Mums

[Carm]

I just stuck some mums in the ground that were given to me. I'm hoping they will be ok this late in the year. But the labor was minimal and they were free. So oh well if they don't make it. Just wondering if you all had any experience with this and what the chances are they make it.

[Don McCombs]

Carm,

The vast majority of the mums that are sold are greenhouse grown, as opposed to field grown. In other words, the chances of them wintering over are very slim. Even if they do, they will not look the same next year. Commercially grown mums are heavily fertilized and intensely pruned throughout the growing season to achieve the dense, compact growth and hundreds of blooms. Enjoy them while they last.

[Carm]

These were small wal mart mums. So I guess we'll see! It was fun planting them anyway

[SONNY]

We have some given to us once in a while,-- and they seem to live from 1 to 4 years in the open ground before winterkill gets them! I think it depends on how cold your climate is in the winter.--You might put some protection around them and get a couple seasons of flowers from them.
Ours get about 3 feet tall and have tons of flowers on them, because we dont prune them to keep them short. The yellow one we have here right now has been a beauty for a couple months before it froze down, so as was stated enjoy them!!
Water them in good to keep the air from entering the root area and they will have a better chance of coming up in the spring. thanks; sonny

[DanR]

The mums I put in last year tripled in size. Cut them back after a few freezes and cover them with mulch. You can separate them in very early spring if needed. At the first sign of new growth uncover the top 2/3 and fertilize. They should be fine.