Fall is for Chrysanthemums

What looks like a mum and smells like a mum but (in my opinion) is better than a mum?  A hardy mum.  Most of the plants that fill area garden centers in the fall are floral mums.   They are carefully grown to produce dense blooms for fall, devoting more energy to blooms than roots.  Slow to spread or naturalize, they will grow in our area but don’t always survive a harsh winter, although cultivars vary. Hardy mums, however, put out stolons, or runners, and spread year to year.  Hardy mums often appear more daisy-like and typically overwinter even in the coldest conditions.  “Sheffield Pink” and “Clara Curtis” are varieties of hardy mums commonly found in our area. 

Caring for Mums

Like most perennials, chrysanthemums begin to bloom in mid- to late summer.  Mums are photoperiodic, which means they bloom in response to the seasonal shorter days and longer nights.  For fall blooms, you should pinch back new growth in the spring, once the plant reaches about five inches, and continue to pinch back every two to three weeks until mid-July.  Many gardeners use July Fourth as the cutoff date for pinching because it is easy to remember.  Pinching creates fuller, less “leggy” plants.  Mums shouldn’t be fertilized after the end of July in order to prevent frost damage to new growth later on.  Mums require full sun and well-drained soil that has been enriched with compost.  Mums planted in the spring will have more time to become established than mums planted in fall. 

Other uses

Mums are native to Asia and northeastern Europe.  The plant was first cultivated as an herb in China in the 15^th Century B.C.  It remains significant in many Asian celebrations, including the Japanese Festival of Happiness.  Certain mums are used to make chrysanthemum tea.  The plant’s leaves are steamed or boiled as greens in Chinese cuisine. 

One member of the chrysanthemum family contains pyrethrum, an extract which contains insecticidal properties.  Soldiers in the Napoleonic Wars used the crushed flowers to control fleas and lice.  Today many products containing pyrethrum are sold as natural insecticides.  According to “ Mother Earth News,” pyrethrum is the strongest insecticide allowed under today’s National Organic Standards guidelines.  Caution should be taken to avoid use around honeybees and beneficial insects. 

Hardy mums are a good nectar source for butterflies in late fall when other flowers are scarce..