Garden Mums

Fall borders look fabulous with these late-season beauties.

- -Sherri Ribbey

Multitalented mums include 'Autumn Fire', which leans politely over the edge of this path but won't get lanky or in the way. Pint-sized Gigi Gold adds bright color to the container.

Sometimes by fall, borders are starting to get that “I just can’t go on” look. Thank goodness for garden mums! These tried-and-true perennials keep patios, pots and borders colorful for up to eight weeks, from late summer to late fall, without serious pest or disease problems.

FALL-PLANTED MUMS The big garden mums that you see at practically every store in town this time of year are full-grown and ready to pop in the ground or containers. Often called “cushion” mums, most of these types have been treated with growth regulators and pruned multiple times to form classic 12- to 24-inch flower-covered mounds like ‘Autumn Fire’ at left. Those in a series, such as Chelsey,™ Paradiso or Cosmic, are the same size but have different bloom colors. Even if plants are cold hardy in your zone, they probably won't make it through winter if they’re put in the ground during fall, because the roots won't have time to get established.

Smaller florist mums sold as gifts also make great seasonal tabletop accents or container companions and are usually grown as annuals.

SPRING-PLANTED MUMS The potted plants or rooted cuttings that you buy in spring may be small, but they grow quickly and are much more likely to survive winter than the fall-planted ones. Usually spring-planted mums are more upright with a looser habit and grow around 2 to 3 feet tall. But the Mammoth™ series can reach 4 feet tall and wide with single, semidouble or quilled blooms. Even better, this series is extra cold hardy, surviving winter in zones 3 to 9 (most “hardy” garden mums survive winters in zones 5 or 6 to 9).