Are Mums Perennials in Michigan
Mums also known as chrysanthemums are such favorite flowers to enjoy during the fall season. When cool temperatures begin to roll in, you see farm stands, supermarkets, grocery stores, and pretty much everyone loaded up on beautiful mums to sell during the fall season. But are mums perennials in Michigan? Let’s explore the answer to this question, as well as some basic tips and tricks on how to care for your beautiful mums.
Mums are a great outdoor plant, they are great outdoors because they do well in the cold weather and our late bloomers. You can often see these beautiful fall flowers displayed on hay bales along with pumpkin, at any fall festivities.
Types of Mums
There are many different types of mums. Some types of chrysanthemums include, but are not limited to the following:
Single mum. These flowers very much look like daisies. They are even called a daisy in some cases.
Pom-pom mums. These produce flowers that are almost like little balls they are so small and round and absolutely gorgeous.
Cushion mums. These are one of the more common types of mum varieties you will see at your local garden center. These are flat flowers that have many layers of petals coming from an obvious center.
Anemone mums. These are a unique type of mum because they have a puffed center and then several layers of petals.
Spider mums. These plants have long skinny petals with several layers of petals coming from the center of the flower.
Spoon mums. These are another variety that is very unique because they have a daisy-like center to the flower, but the petals that come out are shaped like spoons!
Quill mums. These flowers are also daisy-like in shape, but they have very long spindly petals with flat ends, similar to spoon mums.
Tobago mum. Is the type of mum that has lovely big and full blooms. This is often a type of mum that is thought of as being a decorative flower.
Indian Summer mum. The Indian Summer mum is another type of chrysanthemum that might look familiar to you. It has lovely full peddled flowers, that are similar to the cushion mum, but these don’t have a definitive center visible.
Are mums which are also known as chrysanthemums perennial plants?
Let’s explore the answer to our mum’s perennials, especially in Michigan in the details to follow.
Perennial Plants
First, let’s explore with a perennial plant is. In short, a perennial plant is something that could be planted once and will continue to come back each growing season.
Garden Mums
Garden mums are so beautiful. You can often find them in several different varieties available for purchase during the fall season. They come in bright colors with beautiful blooms. Typically, the bloom time is near the end of summer or early fall. Although the growing season for mums is all summer long.
You can find mums for purchase in the late summer months, or into fall at most garden centers, or florist mums are also available from your local florist. Typically, when you go to buy a mom, they are sold as an annual flower.
You may not have even stopped to consider if these mums aren’t actual annuals, or if they could be perennials. I know the thought didn’t cross my mind until a few years ago, when I was looking at these beautiful flowers, wondering if they would grow again next year if I planted them.
Mum Hardiness
Surprisingly, most mums although they are sold as animals are actually hearty varieties that can survive as perennials in most locations.
Most varieties of mums are known to be perennials in growing zones five through nine. This means that most mums are perennials in the majority of the United States. What about Michigan specifically you might ask? When looking at the US Department of Agricultural hardiness zone map for growing plants, the lower peninsula of Michigan is in zones 7 through 4 depending on what part of the state you are in. The upper peninsula of Michigan is in zones 5 through 4. (Source)
Therefore, determining if mums are perennials in your area of Michigan will depend on your location, as well as how cold your soil gets. Most varieties of mums are perennials to a low of negative twenty degrees Fahrenheit.
Most hearty varieties of mums are perennials in Michigan, with the exception of a few locations, which are known for cooler temperatures than what mums can typically handle.
Growing Mums in your Michigan Garden
If you are considering going mums in your Michigan garden, there are a few things that you will want to note first before you begin. Making sure that your mums have the proper care, no matter where you are located in the state of Michigan will help the beautiful flowers survive the winter months and grow again next year.
In order for your beautiful mums to survive the cold temperatures, and last through the winter, it’s important to pay attention to the time of year in which you were planting them. Even hardy mums need this careful attention in order to survive in colder climates.
The reason why the time of year mums are planted is important is so they have enough time to grow a strong root system. This route growth will give the plant a better chance of survival in the cold weather climate.
The best time of year to plant mums in Michigan is usually during the month of September. Anywhere from late summer, and to late September will allow the mums to be planted and have a chant for their roots to grow before the first frost.
Fall Planting
You will want to make sure to get the mums in the ground in early fall so that they have the best chance of survival before the first hard frost of the year hits.
When you buy mums, they are usually only available in the late summer months and already are in full bloom. This means that the plant is actually past the peak for the year, but because plants like mums are not available to buy before fall hits, fall is the time to plant them. If you can find mums available for purchase in the spring, then you can also plant them in the spring and then they will have plenty of time to develop a healthy root system.
When you are planting mums in Michigan in the fall, it’s important that you get them in the ground before the end of September, and make sure that your hole is plenty deep enough so that they are covered with enough dirt. You also want to make sure that you water the mums often so that they don’t die before the first frost.
As long as you have healthy moms, they can be planted in either the fall months, before the first frost, or in the spring. Ideally, when you’re planting them in the fall in Michigan, you will want to make sure to get them in the ground as soon as possible, so the roots can establish before the weather turns cold for the winter.
Care of Mums
When planting mums in Michigan, there are a few things that will help your mums to be able to grow and thrive as perennials. The main one is to plant them before the end of September. This will give your mum is the best chance to grow again next year. But in order to plant your mums, you need to know what makes them happy. Here are a few key points you want to keep in mind when planting mums as perennials.
Well-Draining Soil. It’s a good idea to plant your mums in well-drained soil. This way they don’t become waterlogged.
Cover the Base of the Plant. When planting your mums in the ground it’s a good idea to cover the base of the plant with a few inches of mulch. This will help to protect the root system.
Water. You will want to give the newly planted mum plenty of water and water it regularly. Make sure to water it often enough so that the leaves do not become wilted. Of course, after the first frost, it will likely cause the plant to be done for the year.
Plenty of Sun. Mums will do best when they are planted in full sun. They will need plenty of sunshine to keep them happy and healthy.
Plant in a Protected Space. If you’re reading this article, then you likely do live in Michigan. So, let’s be honest Michigan can get really cold, which is why it’s my personal recommendation that you plant your moms in a protected place. For example, planting them in a flower bed right up next to your house is always a good idea. This allows your plants much more protection, and they are more likely to come back the next year.
How to Take Care of Planted Mums
You were able to get your mums planted in the ground before the first frost, so now what? If your plants are still alive for the year, then you’ll want to make sure that you continue to water the plants as needed. In addition to caring for your moms this season, it’s important to know how to treat them when you’re cleaning out your flowerbeds this fall, and how to care for them next year. Let’s take a look.
Leave Dead Foliage on Mums
In addition to planting your mums in full sun, in a protected location, the next best tip that I can share with you and growing mums in Michigan, is to leave the dead foliage on your mums. If you’re like me, I like to clean out my flowerbeds before it’s completely bitter cold outside. This means that likely my mums are still flowering, but the rest of my plants have died off for the season.
When you’re cleaning out your flowerbeds for the year, it’s very important that you leave the dead foliage on your moms, and do not cut it off in the fall. In fact, you may not want to cut it off at all.
As odd as it seems, by leaving the dead foliage on your moms, you are greatly increasing the chance of survival for that plant. The following spring, you’ll begin to see little green sprouts come up from the base of the plant in amongst the dead foliage. When you begin to see new growth in the early spring, it’s still a good idea to leave the dead foliage in place.
Very late spring to early summer, likely the dead foliage from the previous year has completely disappeared, and your mum. As long as the mum is healthy, and you still see dead foliage from the previous year, you can go ahead and remove it without causing harm to your plant. By late summer and into the fall season the next year, your moms will continue flowering. You can enjoy these beautiful mums as perennials for many years to come when they are cared for properly.
Tips and Tricks from Personal Experience
When living in a colder region, it’s important to properly care for your moms in order for them to survive as perennials. I love mums, they are such beautiful flowers and always brighten the fall season.
I never realized until a few years ago, that moms could in fact survive as perennials in Michigan. I tried planting them in my flowerbeds, right next to my house. To my surprise, they grew back the following spring, and continue to grow back each year.
I have planted my mum plants on both the west and south sides of my house, as close to the house in the flower bed as possible. This provides protection from the elements, and allows them to stay warmer, than if they were planted out in the middle of my yard.
In addition to planting them in a protected area, the other tip I would like to share with you is that you will not want to remove the dead flower head from the plants. Somehow by allowing the deadheads to stay on your mums over the winter, it enables them to have a better chance of survival.
Now that you know, that most types of moms are in fact perennials in Michigan, and will likely grow here after a year as long as you take care, bye filing if you have simple tricks, you can head out to your garden center this fall, which is the perfect time to pick up these beautiful low-maintenance perennials.
A Fall Garden Favorite
Moms are such beautiful fall flowers and make a great addition for outdoor plants to enjoy in your flowerbeds. They are so beautiful, in bloom late into the year, so you get to enjoy beautiful flowers as the weather turns cold. Now that you know that yes, moms are perennials in Michigan as long as they are carefully cared for in most locations, they will return the next year.
I hope that this has been helpful to you, to learn about; are mums perennials in Michigan. Now that you know the details of how to help mums survive through till next year in most locations, you can begin planting and enjoying your own beautiful fall mums.
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