There’s no better way to add an instant flush of fall color to your landscape than with classic mums! Their brilliant hues of orange, purple, gold, and warm white perfectly complement the backdrop of fall scenery. Here’s how to plant, care for, and display mums for maximum color!
Types of Fall Mums
There are two primary fall mums varieties: florist and perennial mums. As you might have guessed, perennial mums are planted in the garden like any other perennial, bursting to life in the fall. However, perennial mums are typically a little too tender for our climate in North Dakota. Florist mums are what you’ll see more often in stores at this time of year–it’s hard to miss those dome-shaped mounds of cheerful flowers sitting on the shelf!
Buying the Best Mums
Before bringing one of those beautiful pots of fall color to the checkout, we recommend sticking to healthy-looking plants with many buds. The plants with buds that haven’t yet opened are at an early stage of their bloom cycle, which means you’ll be able to admire more blooms for much longer. Plant care for these beauties is a breeze as long as you’ve started with a healthy pot!
Where to Plant Fall Mums for the Best Results
Fall mums require full sun, at least six hours of direct sunlight per day. Sunlight is crucial for fall mums to soak up enough energy to produce that dense spray of blooms. If they lack sunlight, the plants will grow leggy, and blooms will be fewer and smaller—definitely not ideal for the autumn look we want!
How to Care for Fall Mums
Mums are a little needy when it comes to water and fertilizer. Since most people grow their fall mums in pots, all those flowers depend upon a very modest amount of soil to deliver the nutrients and moisture they need to thrive.
Choose a liquid fertilizer suitable for potted flowering plants and apply it according to the package directions. While it can be tempting to give your fall mums a little extra “treat” by getting generous with your fertilizer ratios, take care to skew toward a weaker formula rather than one that’s too strong. Adding too much fertilizer to your watering may harm your mum’s delicate roots.
While cool fall temperatures will be on your side to prevent your potted mums from drying out too quickly, it’s important to continue to monitor their soil moisture. Water your mums deeply every 2-3 days, unless the rain takes care of it for you or you notice heavy precipitation in the forecast. For example, if your mums are due to be watered today but you see thunderstorm warnings for tomorrow, give the hose a rest and let Mother Nature do the work!
Fall mums require full sun, at least six hours of direct sunlight per day. Sunlight is crucial for fall mums to soak up enough energy to produce that dense spray of blooms.
Display Your Fall Mums with Style
Now for the fun part—showing off all that vibrant fall color! Here are a few fun suggestions for displaying your fall mums:
- Odd-numbered groups: Choose three containers of varying heights and purchase three pots of mums, in either the same or different colors, to arrange beside your door for a welcoming display.
- Pairs on the stairs: If you have a fairly wide staircase on your porch, you can place paired pots of mums on opposite sides of each stair or every alternating stair.
- Fall vignette: Pair a large pot of mums with a smaller pot of mums and three autumn-themed accent items, such as a group of three decorative pumpkins or a wood plank sign, a rustic rocking chair, and a tall lantern.
- Three to a pot: Break up three colors of mums and combine them into a single arrangement. Consider using two identical extra-large urns to create two of these arrangements, and use the urns to flank your front door!
Our fall mums have already begun to bloom, so hurry and plan your visit to Plant Perfect Garden Center to browse our mums for sale today!