Tips for Buying Fall Mums

Fall mums are one of the easiest ways to add colour to your porch, garden or entrance as summer fades. But not all mums are equal. A little care when choosing them can mean weeks of extra colour.

1. Look for lots of unopened buds

Choose a plant with many buds that are just beginning to show colour rather than one that is already in full bloom. It will usually give you a longer display.

2. Check the foliage

Leaves should be deep green, full and healthy-looking. Avoid mums with:

• Yellow or brown leaves
• Wilting foliage
• Large bare areas
• Spots or signs of disease

3. Inspect underneath the leaves

Turn the plant over and look for aphids, spider mites or other insects. Also check for sticky residue or webbing.

4. Choose a compact, full plant

A good mum should look bushy and well-filled, not tall, thin or stretched. The stems should be strong enough to support the flowers.

5. Check the soil

The soil should be slightly moist, not soaking wet and not bone dry. Avoid plants sitting in containers full of stagnant water.

6. Consider your location

For Saint John and coastal New Brunswick, look for hardy garden mums if you want to try planting them in the ground. However, even hardy mums can have difficulty surviving winter if planted late in the season because their roots may not have enough time to establish.

7. Think about where you’ll put them

Mums generally perform best with several hours of sunlight. A sunny porch, step or garden bed will usually produce better colour than a heavily shaded location.

8. Don’t be afraid of smaller plants

A smaller mum covered in unopened buds can actually provide more value over time than a large plant already at peak bloom.

9. Pick colours that work together

Traditional fall combinations include:

• Orange and yellow
• Burgundy and red
• Purple and white
• Bronze and gold

For a classic Atlantic Canadian autumn look, bronze, burgundy, yellow and orange work particularly well with pumpkins and fall foliage.

10. Protect them from an early frost

Mums can tolerate cool fall weather, but a hard frost can damage open flowers. If you’re keeping potted mums outside, moving them into a sheltered area overnight during an unusually cold spell can extend their display.

My simple buying rule: Lots of buds + healthy green leaves + compact growth + moist soil = a good mum to take home.

For Saint John, I would also pay attention to the weather forecast before buying a large number of mums, because a sudden frost can arrive quickly in late September or October.