o u t d o o r s
plantings
P O T T E D P A R TN ER S
Mix m u m s w ith fancy
foliage fo r eye-p o p p in g
co n tain ers. A trio of
m um s,
left,
glow s am id
‘O g o n ’ g rass and
o rnam en tal kale, w ith a
dash o f pansies and
‘C arn ival Red’ peppers.
G A R D E N V A R IE T Y
M ost m um varieties will
create a m ound of
bloom ing co lo r from i
to 2 feet tall, w hich
looks great at the front
o r m iddle o f garden
borders. Partner m um s
with fall perennials,
below,
such as
goldenrod, asters, and
ornam ental grasses.
V isit
BHG.com/mums
to see so m e of
o u r favorites.
Hardy—To a Point
T h o u g h m o st gard en ers b uy m u m s in the fall and discard
th em after th e b lo o m s fade, so m e ch o o se plants that are
sold as “hardy.” T h is te rm leads gard en ers to think that
the m u m s will return e very y e a r like m o st perennials. In
truth, m ost hardy m u m s are sh o rt-lived p erennials that
m ay live fo r o n ly an o th e r 1 to 3 years.
O V E R W IN T E R IN G N ea r the n o rth ern lim its o f m um
hard iness (Z o n e s 4 -6 ) , planting in fall gives h ardy m u m s
little tim e to b eco m e established. A th ick layer o f m ulch
im pro ves th e ir o d d s o f overw intering. Planting in sp rin g
results in m o re established, w in ter-h ard y specim ens.
J U S T A P IN C H M um s that successfu lly o verw in ter need a
little attention in sp rin g and su m m e r to ach ieve the look
that people expect o f m um s. P inch o ff sh o o t tips tw ice
p rio r to m id -Ju ly to p ro m o te a m o re co m p a ct plant and
to delay b lo o m until fall, and fertilize and w ater m u m s
regularly. F o r additional planting tips, see “W o rd s o f
W isd o m ,”
page 130.
1 2 8 OCTOBER 2009 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
PHOTOS: (MUMS IN CONTAINER) KRITSADA; (MUMS IN GARDEN) BLAINE MOATS
