Key Takeaways
Mums grow best in well-draining locations that receive at least six hours of sun per day.Areas with poor drainage or too much shade can make mums vulnerable to pests and disease.Many types of mums are hardy in USDA zones 4 to 9, but won’t grow perennially in more extreme climates.
Whether you display them on your porch beside your hand-picked pumpkins, or tuck them into your flower beds for some late season blooms, mums are classic plants that bring rich color to autumn gardens.
But while mums are famously adaptable, planting them in the wrong spot can make these plants more vulnerable to pests, root rot, and other stressors that affect their growth and blooms.
In this guide, experts share where not to plant mums, and offer their best planting tips for growing mums that last.
Meet the Expert
Melissa Frost is the owner of Frost Farms LLC, a plant nursery located in Bar Harbor, Maine.
Justin Hancock is a horticulturist at Costa Farms.
Shady Spots
Credit:
The Spruce / Gyscha Rendy
If you want to enjoy lots of mum flowers, making sure your plants receive plenty of light is step one. Mums are sun-loving plants that require six to eight hours of sunlight daily.
“If mums don’t get enough light, they become more susceptible to pests and diseases—particularly powdery mildew, which can nearly defoliate your plant in severe cases,” says horticulturalist Justin Hancock. “Plants may also become more spindly, and you’ll see a lot less flowers in the shade.”
Hancock adds that sunny locations are particularly important for mums planted in garden beds. If you only want to enjoy potted plants for a few weeks in autumn, however, you can keep them in shadier locations; your potted mums will need more light if you want them to stick around.
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Poorly Draining Areas
In addition to craving a bit of sun, mums can be picky about their soil conditions and the pots you keep them in.
“Mums like well-drained soil and are more susceptible to disease if they’re grown in a spot that’s soggy or poorly draining,” Hancock says.
Growing mums in raised beds can improve drainage issues and keep plants from sitting in waterlogged soil if your garden drains slowly.
If you still want to keep mums in your flower beds, mixing a bit of compost into poorly draining spots can improve drainage and keep mum roots from staying too wet.
If you’re keeping mums in planters, make sure that you use a well-draining potting mix and select a growing container with drainage holes in the base.
Heavy Clay Gardens
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Dzurag / Getty Images
Poorly draining soil can increase the risk of root rot and make mums less likely to thrive. But soils that are packed with clay can also impede the growth of mum roots and make plants more vulnerable to stressors.
Luckily, Hancock has a quick tip to help you judge if a growing spot is appropriate for mums or not.
“If water tends to sit for a while after a heavy rain or it’s hard to dig because the soil is thick, heavy clay, it’s generally not a good spot for a mum,” he says.
However, Hancock notes that these areas can often be improved by mixing compost or other organic matter into the soil.
Areas With Overhead Irrigation
Planting mums in a spot where you’ll remember to water them regularly can help you avoid dry soil and plants that are too stressed to bloom. But even water-loving mums can be particular about irrigation, and watering them from the top-down makes them more susceptible to mildew issues.
“Mums should always be watered at the base of the plant, not by spraying the tops of the leaves,” says gardening expert Melissa Frost. “So, areas that have overhead irrigation are not ideal for mums either.”
Extreme Climates
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Volodymyr Kazhanov / Getty Images
Mums grown as annuals can be planted in most climates, but if you want to grow yours as perennials, make sure that you live in a location that’s suitable for growing mums year-round.
“If you live in zones 4 or colder, there’s a significant chance mums won’t survive the winter unless you seek out extra-hardy varieties,” Hancock says. “Likewise, mums need some degree of winter cold. So, if you live in zones 9 to 10, mums may not get the rest period they need to produce flowers the next year in your landscape.”
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