Why Hardy Mums Are Not Hardy
It’s nearing fall and everywhere you look is a display of hardy mums. Yet we are often asked, “Why are the mums not hardy?” Chrysanthemums being grown and bred now are very different than the chrysanthemums of long ago. Mum breeders have provided us with wonderful new colors, sizes and shapes of the ever-popular garden mum. But, as these new characteristics were developed, something else had to go. It takes a lot of energy to produce all those wonderful new qualities that today’s hardy mums possess. Generally they can’t establish a healthy root system and do not have enough vigor left to overwinter.
If you love mums and need to have them in your yard, there are perennial chrysanthemums that are usually planted in late spring or early summer. Typically they have daisy-type flowers. Asters are another perennial that blooms in late fall. They are available in shades of white to pink and purple to lavender. If you love your Shasta Daisy, give Montauk Daisy a try. Its large white daisy flowers will take your garden through the fall. This plant is one of the last to bloom!
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