Mums are finally here at the garden center! As one of our all-time favorite fall plants, mums create a flash of fall color wherever you decide to use them, giving your space that immediate change of season that you’re looking for. Because mums are so versatile when it comes to color, as well as care, it’s easy to use them in a variety of ways to gear up for the fall season.

Mum 101 

Chrysanthemums (or mums for short) can be grown indoors or out, in hanging baskets, window boxes, and in your landscape! There are different types of mums to be aware of as well as different bloom periods per mum variety. Most garden mums are hardy in USDA zones 5-9. They are most well known for their tightly-packed domes of blooms that can come in a variety of colors. The most popular are yellow, white, red, orange, and purple. These blooms can last several weeks and bloom early, mid, or late fall. For more information on mum care, check out Mike, the Garden Guru’s webinar here.

Now that we know more about mums, it’s time to decide how to use them! Here are our top 5 suggestions of the season: 

5. Planting Up in Containers - Mums are the perfect plant for container gardening, as they provide so much color in a little package. Try planting up a few in a simple terracotta pot, or something even more extravagant, depending on your tastes. Try combining with other fall favorites like ornamental peppers, ornamental kale, or a variety of tall grasses.

4. Plant in Mass - Make an impact in your garden with mums by planting up your beds in mass for an immediate pop of color. This will also help transition your garden look to fall, while also getting your expired summer annuals out of your beds. 

3. Create a Fall Flower Garden - Take planting in mass one step further by creating a fall garden like no other with a variety of mums, goldenrod, asters, grasses, and sedums. Your fall look can last for a season or even longer depending on what type of garden you are looking for. Planting mums up with other fall florals can also give you a beautiful cut-flower arrangement later in the season. 

2. Hanging Baskets & Window Boxes - Don’t put your hanging baskets away for the season, fill them with mums! Since mums work so well in containers, they are perfect for placing in arrangements as well as being stand-alone plants. Hanging baskets and window boxes add a vertical element of color to your fall mum look instead of just keeping your usual containers on the porch steps or in the home. 

1. Combine with Decor - A great final touch to pair with your mums this fall season is to grab a seasonal garden flag of your favorite fall sports team or even just a design you like. Combine these with other elements like birdhouses and stakes or even a combination of fall-colored pots to prep your mums for a fabulous fall look. 

To learn even more about mums and even grab some deals on them, come see us for Mum Mania this September 9th-11th, 2022. Don’t forget to also check out the Garden Guru and his webinars with new plants, products, and expert planting advice. To keep inspired and grow with us, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to dig into the joys of gardening!