Dendranthemum 'Ryan Gainey'

Bring back heirloom or “old-fashioned” mum varieties into your autumn garden! These varieties tend to bloom very late in the fall and tend to be hardier (USDA hardiness zone 5). Four of the best heirlooms are:

‘Clara Curtis’ – deep pink, daisy-like blooms

‘Mary Stoker’- peachy yellow blooms

‘Sheffield’ (aka ‘Sheffield Pink’) – light pink

‘Ryan’s Pink’ – bright pink daisy blooms with yellow centers.

If you want to grow heirloom mums, you may be purchased plants from e-commerce nurseries on-line in early spring. Plant them in full sun and in moist well-drained soil where they should be nurtured through the summer months. Avoid planting them in areas where street and house lights will shine on them at night. Mums bloom poorly without a full night of darkness.

Feed once at spring planting time with a slow-release fertilizer. As an alternative, feed with a water-soluble fertilizer such as Miracle-Gro®, Daniels®, or Jack’s Classic® twice monthly until buds form or through the end of August.

From late spring until mid-July, pinch growing tips back 2-3 inches every two weeks. This will create well-branched plants full of blooms. Do not allow mums to bloom early in the summer, usually a reaction to severe heat or dry soil. Mums should be irrigated during dry spring – summer periods. Mulching helps to conserve soil moisture and protect plant crowns overwinter.

Caveat: some greenhouse growers are also marketing older mums as “heirloom” varieties, popular 30-40 years ago. Some of these varieties are still excellent garden performers. However, some tend to be disease prone or weakly branched.