Chrysanthemums 101: How to Keep Your Fall Mums Looking Fresh

Chrysanthemums, better known simply as mums, are the unofficial flower of fall. They brighten porches, patios, and container displays everywhere this time of year. But if you’ve ever brought home big beautiful mums from a garden center only to watch them wilt and fade a week later… you’re not alone.

The good news? 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐦𝐮𝐦𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐯𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫. Whether you're decorating steps, patios, balconies, or front doors, this guide will help keep your container mums looking crisp and colorful all season long.

🌼 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐃𝐞́𝐜𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐮𝐦𝐬

Most mums sold in September and October are labeled as “𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐮𝐦𝐬” or “𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐦𝐬.” These are 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰...but not necessarily to live long.

That’s why they sometimes struggle after you bring them home. But don’t worry, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐝! With the right care, you can extend their life long past Halloween and maybe even into Thanksgiving.

🪴 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝐎𝐧𝐞: 𝐏𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐌𝐮𝐦 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭

If you haven’t bought your mums yet, here’s what to look for:

✅ Choose plants with 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐮𝐝𝐬 and just a few flowers open

✅ Look for 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐞 with no yellowing leaves

✅ Avoid mums with 𝐝𝐫𝐲, 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨𝐢𝐥 or 𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬

✅ Check for 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐬 that are not circling or poking out the bottom

𝐏𝐫𝐨 𝐭𝐢𝐩: Avoid those already fully blooming dome-shaped mums. They may look stunning now, but they’re already nearing the end of their display.

💧 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 #𝟏 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐠-𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐌𝐮𝐦𝐬

If mums seem like drama queens, it’s because 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭, even once. A single dry spell can cause crisp leaves, browning centers, and “collapse.”

Here’s how to water correctly:

* Check soil 𝐝𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐲, especially in sunny spots

* Water 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭, not overhead

* Keep soil 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐠𝐠𝐲

* If water runs straight through the pot, soak the whole pot in a bucket for 10–15 minutes to rehydrate

𝐀𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬:

❌ Letting mums dry out completely

❌ Watering only the foliage

❌ Leaving pots sitting in trays of standing water

☀️ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐌𝐮𝐦𝐬

Mums love bright light but not relentless afternoon sun late in the season. Too much direct sun dries them out fast.

✅ Ideal light: 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐮𝐧 + 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐞

✅ Too much sun = wilting and fading

✅ Too much shade = stretched stems and fewer blooms

If your mums are on a porch, 𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 so they bloom evenly.

🌡️ 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐬

Mums actually prefer 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫. The cooler the temperature, the longer they’ll hold their color.

🌡️ Perfect temp range: 𝟒𝟓°𝐅–𝟔𝟎°𝐅 (𝟕°𝐂–𝟏𝟓°𝐂)

🌡️ Above 75°F? Blooms fade faster

🌡️ Below 32°F? Cover them overnight during frost alerts

If a cold snap is coming, drape an old sheet or frost cloth over the plant—don’t use plastic.

🪴 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐃𝐨 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐨 𝐈𝐭?

Most mums are sold in 𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐧𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐬 where roots dry out quickly. Repotting into a slightly larger container 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 by giving roots room and soil better moisture retention.

* Move to a pot 𝟐 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫

* Use 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐢𝐱

* Make sure the 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬

* Add mulch or moss on top to 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞

If you don’t want to fully repot, “cache” pot them—simply place the nursery pot inside a nicer decorative container. Just lift to water.

🌸 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐞𝐚𝐭

Deadheading helps mums stay fresh and encourages new blooms.

How to do it:

* Snip 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐬 just above a leaf node

* Remove 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬

* Trim 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐠𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 to maintain shape

This simple step makes a big difference in your display.

🧪 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐅𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐌𝐮𝐦𝐬?

Not in fall! Skip fertilizer now. Blooming mums are already at peak display, and 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐟𝐲 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬.

Save fertilizer for next year if you plan to overwinter them.

🍁 𝐒𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐮𝐦𝐬

Make your mums shine with these easy fall combos:

𝐌𝐮𝐦 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐫 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬

Burgundy Ornamental kale, millet, pumpkins

Yellow Fountain grass, pansies, gourds

Orange Purple cabbage, fall ivy, corn stalks

Purple Silver dusty miller, mini pumpkins

White Green heuchera, rosemary, wheat bundles

🔧 𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐌𝐮𝐦 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐬

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦 𝐂𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐱

Wilted flowers Dry soil Water deeply + mulch

Yellow leaves Overwatering Improve drainage

Blooms fading fast Too much sun/heat Move to shade

Mushy base Root rot Reduce watering, repot

Leggy stems Low light Move to brighter spot

🧭 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭

Keeping fall mums alive doesn’t have to be complicated. With 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠, your front porch display can look fresh for weeks longer than expected.

A little extra care now means your mums will stay a beautiful part of your seasonal container garden right up to Thanksgiving.

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