Welcome to our monthly plant care guide series, where we highlight a different plant each month and provide you with all the information you need to successfully care for it. This month we are exploring the Chrysanthemum, a beautiful fall plant that’s perfect in Middle Tennessee gardens and seasonal displays. Let’s dive in to this Chrysanthemum care guide so you can ensure that these beauties thrive in your landscape this fall!
Plant Overview
- – Common Names: Mum
- – Native to Middle Tennessee: No
- – Perennial or Annual: Can be either in Middle TN
- – Deer Tolerant: No
- – Drought Tolerant: No
- – Low or High Maintenance: depends on variety
Plant Care
Chrysanthemum is a beautiful flowering plant that is perfect as fall decoration or planted in your garden beds to enjoy throughout late summer and fall. There are two main types of mum. Florist mums are most commonly kept as an annual and used in fall displays. Garden mums are hardy in Middle TN landscape beds. Make sure to check the plant when purchasing or ask a professional to make sure you’re getting the correct type for your purposes.
To ensure the health and vibrancy of your plant this fall, follow this chrysanthemum care guide:
Light Requirements:
Chrysanthemums prefer full sun, at least 6 hours per day! For this reason florist mums are perfect potted on your front porch or used in a fall display right out in front of your property. If you have sunny landscape bed space that you want to fill with beautiful color that will return year after year, a garden mum may be what you’re looking for.
Watering:
Regular watering is important for Chrysanthemums. If potted or used in a display make sure that you water at least every other day. Mums should have about an inch of water a week to stay healthy. Water at soil level instead of over the foliage in order to avoid fungal growth. Using mulch around your mums will help retain moisture in the soil and prevent drying out. Garden mums are relatively drought resistant once well established but still need to be monitored until that point and watered at first sign of wilting.
Soil Type:
Chrysanthemum thrives in fertile, loamy, sandy soil. Add in some organic matter to improve soil fertility which will help the plant continue creating new blooms . This will also help with drainage. They don’t like to have wet feet so making sure that the soil is well draining will go a long way to keeping your chrysanthemum healthy!
Fertilization
It takes a lot of work to produce so many beautiful, intricate blooms! Adding a balanced fertilizer during the growing period will help your mum continue creating new brighter, longer lasting blooms.
Pruning:
Regularly monitor your Chrysanthemum for dead or damaged parts and trim them away before they become a bigger problem. By deadheading mums as the flowers wilt you stimulate the plant to create more which means a longer period of color! Deadhead by cutting the spent flower just above the highest leaf once the flower has started to wilt but before the stem is affected.
Common Problems
Pests:
Chrysanthemums actually repel some pests! They repel spiders, ants, snakes and a variety of other common pests so having them near your door is not only beautiful but will also keep away some unwanted visitors. Despite repelling those pests, mums do attract some others. A common pest problem with mums are aphids. If you notice small bugs on the underside of leaves and on the stem remove and carefully discard of infected pieces. If the problem doesn’t resolve then treat with an insecticide. The last pest threat to your Chrysanthemum is much cuter though no less detrimental. Deer and rabbits love to eat mums and when they’re planted right out on display they are generally an easy meal to find. The best way to protect your mums if you notice they’re getting eaten is to bring them inside overnight or cover them with a light netting.
Diseases:
Common diseases that affect Chrysanthemum include a variety of fungi such as leaf spots, rust and powdery mildew. These are best avoided by watering at the base of the plant to ensure that the foliage stays dry. Also make sure to do your watering in the morning so that the plant has time to dry out through the day. Because of the foliage is so dense on these plants it is difficult for them to dry out when they get wet and that can invite unwanted bacteria if proper practices aren’t followed. If you notice spots on your Mum make sure to remove them manually and use a fungicide if necessary.
Environmental Stress:
Chrysanthemums can survive through a wide range of temperatures. They prefer to stay below 90 degrees and will die after a hard frost. What that means for here in Middle TN is that we should be careful to wait until the worst of the heat has passed before incorporating mums into our fall decor. If there is a string of hot days though just make sure to move the plants into a shaded area during the worst of the heat and that will protect them until it cools back down. Before the first hard freeze of the season make sure to bring your mums inside. A light frost won’t kill them but anything near 26-28 degrees may cause damage that they can’t repair from.
Why we Love it:
Chrysanthemum is a popular choice in Middle TN gardens for good reason!
- Versatility: Whether you’re looking for a plant that will make an appearance every year or just a highlight for this season there is a type for you. Mums also make great cut flowers; lasting in a vase up to two weeks!
- Color: Chrysanthemums come in such a wide variety of colors! For a fresh, fun look there are beautiful pinks and purples and white and for a true fall feel the depth of oranges, burgundys and yellows are truly glorious. No matter what project you’re putting together there’s a mum to go with it.
- Size: There is a perfect size for every space which adds to their versatility as well. Large mums are great as statement pieces all on their own and smaller mums are perfect accents for displays or adding pops of color in bed spaces without taking over.
Conclusion
With this Chrysanthemum care guide you should have a good start on keeping these beautiful fall flowers healthy and happy in your landscape this year. We add mums to almost all of our fall displays. You can find some more examples of that here and on our facebook page for inspiration in your own landscape!
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