious for some unseasonably warm days that turn blooms from wonderful to washed-out in a week or so.
If you are hosting a party, go ahead and purchase blooming mums, but if you are replacing annuals in containers or planting seasonal color in the garden, choose plants that are either tightly budded or are just beginning to show color. Here are some more tips to keep mums blooming for a month or more.
Be sure plants are healthy. Pass by plants with wilting or yellowing foliage. Check the roots to rule out pot bound plants.
Plant mums in a spot that receives several hours of direct sunlight in the morning but protection from the hot afternoon sun. If these conditions aren't available, choose a location that offers bright, but indirect light all day.
Water mums regularly to keep the soil moist, but not soggy. Don't let their soil dry out completely.
Buying varieties of mums with a range of bloom times will ensure blooming mums from the beginning of fall well into November. Garden center staff can help gardeners choose early, mid and late season bloomers.
Deadhead spent flowers to keep mums looking their best.
Fall mums have been hybridized to completely blanket themselves with blooms. With all that energy directed to the flowers, there is little energy left for winter hardiness. Even though the odds are against it, plant them in the garden if overwintering them is desired.
For the best chance of success in overwintering mums, plant them in the ground as soon as possible. Cover the soil around them with a few inches of mulch, keeping it pulled back from the stems. Continue watering plants until the ground freezes and leave the dead foliage standing for winter. Covering plants with evergreen boughs after Christmas offers additional protection from harmful freeze and thaw cycles.
• Diana Stoll is a horticulturist, garden writer and speaker. She blogs at gardenwithdiana.com.