Are Mums Perennials In Zone 4

Brightly colored fall chrysanthemums, or "mums," are hard to miss as summer winds down and fall approaches. They can be purchased just about any place that sells plants, from garden centers to grocery stores. It's easy to find mums in fall hues of yellow, bronze, purple or burgundy, but they also come in white, pink and red. These plants can either be planted in containers and hanging baskets or stuck into the ground to fill gaps in the garden.

Regardless of how they are used, do not expect them to survive the winter. The fall blooming mums that can be purchased late in the growing season have not been bred for cold hardiness. If they do manage to live through the winter, they seldom bloom again. It is almost always easier to treat them as annuals and add them to the compost heap after the first hard frost. To grow mums in cold and northern climates, first make sure you are selecting a mum hardy enough for your growing zone.

That will give it plenty of time to become well established before winter hits. Plant your mums where they will get plenty of sunlight, minimum of a half day but a full day is best. The shortening sunlight as fall approaches is what triggers mums to bloom, so don't confuse them by planting them where they get extended light from outdoor lighting. Plant your mums in good garden soil, well drained, and they prefer a slightly alkaline soil. It is important the soil be well drained, the roots detest being wet over winter. Fertilize your mums every three to four weeks until the buds appear.

And pinch off the top inch or two of growth every three or four weeks into July to encourage dense bushy growth and tons of blooms. When your plant has finished blooming, it's time to get it ready for winter. Do not cut the plant down to the ground until spring, it will get through winter best if the top growth traps leaves and holds snow to help insulate the roots. It is best to apply several inches of mulch around the plant after the soil freezes to protect the roots in case you don't get much snow to insulate them.

Your roots will likely still freeze, but heavy mulch, straw or evergreen branches or snow will prevent damage from frost heaves and freeze/thaw cycles. In the spring, wait for the soil to thaw and begin to warm before removing mulch and old foliage. Anise Hyssop looks spectacular in the perennial fall garden with its tall spikes of appealing lavender flowers and an aromatic anise-like scent. Hummingbirds, bees, butterflies, and pollinating insects all find this native flower irresistible and swarm the plant when it is in bloom. Anise Hyssop plants grow inches tall, and they have toothed muted green leaves. The flower spikes, covered with hundreds of densely packed little tubular purple blooms, rise up above the foliage, announcing themselves to the world.

Anise Hyssop is part of the mint family, but it doesn't have the same invasive tendencies as most mints. The flowers bloom for months, from late summer through fall. This Hyssop is exceptionally low-maintenance and deer resistant. "Alabaster" has white flowers and light green foliage, "Blue Blazes" is a taller version with purple flowers, and "Black Adder" has reddish-violet blooms.

A second winter-survivability consideration is not planting too late in the season. Because mums are one of the last perennial flowers to bloom, they're typically not bought and planted until October—often to replace frost-killed summer annuals. Other times they're not planted at all, instead being used as potted spots of color on decks, patios, porches and front steps.

Left outside in above-ground pots, those plants almost always freeze-dry over winter. Mums that are planted in spring, summer or very early fall have a better chance of surviving winter. That earlier planting gives the roots a chance to acclimate and establish, increasing the plant's winter hardiness. Roots that take hold before the ground freezes also prevent mums from "heaving" out of the ground in winter, leaving the top of the rootball exposed.

Even if you like your mums potted in fall, it's better to plant them late when the show's over than not at all. Gorgeous mums in shades of red, yellow, orange, purple, and white pop up everywhere in the fall. I like to use them for autumn displays on my porch, along with dried cornstalks, gourds, and pumpkins. But by the following spring, my plants are usually reduced to clumps of dead stems. After checking in with a few mum-growing pros, I realized I was planting my mums too late. In fact, garden mums are fairly easy to grow, once you know the following common mistakes to avoid.

This hardy mum was one of the most colorful plants in the trial garden last fall with masses of deep pink, button flowers. This series is comprised of 15 varieties including spider, button and decorative flower types. They add outstanding late summer and fall color, maintaining a uniform, compact habit. The plants are excellent in mass plantings and mixed borders with an abundance of flowers creating outstanding impact. The series is hardy to Zone 5, first year flowering and mature at 18 to 24 inches. The plants are larger and earlier flowering when established following the second season in established beds.

The blooms will continue until frost providing much needed color at that time of year and extended performance for the consumer. Planting chrysanthemum in the spring gives the perennial plant time to establish and adapt to its new garden home. You'll easily find mums in garden centers and nurseries in both fall and spring, but planning ahead is key to successful planting.

Planting in the spring will also result in a bigger bloom the following season. Although some fall mums can survive winter if planted immediately, the odds are much better with spring-planted mums. Asters and hardy mums are the two most traditional perennials to grow for fall flower color.

Hardy mums are about as easy to grow as a perennial gets. They come in great autumnal colors - yellow, bronze, red, white, orange, burgundy and pink and are usually hardy in zones 5-9. When buying mums be sure you distinguish between hardy and florist mums. In general, the mums covered with buds or already blooming that are widely available in garden centers in the fall are either not hardy or will not overwinter well.

Even hardy mums will not have a chance to establish before winter so they probably won't survive, especially if left in a container rather than in the ground. They are not annuals, but in cold zones some are considered tender or half hardy perennials, and will not return the following season. These mums are quite cold tolerant and will keep blooming at least until first frost if not longer.

In warm regions these mums will likely return the following year. Don't cut them back until spring, they will have a better chance of surviving winter. A stunningly tall native flower, Joe Pye Weed is superb in the fall perennial garden. It blooms from late summer through fall and produces massive, broad, slightly rounded clusters of dark purple or pink flowers . The bees, butterflies, and pollinating insects go crazy for Joe Pye Weed, and it is an important food source for many of them as they prepare to hibernate or migrate.

Joe Pye plants grow up to 6-8 feet tall, making them an impressive garden addition that is sure to be appreciated by all who see them. Joe Pye Weed is excellent as a background plant, centerpiece, or planted along pathways as a dramatic statement. It is rarely bothered by insects, pests, or disease, and deer generally avoid it. As if that isn't enough, this perennial smells like sweet vanilla. The third key mum-wintering aid is waiting until spring to trim off the cold-killed foliage.

Research has found that the crumbling dead foliage helps insulate the crowns of the plants and increases their cold tolerance. Those amendments will aid drainage and add organic matter and nutrition to the soil. Also work a balanced, granular fertilizer into the soil at planting time. Top the planted bed with 2 inches of mulch and then keep the soil consistently damp the first full growing season. Occasionally garden mums do winterkill, especially if the soil drains poorly or if there are excessive temperature fluctuations in the winter.

Since mums have shallow root systems they are very easily damaged by freezing and thawing. This type of winter damage can be prevented with mulching and proper care in the fall. Garden mums are much more likely to survive the winter if the dead plant stems are not removed until the spring. Additionally, adding a 2-4-inch layer of mulch over the crowns of plants can help. Pine needles, shredded bark, clean straw or evergreen boughs work well, but avoid leaves as these flatten and provide very little insulation.

Remove the mulch once the ground thaws in April and cut back dead stems before new growth begins. We usually associate Crocus blooms with spring, but here is a flower that brings some lovely crocus-like spirit to the fall garden! Autumn Crocuses aren't a real Crocus; they belong to the Colchicum/Lily family, while true Crocus flowers belong to the Iris family.

However, these not-really-Crocus Autumn Crocus flowers are just as cheerful and wonderful as their spring-blooming look-a-likes. Autumn Crocus plants feature dark-green leaves that resemble tulip foliage. The flowers are wide, goblet-shaped, and light pink or purple, or white. Autumn Crocus plants grow 8-14 inches tall and burst into bloom in early fall. Each flower bulb produces 1-10 stalks, and each stalk holds a single flower. The clumping growth makes it look like a flower bouquet emerging from the ground.

The flower stalks appear after the leaves have died off, which can be confusing since it seems like the whole plant died. Perennial Hibiscus,such as ourSummerific® series, is another class that will add color to the summer and fall garden. They actually start to bloom in mid-summer, but will continue to bloom deep into fall - October up in Michigan. The color range is pink, white, lavender and red, with some gorgeous bicolors.

The plants are quite heat tolerant and prefer consistently moist soil. In general, they are hardy in zones 4-9 and are quite large feet tall and wide. However, more compact versions such as Summerific® 'Cranberry Crush,' which is 3-4 feet tall, do exist.

When I first began to grow hardy mums, I was delighted to discover that this genus offers tall selections , which can be used to round out a planting and add variety. I can think of no better one to start with than Chrysanthemum 'Emperor of China' (Z 4–9). Reaching a height of 3 to 4 feet, this selection has dark pink buds that form beautiful double flowers, which are pink with dark centers. The 1½-inch-wide blooms with quilled petals open quite late, usually not until the third week of October, but they last until Thanksgiving if there is no killing frost. 'Emperor of China' can appear lanky, so I recommend placing it in the middle or back of the border or pinching it in late spring. Plant mums as soon as the soil warms in the spring.

From late spring to mid-summer, pinch back the tips and flower buds on all shoots to make the plant bushier and prepare it for a dramatic fall show. For optimal blooming, the plants should be fertilized regularly throughout the growing season. After the blooms fade, cut the plants down to about 6 inches, and cover them with straw or another dry mulch to protect the roots over winter. Established plants should be lifted and divided every two to three years. The best gardens have plants that add color and interest in all seasons.

Spring and summer are usually pretty simple to fill with color. It can take a bit more planning to keep the garden looking great late summer into fall and winter. However, with a bit of careful plant selection your garden can brim with interest in every season. The plants that are a bit overlooked are perennials and shrubs that flower, fruit or have showy foliage in fall. Mums aren't exactly "pruned," but are instead pinched throughout the growing season.

This helps the plant branch out, become fuller and offer more blooms. When your plant reaches 6 inches tall in the spring, simply pinch off 1 inch of each shoot. Repeat this every 2 to 3 weeks until early summer.Deadhead spent blooms throughout the fall for an extended bloom time. Once the plant has died in the winter, resist cutting it back.

Research reveals that allowing it to die back naturally over the winter produces a stronger plant. Simply clean up the dead stems and foliage in the spring. Also known as hardy or Belgian mums, garden mums are sold in garden centers and nurseries, and they're perennials in USDA Zones 5 to 9. But even when they're planted at the right time, they need a few other things, like excellent drainage.

Enfield adds, "There's no guarantee they will survive the winter, particularly the further north you live in the U.S." However, there are varieties that are truly perennial in most climates when planted in the early spring or in the fall several weeks before the first frost. These plants grow fast, and you should have flowers in the first growing season.

Bloom times vary with variety and climate from early September through mid-October. If you live in a cold climate, it is best to leave the foliage on the plant, even after it has browned and died, to increase the plant's chance of surviving the winter. In spring, you can prune out the dead leaves before the new ones start to develop. This compact series has been in the marketplace for many years and continues to provide outstanding color for late summer through fall. There are five colors available and Lady Susan with rich pink single blooms has the largest flower in the series.

It is recommended for partial shade but was in full sun in the CSU trial and manifested a prodigious flower canopy. The series is deer and rabbit resistant and is utilized in fall perennial programs with pansies and mums. The series matures at 18 to 20 inches and is hardy in Zones 5 through 9. Vernalization not required for flowering, but long days are imperative for flower initiation.