Here in southern Indiana, the temperatures are finally breaking and cooler nights remind us that fall is on the way.

What a welcome change after an overall brutal summer of heat and drought. We’ve already gotten 4 inches of rain in September, giving us Hoosiers a much needed break from our watering regimes. It’s time to get geared up for fall color, and nothing screams fall like mums!

How to Choose Mums

The nurseries around here are stocked to the brim with mums. It helps to know what you’re looking for when buying them.

First of all, “mum” is short for Chrysanthemum. The varieties sold in the fall are referred to as Garden or Hardy Mums. They are tightly mounded and come in many bloom types and colors. When purchasing, look for lots of tightly closed buds to ensure long bloom time.

Most nurseries carry similar colors of yellow, orange, burgundy, and white, if not more. Pair yellow and orange mums with pumpkins for a gorgeous (and well-coordinated) fall display.

Plant Care

Deadheading mums is tedious, but removing old blooms really improves the appearance. They’re often crammed into little pots and have lots of foliage and blooms, which means they need frequent watering in containers to keep from wilting. However, they don’t like soggy roots either, so don’t water if the soil feels damp.

Even though they are known as Hardy Mums, it doesn’t guarantee you’ll see them again next year, especially in a container. Your best bet to overwinter a mum in a container is to either bury the whole pot in the ground or insulate it in a sheltered area with plenty of leaves piled around it. Plant it in the ground in spring. You can try planting it in the ground in late fall, but it is less likely to survive, since mums should have around six weeks in the ground to get established before a killing frost.

If your Mum survives the winter, remember to pinch it back several times until July 4^th to reduce legginess and ensure plenty of fall blooms.