Question asked each fall, can I plant my mums that I have this fall for decoration for coming back next year? Here is what I tell all about it.

image from fallafall.blogspot.com 

           It is warmer this morning at 27 degrees.  Boy that temperature and the wind chill made it feel more like Christmas than Halloween.  It does look like the next 10 days will be warming up and more seasonable for us.  It just gives us a taste of what is going to be coming.  Makes us make sure we get our fall work done in the gardens.  Enjoy working on the last chores while this weather warms up. 
Here is the answer that is asked each fall.  Can I plant my mums that I have for fall decorations, for coming back next year? 
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Are Mums Perennials? Helping Mums Survive Winter
There's a difference between florist and garden mums  by Doreen G. Howard
Mums produce such lovely fall colors, but what do we do with the mum plants when they finish blooming? It depends if your mums are perennials or annuals. Let’s learn more about types of mums, what to do when they stop blooming, and how to overwinter mums.
Are Mums Perennials or Annuals?
There are two different types of mums: 1) “Garden” mums (found at garden nurseries) are hardy perennial plants. 2) “Florist” mums (often found at grocery stores and flower shops) are treated as decorative annuals and not grown to survive the winter.
Perennial “Garden” Mums
The majority of mum varieties are hardy in zones 4 to 9, and will grow stolens underground as they get established, returning year after year.
With perennial mums, both the flowers and lovely green foliage will be visible; with florist mums, foliage is largely sacrificed for flowers. Perennial mums have many flowers, but the blooms are usually smaller.
Mums are “photoperiodic,” which means they will set buds when the days get shorter in late summer! Then, they will bloom from late summer to fall for about eight weeks.
Note that both “early season” and “late season” mum varieties are bred in case you wish to time your flowering or have a mix of both types for a more extended season!
You may keep your hardy perennial garden mum in the pot, but they’re genuinely happiest and grow better in the ground (which is where you should plant them if you want them to survive winter). In the ground, mums can grow up to 1 to 3 feet tall and 1 to 2 feet wide in one season.
The annuals in the florist pots are already in full bloom with beautiful autumn jewel-hued colors. Florist mums are meant to decorate your house, along with autumn wreaths and gourds.
Florist mums are usually ALL blooms; the foliage is more delicate, thin, and narrow versus garden mums because foliage is secondary. Once the flower is in full bloom, it’s actually past its peak and already declining.
Although annual mums can be winter-hardy, they have shallow roots, so not well-equipped to survive winter. Once finished blooming, annuals can be thrown out.
Taken from https://www.almanac.com/chrysanthemums-when-plant-mums
Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa [email protected]  641-794-3337  cell 641-903-9365