The Truth about perennial mums, and florist mums for coming back next year.

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        Good morning, and it is a cloudy morning.  A little rain out west but don’t think we will have any.  Temperatures are going to go up today and for the next 2 weeks above average temperatures.  ENJOY summer is back as Saturday near 90 degrees.  Today high 72F(22C).  Stay warm, stay cool, stay safe
 
Australia family and friends for their Wed. Sept 10 now it is 12:30 AM so their low will be 44F(6C) and high of 56F(14C) partly cloudy conditions wind up to 10 MPH so making it feeling cooler.  45% rain chance for them.  Family has said it is getting milder out and weather is perfect for spring. Stay warm, stay safe.
 
I have written and posted about this each year but will post again.  Perennial mums need to be planted in the spring from plant stock that are perennial.  I have many different colors here in the spring for you to plant and have them grow and show color this fall.  The mums we have in the fall are what this author calls florist mums, and they are not perennial.  They are grown for what they are right now, ornamental and decorative for fall.  If planted after you use this fall in the garden, they will not survive our winters.  Have a read about this.
Are Mums Perennials? Which Mums Come Back Year After Year
There's a Difference Between Florist and Garden Mums  Written By: Doreen G. Howard  Gardening Writer
Are mums perennials or annuals? It depends. Find out which mums keep coming back year after year and how to ensure your mums come back.
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. What is the difference between an annual and a perennial?
1) Perennial Garden Mums, aka Hardy Mums
These mum varieties are hardy in Zones 4 to 9 and will grow stolons 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 mums 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.
If planting your perennial garden mum in the ground, leave room for growth!

2) Annual “Florist” Mums
The annual mums in the florist pots are only hardy in USDA Zones 7 to 9. You usually find them at grocery stores, home improvement stores, and florists. Think of them as disposable holiday decor, along with the pumpkins you buy for Halloween or otherwise.
Annual mums like huge Football chrysanthemums, delicate Spiders, and Spoons are generally not good choices for landscapes. However, we love them for fall containers! They have shallow roots, so they are not well-equipped to survive winter. They are not bred to be hardy; their form, color, and size are prized.
Most florist mums are already in full bloom with beautiful autumn jewel-hued colors. Also, they’re usually ALL blooms with very little foliage, as it’s secondary. (Once the flower is in full bloom, it’s past its peak and already declining, so pick plants with smaller buds if you want them to last longer.)
Do Garden Mums Come Back Year After Year?
Only garden mums are perennials. However, you also need to plant these mums in the ground at the right time.  Ideally, the best time to plant perennial garden mums is in the spring. It gives the plants plenty of time to put down roots. You’ll probably need to order online because most local nurseries don’t carry mums in the spring.
Maintenance Tips   Pinch tips in spring/summer to encourage bushiness; mulch in winter            Minimal care; enjoy blooms until season ends
If you plant them in the fall, it can be too late because they’re not building roots; they’re putting energy into blooming. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible to plant them in autumn and have them return next year. It just takes a little extra work.
Planting Mums in the Ground
Get those garden mums in the ground no later than mid-October. (If it’s too late, try it, and you may have a mild winter!)
Besides planting your perennial mums in the soil, you can change the odds in your favor by leaving the dead foliage on mums (and asters) instead of shearing them down for neatness.
An Iowa State University study found that unpruned plants survive much lower temperatures than pruned plants; the foliage acted as extra insulation.
Plant mums in an area with full sun (6 hours or more) so their roots can survive.
Choose a location with good drainage and no standing water.
If possible, plant in an area more sheltered from wind, such as the south-facing side of your home or near a wall.
Dig a hole slightly larger than the pot and just as deep as the root ball. Don’t put them in too deep, which is a common mistake. Water well.
Add 4 to 6 inches of mulch after the ground has frozen for even more protection. (Yes, at least 4 inches!)
When the plants appear next spring, feed them with a granular slow-release fertilizer and pinch off the tips of each branch (just an inch or so) a few times before July to encourage bushiness.
After that, stop pinching, or you’ll remove flower buds. If you don’t feel like pinching, you don’t have to; they’ll still bloom but with a more carefree, floppy sort of appearance.
Pinching off spent blooms (deadheading) will encourage new flowers.
Taken from https://www.almanac.com/are-mums-perennials
Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa [email protected]  641-794-3337  cell 641-903-9365  Beckysgreenhouse.com  Facebook Becky Kerndt Litterer or Becky’s Greenhouse