Looking to Order Mum Plants?
We sell Heirloom Mum Rooted Cuttings
All Varieties are grown on our farm and Ship in Spring
Planning Your Chrysanthemum Garden
Selecting a Sunny Location
Mums thrive in sunny locations with well-drained soil. They’ll need at least six hours of sunlight a day to produce their best blooms. If you’re working with limited space, don’t worry—mums do beautifully in containers. I once transformed a small balcony into a chrysanthemum oasis, using vibrant pots to complement the flowers.
Soil Preparation
Healthy soil is the foundation of any successful garden. Chrysanthemums prefer slightly acidic soil with a pH between 6 and 7. Mix in organic matter like compost or well-rotted manure to provide nutrients and improve drainage. Once established, mums are heavy feeders. They love the blue juice (or your standard fertilizers for blooming plants). More about fertilizing later.
Garden Design Inspiration
Plan your garden with a mix of early, mid, and late-season chrysanthemum varieties to ensure continuous blooms. Pair mums with complementary plants like dahlias, sedum, or ornamental grasses for a stunning display. The best thing about growing mums is that they pair well with everything else blooming in Fall. The oranges, yellows, bronze, and pinks all showcase everything that Fall offers.
Planting Your Chrysanthemums
When to Plant
For the best results, plant your mums in late spring. This gives them plenty of time to establish strong roots before the blooming season. Our goal is to take our time planting them in late May, through June, but to have them all planted before the July 4th Holiday. If planted any later than this, they will not have much time to branch, and you will mainly get single stemmed plants. Planting in May/June gives the mums time to grow and be pinched back, which encourages branching.
Step-by-Step Planting Guide
- Prepare the Area: Loosen the soil to a depth of 12 inches.
- Dig Holes: Space them about 12-18” inches apart to allow for proper airflow.
- Plant and Water: Set the mums at the same depth they were in their pots, water them thoroughly, and mulch around the base to retain moisture.
Tip: Avoid planting mums too close together—good airflow helps prevent common diseases like powdery mildew.
Selecting Your Chrysanthemum Varieties
Classifications:
The National Chrysanthemum Society offers 13 proper classifications:
Class 1 – Irregular Incurve
Class 2 – Reflex
Class 3 – Incurve
Class 4 – Decorative
Class 5 – Intermediate Incurve
Class 6 – Pompon
Class 7 – Single & Semi-Double
Class 8 – Anemone
Class 9 – Spoon
Class 10 – Quill
Class 11 – Spider
Class 12 – Brush & Thistle
Class 13 – Unclassified (Exotic)
Chrysanthemum varieties are also classified by Height:
Short: 1 – 2.5 feet
Medium: 2.5 – 4 feet
Tall: 4+ feet
I prefer medium height varieties, as the tall ones tend to fall over more easily by the end of the season, and weight of the blooms. It really just depends on whether or not I am willing to deal with the tall stems vs. how gorgeous the flowers are. If I just have to grow it, then I do.
Bloom Time is an important characteristic to pay attention to while choosing which variety to grow. I prefer the earlier blooming varieties, as they are easier to sell when I have other flowers blooming at the same time such as dahlias. The later blooming varieties will need more frost protection if the temperatures turn cold earlier than normal. I grow varieties of all bloom times for various reasons. It is more a characteristic to use as a guideline when selecting varieties to grow, because unfortunately, most of us don’t have room to grow them all.
Early Bloomers: Mid- September through Mid-October
Mid Season Bloomers: Mid-October through Mid- November
Late Season Bloomers: Late October through Late November
Nurturing Your Chrysanthemums
Watering
Chrysanthemums need consistent moisture, but they don’t like soggy soil. Water deeply once or twice a week, depending on the weather. Mulching around the base of the plants helps retain moisture and suppress weeds. During hot summers, I save my mums during drought by adding a nice layer of straw mulch.
Feeding Your Chrysanthemums
Feed your mums with a balanced fertilizer (10-10-10) every 4-6 weeks during the growing season. If you prefer organic options, compost tea or fish emulsion are excellent choices. I’ve found that regular feeding leads to more abundant and vibrant blooms.
Pruning and Pinching
Pinching back your mums is essential for bushy growth and more flowers. When the plants reach about 6 inches tall, pinch off the top inch of growth. Repeat this process every few weeks until midsummer. Our last pinch is around July 4th holiday, give or take a week. One year, I skipped pinching, and we didn’t have nearly as many flower stems as if we would have pinched.
Receiving and Planting Your Rooted Mum Cuttings
Unpack your mum plants as soon as they arrive. Flowers and plants can ship in a box, but they do not want to be in there any longer than it takes for them to travel. Keep in mind, mums are very hardy plants and if they look a little weathered from travelling, trust me, they will bounce back with a little TLC. Mums are very resilient. Once your mums are unpacked, plant them immediately.
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During this transition period, keep your plants watered but not soaked. Make sure they are growing where it’s above 45 degrees and protect from frost. They will need light, so if it’s too early to grow them outdoors when you receive the rooted cuttings, use a simple grow light until they can go outdoors.
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Our farm grows to order, so after placing your mum order with us, it will take us a couple months to propagate and grow your mum rooted cuttings for you. We will be shipping mums from late March to June.
Dealing With Pests & Disease
Common Pests to Watch For
Keep an eye out for aphids, spider mites, and leaf miners. If you spot these pests, treat them promptly with insecticidal soap or neem oil.
Preventing and Treating Diseases
Chrysanthemums are susceptible to fungal diseases like powdery mildew and botrytis. To prevent these issues, ensure good airflow between plants and avoid overhead watering. If you notice signs of disease, treat them with an appropriate fungicide.
Growing On And Plant Care
Fertilizing
Mums are known to be heavy feeders, meaning they appreciate a regular fertilizer schedule. This can be accomplished by applying slow-release fertilizer pellets at the time of planting. You can also feed with a general fertilizer a month after planting, and again once a month until you see flower buds beginning to form in September. We usually stop fertilizing once we see buds. Generally, if you see any issues with the plants while they are growing such as yellowing leaves, a good dose of fertilizer will typically solve your problems. 10-10-10 or diluted 20-20-20 fertilizers will work well while growing the mums, or you can choose to water with fish emulsion or compost tea if you prefer an organic approach.
Pinching
The key to growing an impressive stock of mum plants is to pinch the plants. We pinch every mum plant grown on our farm. If you plant the mums in May, you will probably need to pinch a few times before letting them grow by mid-July. If you plant late June, you will still want to at least give your plants one good pinch by mid-July. No matter when we plant, we always plan to pinch our mums down to 4”- 6” tall sometime around July 4th. The holiday just makes it easy to remember in our minds. I have a number of plants in my mind that I make sure to pinch around the holiday, including my Dragon-Wing Begonias. Pinching promotes plant health, reasonably sized plants, and encourages your plants to branch, resulting in many more blooms per plant.
Harvesting Chrysanthemums
For the longest vase life, harvest mums early in the morning when the stems are fully hydrated. Use sharp, clean scissors to make a diagonal cut just above a set of leaves. This encourages further growth and keeps your plant healthy. Try to wait until 50%-75% of the flower has opened. You can still harvest your flowers if they are fully open, just know that you are giving up some vase life for a fully opened flower. The good thing is that mums are generally a long lasting flower and have a 2 week vase life. If your mum is a spray, meaning many flowers per stem, you can remove the first flower to open (usually the central flower) and allow the other flowers to open. This will give you more open flowers per stem to enjoy.
Overwintering and Long-Term Care
Preparing for the Off-Season
After the first frost, cut your plants back to about 6 inches and cover them with a thick layer of mulch. For potted mums, move them to a sheltered spot like a garage or basement to protect them from extreme cold.
Propagating for Next Season
Divide your mums every two to three years to keep them healthy and vigorous. Spring is the best time to divide, and it’s a fantastic way to expand your garden without spending a dime.
My hope is that our chrysanthemums become a permanent part of your garden. Growing chrysanthemums is a delightful journey that rewards you with stunning blooms and endless possibilities for creativity. We already grow over 50+ varieties but always make room to add a variety or few each year. Mums are the finishing touch to our flower growing season and have become a special flower that I once loved to hate, but now appreciate their unique presence in Fall.