Mums: Fall’s Favorite Flower

Chrysanthemums, lovingly nicknamed “mums,” are fall’s favorite flower. With flowers that last for weeks and a seemingly endless array of colors, mums bloom in the fall and most can withstand a light frost.

Mums are super easy to care for, which make them the perfect addition to any lawn. If you’re looking for local lawn care, Pure Green is here to help with lawn management in Brentwood, Franklin, and the Nashville area.

Mum Varieties

Mums are divided into two varieties. “Florist” mums are decorative and can only be enjoyed indoors, while “hardy” mums are bred for the garden and can withstand some cold temperatures. Both varieties thrive in pots and containers.

We can further identify hardy mums by their bloom forms. According to Better Homes and Gardens, the three most common bloom forms are:

• Decorative: Long, tightly overlapping petals. They can be either incurve (where petals curve up and in toward the flower center) or reflex (where petals curve out and down, away from the flower center).
• Pompon: Small, globe-shape flowers that packed with petals.
• Single or Daisy: One row of long petals around a flat center disk.
   

Planting Mums

If you plant mums in the spring, their roots have time to develop, and there’s a good chance they will survive the winter and rebloom next year. But, don’t despair that it’s already fall. You can plant mums in the fall — and since they are so inexpensive — treat them as annuals.

When planting mature mums in the fall, don’t worry about fertilizing or pinching to keep the plants compact. If you want to plant mums next spring as perennials, Pure Green can help you care for your mums in all seasons as well as take care of your lawn management in Brentwood, Franklin, and the Nashville area.
 

Caring for Mums

Mums like at least six hours of sun a day and well-drained soil. If you soil contains a lot of clay or is prone to retaining water, consider a container or raised bed. When planting in a container, don’t overcrowd the plants and make sure that there’s plenty of room for the formed root ball.

Throughout the fall, mums require about an inch of water a week to retain their color and strong blooms. That amount usually means you should water your mums every other day. If you’re planning to re-plant next year, that’s about all mums need!