Fall is just about my favorite time of year. The sweltering heat of August has given way to cooler weather. There's the excitement of planting spring-blooming bulbs and new perennial additions. At the same time, I'm sad at the prospect of the steady fade to brown and gray yet to come. That's when I'm grateful for garden mums and one last color party
before winter.
Their summer foliage is bright-green and attractive, but grows quietly, letting summer flowers take center stage. Then, in the golden light of autumn's ever-shorter days, buds pop open in hues that might have been too bright a month before. Now the mums glow perfectly in the cool evenings, dewy mornings and rustling, yellow days.
There's a vast number of Chrysanthemum species and hybrids (some of them have been flipped back and forth into the genus Dendranthema, but chrysanthemum is usually used both as a common and botanical name). The garden mums occupy only a portion of the total. But they're an important part for gardeners who are looking for late-blooming, fall flower
color. Garden mums are hybrids of several species native to China and Japan that breeders have been working with for hundreds of years.
The modern garden mums are bred to have neat, compact habits that are either mounding or slightly upright and vase- shaped. Most varieties will top out at 18 to 24 inches. Growers are interested in healthy foliage, too, looking for neat, light- to dark-green leaves that will keep their good looks all season.
As for flower color, you can get about anything except true blue -- and you can bet the folks who hybridize mums are working on that one. Recently, hybridizers have been introducing mums with bicolored flowers, such as daisy-flowered ''Maggie''. Its petals are white near the flower's center with lavender tips. Even tri-colored varieties are coming
along.
Mum developers have also worked to get a longer season of bloom. Early varieties start blooming around mid-September, with mid-season
and late ones following. Blooms can last a long time, depending on weather. With cool temperatures and plenty of water, you can count on a plant to look great for four weeks or more.
While best planted in late spring, fall planting can be successful with a little extra attention to watering and winter protection. Choose a sunny, well-drained location with good air circulation for optimum growth and
disease resistance.
While garden mums typically make it through the winter just fine, applying a generous layer of mulch can be helpful, especially for newly planted mums. The purpose of the mulch is to insulate the roots to prevent alternating extremes in soil temperature and as well as to conserve moisture. The best time to apply a mulch is late November or early December.
Billy Skaggs
Agricultural Agent
Hall County Extension Coordinator
734 East Crescent Drive
Gainesville, GA 30501
Phone:(770)531-6988
Fax: (770)531-3994
Email: [email protected]
Monday
August 4th, 2025
12:17PM
