What are good mums....ones that come back year after year??

aartwmich · Tue Jul 12, 2005 8:46 pm

I have only found the ones you buys in the fall and they rarely survive more than one or two years, even with mulching in winter and pinching twice before july and babying them.

Is this the only way to have mums? Or is there a variety that truely lasts as a perennial?

Thanks in advance for any enlightenment.

The Helpful Gardener · Wed Jul 13, 2005 4:36 pm

No not at all. Look for MY Favorite Mums, which are hardy repeating, and reliably perennial!

HG

Grey · Wed Jul 13, 2005 5:38 pm

Speaking of Mums, when should I be getting those for this fall? And do they start okay from seed or am I better off buying starts?

aartwmich · Wed Jul 13, 2005 8:45 pm

Thanks HG..are these the only longlived, truly perennial mums out there?

They look pretty good, but they get awfully large-40'' across?!?!- can you prune them to stay to size in certain locations?? Do you have any personal experience with this type mum?

They also don't seem to have the orange and bronze colors that look so nice in the fall.....hmmmm...may have to stick to some of the 'annual' type mums for that color.

The Helpful Gardener · Wed Jul 13, 2005 8:56 pm

True, although "Coral' is nice... as for size you can (and should chop them in half for mid season and another cut in July August to set them up

Grey, nothing comes true from seed and you'd end up with whatever parent plant half the time; buy plants...

HG

Grey · Wed Jul 13, 2005 9:19 pm

I know zilch about mums...

The Helpful Gardener · Wed Jul 13, 2005 9:22 pm

Now you do...

Scott

Grey · Wed Jul 13, 2005 9:25 pm

lol. I'm going to try my hand at a few again this year. I tried last year in FL... BURN!!!! lol

aartwmich · Wed Jul 13, 2005 9:26 pm

The Helpful Gardener wrote:... as for size you can (and should chop them in half for mid season and another cut in July August to set them up
HG

Do they die off in late fall, after frost? Do you cut them back to the ground in spring and pinch the tips, maybe twice before the end of July...just like I do my 'annual and a half or so

' mums?
I have one plant, put in last late summer that had buds set by early july and look like they are about to open!

The Helpful Gardener · Wed Jul 13, 2005 9:33 pm

Sure that's the ticket basically. We're coming from the same place; my way will just keep them a bit smaller (suspect that if you could grow yours a few years longer they'd get to be 40" too)...

Should have said the second cut would be a light tip prune to even it off...