Chrysanthemums

Chrysanthemums have been revered for thousands of years in the Far East. They were first cultivated in China as a flowering herb and were believed to have the power of life. It showed up in Japan somewhere in the 8th century AD. The Japanese were so enamored with this flower that they adopted a single flowered chrysanthemum as the crest and official seal of the Emperor. In Japan, the Imperial Order of the Chrysanthemum is the highest Order of Chivalry. Japan also has a National Chrysanthemum Day, which is called the Festival of Happiness. The chrysanthemum was first introduced into the Western world during the 17th Century and made its way to the United States during colonial times. It is now one of the most widely grown potted plants in the country. It is one of the longest lasting of all cut flowers. In countries such as Italy, Belgium and Austria, the chrysanthemum is used almost exclusively as a memorial on graves.

Here in the United States Mums are the Queen of the Fall Flowers. We use them as a major part of our fall. Colors include various shades of pink, purple, red, yellow, bronze or orange, and white.

At Dan Schantz Greenhouse we grow over a million mums every year. They start arriving in July and are available until November. We have several plantings throughout the growing period so fresh pots of mums are delivered to our stores during the fall mum season.

Growing Tips

Mums do best in full sun but if you don’t have an all day sunny location five to six hours of sun will be sufficient. Mums like good drainage and do not like to sit in water. Also consider the air flow around your mums. They should be planted away from walls or other things that will obstruct air flow. Air helps to dry moist foliage and restricts mildew growth. Mums have small, shallow roots. Don’t plant them close to trees and shrubs where they will have to compete for water. Mums like nitrogen, use a well balanced 10-10-10 fertilizer and follow package directions. To stimulate side branching and to have a more full, well rounded plant pinch off about a ½ inch just above a leaf. You can pinch repeatedly in spring and early summer but don’t pinch after July 4th or your mums will not bloom early enough.

Use Mums in garden beds and of course in containers with good drainage. A big pot of mums is a welcoming touch at your front door.

Floral vs Hardy

Be aware of the difference between floral mums and garden or hardy mums. Floral Mums are really more like an annual and will not survive our cold winters.

They are not meant to be planted outdoors in our zone (zone 6.) Enjoy floral mums while they are in bloom, once the flowers have faded prune them and they may flower again. You can place them outside in the spring but they will not survive the frost.

Garden or hardy mums are more suited to our cold winters. To ensure they won’t succumb to an especially cold winter, mulch around the plant with pine needles, straw or other material in late November or early December. Mulching will help to keep the soil uniformly cold after it has frozen eliminating the freezing/thawing process and the heaving of the soil. Don’t use leaves as mulch, they can pack down solid when wet. Another good tip is to not prune the plant in fall. Research has shown that mums survive better when the old foliage has been left standing through the winter.