Not all Chrysanthemums are hardy!  Plant the right mum variety in spring for glorious blooms year after year.

January 14, 2010, Tipp City, Ohio:  Mums are a tempting impulse buy in the fall, when they’re in full bloom at farmer’s markets, grocery stores, garden centers and just about everywhere in between.  Sure, you’ll get weeks of blooms from these colorful potted plants, but plant them in the garden in fall and they probably won’t come back again next year.  The key to years of bold, late-season garden color is selecting the right mum variety and giving it time to get established in your garden.

Not All Mums are Hardy

The first step is selecting the right hardy mum for your garden.  There are no guarantees that the everyday mums sold in fall are hardy or will survive their first winter, even if they are marked as hardy.  Most mums are only hardy to zone 5, but Spring Hill® Nurseries offers a truly perennial mum that is hardy to zone 3.

Hardy Mammoth Mums were bred by the University of Minnesota to withstand extreme winter temperatures as cold as –30 degrees Fahrenheit.  Hardy in zones 3 to 9, these mums do equally well in warmer climates and can be grown virtually anywhere in the U.S.

Years of careful breeding also give Hardy Mammoth Mums their massive size and perfect cushion shape.  They grow to an astounding 3 1/2 feet tall and 5 feet across, creating a true focal point in the garden.  Covered with hundreds of beautiful, bright blooms, these beauties make a big impact as hedges, mass plantings or individuals.  You won’t find mums that come close to this size at farmer’s markets or garden centers.

The bright color choices of Hardy Mammoth Mums do more than lend glorious late-season color to your garden—they create a show-stopping scene no matter where or how you plant them.  They’re available from Spring Hill Nurseries in red, yellow, lavender, bronze and coral.

Plant Mums in Spring, Not Fall

The second step to growing hardy mums is planting them in the spring.  The mums sold mid-bloom in fall are putting a lot of energy into blooming, not growing roots.  So when you plant these mums in early or mid-fall, they don’t have enough time to become established in your garden.  This might not be a problem in warmer climates, but in areas with sub-zero winters, the freezing and thawing of the soil will heave the plant right out of the ground and kill its roots.

Plant a hardy variety like Spring Hill’s Hardy Mammoth Mums in spring so they have plenty of time for root growth.  Plant them in full sun or part shade in the spring and sit back for easy-to-grow, spectacular fall beauty.  They don’t require any pinching, pruning or deadheading.  At the end of fall, simply cut their stems down to 4 inches above the ground and look forward to seeing your hardy mums put on another spectacular show next year.

Visit www.SpringHillNursery.com for more information on Red Daisy Hardy Mammoth Mum, Yellow Quill Hardy Mammoth Mum, Lavender Daisy Hardy Mammoth Mum, Bronze Daisy Hardy Mammoth Mum and Coral Daisy Hardy Mammoth Mum.  Or contact us at publicity@gardensalive.com.

Spring Hill Nurseries History

Founded in 1849, Spring Hill Nurseries is one of the oldest and largest gardening companies in the United States. Spring Hill distributes catalogs nationwide and maintains a substantial presence online.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Spring Hill Nurseries Press Contact:

Dane Coleman, 937-667-2491 ext. 3094, publicity@gardensalive.com

Spring Hill Nurseries, 110 West Elm St., Tipp City, OH 45371-1699

Dane Coleman

Gardening Publicist

publicity@gardensalive.com

With early spring not that far way, it’s time to start thinking about pruning. I’m Lou Manfrednini, Ace’s “Helpful Hardware Man” and correct pruning techniques will help your plants stay beautiful and strong.

Pruning works by cutting away the excess growth that will weaken your plants and keep them from growing and filling out in the way you’d like them to. Think of it like Pilates for your plants – you need to keep the core strong! Once the core of your plant is really strong, more buds will be able to shoot out and you will be able to cultivate a stronger, more resilient plant.

However, you never want to over prune, which can shock the plant and inhibit growth. Take your hand and stick out two fingers. Looking at your fingers, you never want to prune past your knuckle. You want to make sure you leave enough still there.

As with most projects, the tools can make the job much easier. The best pruning tool I’ve come across is the Fiskars line of pruning tools. They are ergonomically correct, which is easy on the hands and very durable.

Also, it’s best to do the bulk of your pruning in early spring or late fall after the leaves have started to fall.