Photo Credit: Allison Lemons. WIBC.
Every grocery store, local garden center, and orchard has these guys on display, the signature marker of fall: mums!
A lot of people think that mums are annuals, but in fact they are year-round perennials. If you want to give it a try and see your mums in action year-round, check out these tips from our friend, the Hoosier Gardener, Jo Ellen.
Planting
When you purchase your mums in the fall, you’ll want to get them in the ground as soon as possible.
Find a sunny location and using average soil is perfect- be mindful of over fertilizing which can cause the mums to be a bit floppy when they bloom.
Water during dry spells.
Three-Steps to Keep Mums Year-Long
After you’ve enjoyed them in the fall, cut them back to 3 inches and mulch over for protection.
What a lot of people don’t know is that mums are in their prime in SPRING. So when they start budding early next year that is the best time to split them.
You’ll also want to start pinching (prune) the spent flowers back a couple of time a year until early July for a nice full bloom in fall.
Tip: You can tell when to prune when you start to see new leaves forming at the base of the plant.
For more Home and Garden tips and tricks, tune in every Saturday 9am-1pm right here on WIBC
