Are Chrysanthemums Perennials in Zone 5, Here’s You Need to Know!

Are you one of the people who are wondering if the pretty flowers are called chrysanthemums perennials? If the answer to the question is yes, you are not the only one as some other people are also wondering about the same thing. Actually, it is not surprising as chrysanthemums are known to be confusing plant groups.

Talking about the chrysanthemums or mums, there are potted florist ones that look just like the garden or hardy mums. Both of them share the same botanical name, which is Chrysanthemum x morifolium. These two are perennials. Despite having several similarities, their survival depends on when you get them and the place where you live. As for garden or hardy mums, they are known as perennial mums. The cut flower chrysanthemums such as spider mums or football mums are perennials in Zones 5, Zones 6, Zones 7, Zones 8, and Zones 9. If you are a fan of these variations, they are able to be found for sale online. Commonly, you can also get any annual mums like yellow daisy well known as Chrysanthemum multicaule  and painted daisy known as Chrysanthemum carinatum or Chrysanthemum tricolor.

From the paragraph above, it can be concluded that chrysanthemums or mums are both perennial and non-perennials. So, when someone asks if mums are perennials, the answer to the question is both yes and no.

As mentioned before, hardy mums also have another common name, which is garden mums. Garden mums or hardy mums are pretty things that you see every time you go to your garden. They look majestic in fall with the pumpkins and gourds. They are so good at boasting the intense flower power and bold petal hues, including the shades like gold, orange, violet, russet, and copper.

The reliably perennial mums called garden mums are hybrids of Korean chrysanthemums (Chrysanthemum indicum). They are usually hardly in Zones 4, Zones 5, Zones 6, Zones 7, and Zones 8. Most garden mums (Chrysanthemum x morifolium) are hardly in Zones 5, Zones 6, Zones 7, Zones 8, and Zones 9. However, there is a way to enjoy these blooms that usually bloom in fall in the icy winter.

You will be able to enjoy the color of chrysanthemums before winter comes. Below is everything that you have to know to make this plant thrive.

More Info: How to Grow Annual and Perennial Chrysanthemum from Seeds

There are a total of two requirements for the perennial mums to survive winter. The first one is early planting. When you see those amazing chrysanthemums pans (shallow pots) at the garden centers, you might want to buy them. After getting them, bring them home and then plant them. This kind of thing is called early planting. The purpose of this planting is to get them in the ground at the very start of fall, which is in early September in regions with the cold winters such as Zones 4 and Zones 5. While it is true that the spring is the best and ideal time to grow perennials in these cold regions, early fall is also not a bad option.

The second one to get through winter is excellent drainage. Having great drainage is the only way to survive the cool winter. In order to survive, you are suggested to add compost to the planting holes and beds. Take note that the type of soil does not matter to do this so if you have heavy clay or well drained loam, you can still add a compost. Please do it to make sure that the garden mums can pass the extreme cold winter without dying.

Planting or growing the chrysanthemums or mums is not an easy thing to do, especially for those beginners. However, everything can be easier if you know what to do. Here are a few tips to successfully grow or plant them:

1. Begin with the right spot

Place the chrysanthemums in the right place is the key to make them thrive. The best place to plant them is a sunny spot. The more sunlight they get, the more blooms you will see. The lack of sunlight makes them floppy and extra care is needed for them. Please put them under the sun for the minimum of six hours.

2. Use the well drain soil

You should get the well-drained soil for the chrysanthemums to grow well. If you have heavy and poorly draining soil with a lot of clay, you will need to work some organic things into the planting beds. Actually, it is not limited to the heavy and poorly draining soil. If you have well drained soil, you can also add the organic matter. Garden mums are known to be always hungry for good drainage.

3. Avoid overcrowding

When you are planting the chrysanthemums, it is a must to follow the spacing recommendations on the pot labels. Please avoid overcrowding and they tend to have shallow roots when there are other plants in the same place.

4. Keep the chrysanthemums moist

In order to avoid leaf wilting, you will have to keep soil moist when growing chrysanthemums. As one of the shallow rooted plants, they are more sensitive to soil drying out. Aside from that, giving them too much water is also a no.

5. Use mulch

Adding a mulch layer to soil is effective to maintain the soil moisture and insulate the shallow root system of the garden mums. Another function of a good mulch layer is to protect the plant crowns in the winter.

6. Feed the chrysanthemums regularly

For the established chrysanthemums, you will have to feed them with fertilizer in spring when the new growth starts to appear. You can use the common landscape fertilizer with numbers like 5-10-10. When in spring, you can use the fertilizer product like 5-10-10. It should be easy for you to find this kind of fertilizer. When in fall, avoid feeding them with fertilizer at planting time. It is better for you to give the plants a high phosphorus fertilizer when planting them in fall and you want them to get through the winter.