Planting Chrysanthemums

The chrysanthemum is a great flower to add color and interest to your late summer garden. Shop for a variety of flower colors red, pink, yellow, ginger, purple and some chrysanthemums are multiple colors.

Normally our fall season is long and warm and Chrysanthemums will bloom until Thanksgiving. So I will plant a few in clay pots to display on my porch with orange pumpkins. I will also grow them in the ground throughout my yard and in my gardens.

The chrysanthemums that I planted in the spring are hardy perennials they are in the ground and had time throughout the summer months to get rooted. These deep-rooted mums will survive the winter and come back next spring.

I also planted chrysanthemums in mid-September. Since my fall season is mild the plant will have six or seven weeks to get rooted before there is a hard frost.

If it is too late to plant the chrysanthemum in the ground you can use the florist mum which is an annual flower by growing them in containers and using them as feature flowers on your porch or patio. 

Chrysanthemums are easy to grow.  For healthy Chrysanthemums choose a location that has rich well-drained soil with a pH of 6.5 and good airflow and full sun. 

Water a newly planted Chrysanthemum so that the soil is evenly moist but not drenched.  Then do not water again until the soil is dry to the touch. I water in the morning when the plant is rooting for approximately 6 weeks.  Then once established I don’t overwater the chrysanthemum, this plant is drought tolerant and does not need to be watered daily. I do fertilize with bloom booster by miracle-gro hose-end feeder once a week and deadhead all spent blooms to encourage new growth.

Here are some photographs of chrysanthemums

Planted this Chrysanthemum in the spring by September it was double in size

Fall Flowers Add Color to Landscape

Many people will put away their gardening tools in mid-September because the growing season has come to an end. But if you love flowers then you can extend your gardening season by growing plants that bloom through the fall season. This year I have added color to my landscape by growing annuals with my Chrysanthemums.

My neighbors, have asked me if chrysanthemums will come back the following spring and if should they plant them in the ground. The answer is yes. Last fall my neighbor was throwing out her chrysanthemums in a nursery-grown pot after the blooms were spent. I took them and planted them in a container. After a hard frost, I did cut the mum stems back and topped the container with 3 inches of mulch. The following year the chrysanthemum grew in and this fall we enjoyed the flowers as they added fabulous color to our landscape.

Know that you can grow Chrysanthemums in the ground or in containers and they will return the following year as long as you plant in well-drained soil, in full sun, and leave 6 to 12 inches in between the plants. Water your chrysanthemums well when you first plant them, then water daily in the morning especially if grown in containers because they do dry out faster than planted in the ground. 

Plant mums in the spring after the threat of frost has passed. You can also plant mums in the fall 6 weeks before a hard frost is best. Add 2-3 inches of mulch to containers or garden beds. Fertilize in the spring to encourage new growth and flower blooms. I recommend that you remove the mulch from the containers and garden bed in the spring, and fertilize and replace the mulch around the mum stems in the early summer.

Growing tips:

Create eye-appealing chrysanthemum container gardens by growing ivy close to the rim of the plant, If you decide that you like the ivy cascading down the sides then plant only 1-2 ivy plants like winter hardy Baltic. *Watch the runners so they do not take over the container.

Learn more and view photographs of Baltic Ivy here

Here is a list of fall-season companion plants to grow with chrysanthemums pansies, violas, ornamental cabbage, and kale are a few of my favorites.

When to Plant Chrysanthemum

Summer is almost over and I find that I am thinking about the fall season. Fall is my favorite time of the year because of the garden activities. When it comes to working in the yard and garden there are many things to do, planting chrysanthemum is one of my favorite activities in fall.  

Do you plant mums in fall? 

In late August to the first week of September, I will plant Chrysanthemums in containers and in feature gardens. Now I live in growing zone 6 and we have a long autumn season. For other growing zones in the USA, I would say plant mums at least six weeks before a hard frost.

Chrysanthemums come in a variety of colors; white, yellow, lilac, purple bronze, cream, orange, pink, green burgundy-red, and bi-colors. There is a color flower for everyone and these long-lived flowers really brighten up the garden.

The mum is a beautiful flower so show it off by planting in your feature garden, or outlining your front walkway. You can also add to wheelbarrow gardens or plant container gardens for your front porch. 

I have planted mums in containers and in the ground. Then after a hard frost, I will cut the plant back into the soil and add a layer of mulch. The mum then returns the following year.

Here are a few photographs of chrysanthemums I hope they will inspire to plant this lovely flower in your fall garden.

All images are from pixabay.com

Flowers Blooming in My Garden: Photo Gallery

Even though the weather has changed and the evenings have been dipping into the low thirties there are still flowers blooming in my gardens. These white, yellow, and pink flowers add interest and are also eye appealing.

Sweet Autumn clematis 

 

Today I awoke to find that the change in temperature has caused the autumn leaves to fall from the trees onto the garden beds.  These golden and red leaves make a nice background for the burgundy and yellow Chrysanthemums and magenta and salmon-colored Four O clock flowers.

Yellow daisy-like Chrysanthemums 

Other autumn wildflowers are blooming in the woods that is adjacent to my home; delicate white flowers of the sweet autumn clematis, and goldenrod, and then a compact weed has delicate white flower clusters that look so pretty. I noted a few lavender phlox-type flowers blooming along the trail and thought this flower would be lovely if grown in masses.

Flowers blooming in the woods along the nature path

I suspect that these flowers will continue to bloom until there is a hard frost, hoping that does not occur any time soon.  I hope you enjoyed the photographs of the autumn flowers that are blooming in my yard and gardens. 

What flowers are blooming in your yard?