Lori Harms, Grower Greenhouse Manager Countryside Flower Shop and Nursery, explains how to care for your garden mum so they bloom again in fall for you!
What I feel is underappreciated and understated is how gorgeous they are once they're established in the garden before they bloom. They're huge, gorgeous,balls of green (sort of like a boxwood). I love them for the shape and foliage also
Hi Maria, For the best luck in overwintering your mums, do not cut them back in fall, once the flowers are spent and the leaves have died back, mound them with fallen leaves. As you rake up dried leaves, they will crumble a bit, mound them up so they are inside of the branches and all around the whole mum. In spring pull that back and cut them to a couple inches from the ground, so you know where they are, and late spring you'll see them start sprouting if they over wintered. When planting them, it is always helpful to fertilize with Plant Starter or Bio-Tone (root stimulating fertilizer) so that the root system can get a great start before the ground freezes. Good luck and enjoy your mums!
