Winter prep for Chrysanthemums

by Debbie
(Pennsylvania)

I am brand new at this. How do I save the perennials for next year...example Hardy Mum Chrysanthemum...I am thinking I cut to the top of the soil and cover with mulch...don't laugh at me.

Doug says he doesn't laugh at beginner questions - you need to know and you don't.

Mums overwinter sporadically in colder climates unless you have fully winter-hardy ones. So if you're in northern Pa, you're going to have a different outcome than if you're in the relatively balmy south.

But generally, cut them back (leave a few inches showing to let you know where they are) after really hard frosts have wreched the leaves. You do this after several very hard frosts (to allow the mice to seek shelter elsewhere) After cutting back, you can mulch your mums with up to 6-8 inches of mulch to help them through the winter.

First thing in the spring as soon as the snow melts, you want to get that mulch off.

You do this because you don't want the damp mulch to sit on top of the mum and rot it. And you don't want the mum to start growing (if the mulch doesn't rot it) too soon as those young shoots will be easily frozen and killed. Getting the mulch off early allows the plant to naturally wake up with the season and not be too warm - too early.

Good luck with them. As I said, in a cold winter they can be "iffy" depending on the variety. Next spring buy your hardy mums in the perennial section early in the season and look for the hardy perennial ones.