Really enjoyed your video on trimming back and storing the mums in a cool dark place over winter. I do everything you describe d. I store all my mums under a shelter about 4 to 6 “ apart in several rows. I then pack in between them 360 degrees around each pot leaves that fall from all my oak trees to include placing a light amount over the top. Have never lost any of my mums in the cold of winter doing this. I live in South Georgia, but sometime we get extreme cold weather. Thanks again for your video and God bless you both. Carl -
I put potted plants ( mainly roses) into a chicken wire surround next to my shop wall and fill it with cardboard mulch that I make in a paper shredder. I live at 7000 ft. where it can get lower than zero degrees. Haven't lost a plant yet. Michael
Wow, finally, after watching so many videos, I found one that explains things clearly and concisely! Thank you! First time I have plants of my own. The mum was a gift and I know nothing about plants! Need to start learning to take good care of it (and my orchid). ¡Gracias! ;-).
Thank you. I purchased a mum with blended colors and it "died" out, I was so discouraged especially with the freezing temperatures now. You've given me hope. ❤
Tell you what I have been in love with mums since moving to iowa. They are so hardy and even the little squirrels and rabbits don’t bother them. So, easy to grow year after year. I have separated them and they are my favorite !!
Thank you so much for the video! This was exactly the information I was hoping for/looking for. I live in an apartment and have a balcony so planting them in the ground isn’t an option for me. Fingers crossed that they survive the winter!
They do come’s back when u put them in the ground. They are beautiful and my mom have the purple one. My mums are big yellow and it has that teddy bear looks . They are very cute . 👍
THANK YOU!!! I have so many out door plants and I thought I was going to have to bring them inside to keep them going. I will try all the methods you suggested here. I’m in Denver CO. I think I will also “wrap” my plants with leaves. Get back to me next spring to hear how it went. 🎉
for years my mom dumps the pot out into a giant box and leaves all the root balls in the box in the garage , then uses the pots for winter arrangements. then brings the mums out for a spring bloom again. and our garage does have windows...
Hi @tradergirl7067 ! Besides "dumping" the plants out of their containers, this is the best practice to overwinter mums. This is a fun way to keep using containers for the winter season, too. 👍🏼👍🏼
Does your mom keep the mums out of the direct sunlight, or the roots moist over winter, and is your garage heated? I know I am responding to an old comment, thanks for any info that you may or can provide.
thanks for your priceless videos. i love watching them for their rich information. they empower us new gardeners to be better & not be frustrated with our plants. thanks again & stay healthy & safe. 👩🏻❤️🐿🌻🦋🌸🐢🌺🐝
What zone are you in? This was very helpful but just wanted to share a laugh with you. When I first saw your intro, it looked like Mr. Was holding Mrs. Like she was a wooden doll that ventriloquists use. 😂. Sorry, it was just my quirky sense of humor.
Hi! Super happy our video was helpful!😊😀 We are in Zone 8b, in Washington State west of the main mountain range here, The Cascades. Thank you for watching!
I have a few plants in my garage. Should I bring them out now. I live in ajax ontario Canada. April 10 2024. Plants are raspberry bush, beebalm, salvia (sage), and mint plants.
Thanks guys for the video. Mine always seem to come back in the late summer early fall and stay brown stems till than 😢. I know that plants roots could freeze but this video gave me some great ideas for next year to help them out and for this not to happen. Thank you so much 👍!
Hi Millie! 👋 Thank you for watching and super GREAT question! We don't have a video, yet, to show how to "wake up" your mums, but it's in the que. 😃 We would suggest to start giving it more water and some more light, but don't place outside just yet, especially if it has been in a shed or inside out of the cold temperatures. Once the plant starts to grow some new leaves and stems, keep up the watering when it needs it (soil gets dry), and start to place in full sun locations, but still protect from freezing temps. Once the threat of frost has past, you can slowly start setting it outside during the daytime for a week and bring inside every night. Then, start leaving outside overnight. Hope helps and we will get the "waking up mums" video ready for this coming month. 😉
We used to pile the fallen leaves over the mums, only cutting them back to new greens in the spring. But now, the whole town is infested with deer ticks. We must bag the fall leaves and dump them at town compost site.
Well I cut my Mums way back and dug them out of the soil and shook most of the soil of and placed them in a cardboard box so I'm hoping they will come back I put them in the garage
My mums are in the ground and have been outside though the whole winter.. oh no I hope they come back I will prune them now and hopefully fingers crossed
Hi Tanya!! 👋🏼👋🏼 Unless your mums aren't hardy in your area, you should be ok. There can be some variation in cold temperatures from year to year, but, if your mums are hardy in your local climate you and your mums should be fine. This time of year, you can check each plant by visually inspecting the very base of the plant where it comes out of the ground; if you see any new green leaves or stems starting to form or even grow, then that plant made it through the winter, so far. Sometimes during a milder winter here, we will see new shoot and leaf growth on the older stems from years past further above the base of the plant and then we know that part of the plant made it through the winter. Definitely keep in mind that we are still in winter until the March 20th, AND, you might still get cold snaps past that depending on where you live. So, if you can hold off pruning them until the threat of frost has past, so you don't expose live tissue to any unknown freezing that would be best. Also, if you give your plant a hard pruning and it has a flush of new growth before the threat of frost has past, you run the risk of having freezing damage to new, unhardened new growth. Our plants are in zone 8b and we usually wait until the threat of frost has past to prune back our mums for the new gardening year. You can check for your frost-free dates by going to www.almanac.com/gardening/frostdates and plug in your zip code to see when the last frost date will be for your area in 2023. Good luck and we hope you get to enjoy your mums for another beautiful year!! 😀😊
👉🏼Someone put 4 large potted Mums on their tree lawn for the garbage. I saw them, thought about picking them up, circled the block twice and said "yes... I'm taking them"! 🤣 I could not resist. I can't imagine a garbage truck picking that up. I'm going to try and get them to come back for next year. I can't plant them in the ground due to Deer will eat them every year,... but I sure DO have a COVERED porch for them. Wish ME LUCK!!!
I have a few mums this year that I've been thinking I'd heal them in, in the veggie garden. But thhis video reminds me that my grandfather use to always place plants against the foundation of the house for the winter. I guess I have too a long time ago. So my question is which side of the house do you put them? I know my gut tells me north side but not so sure. Thanks from a new subscriber.
Hi @brad823! 👋🏼👋🏼Welcome and great question. 👍🏼 👍🏼 Best-case scenario is to place them on the south side of your house so they can stay as warm as possible. If this is too warm then a west or east facing side can also work. North sides of most homes end up being the coolest, but there are exceptions to this. Thank you for your comment, question, and for subscribing! We hope we have more gardening videos to help you around your garden.
I live in zone 5, and would like to over winter my mums in my basement. If placing the mums in a basement, should I just let the roots dry out completely, or should I keep the roots moist from time to time? Also, should the mums be kept out of complete sunlight as my basement has windows, and temps in my basement can range in temps depending on if I close off the heating vents or not?
I just got a beautiful big potted Mum plant from my grandson. I never had mums before. I live in Iowa and my plan is to put it in the shed for the winter (water before i put it in) my question once the snow flies i cant get in my shed never till spring melt so how important is it for the plant to be watered threw out the winter ?? Will it be ok just watering before putting in just that one time ?
Another ?. Can I cover them over the winter? I was thinking of heeling them into the ground next to my house, as that's where I plan to permanently put them next spring. We have steel skirting so idk if they will get any residual heat from the house so if I cut them back, heel them them as recommended and also cover them is it possible I can just plop them into their hole in the spring then?
I just purchased mums I love the way they smell ,and look I live in Pennsylvania ,and want them to be able to come back year after year ! Is it better to put them up against my house or in my garage in order for them to bloom again? Also if I put them outside and I cut them back should I buy straw once they go dormant and cover them up by putting the straw over top of them to help with the survival of the plant?
Hi Michelle! 👋 Thank you for watching our video and for asking your great questions. We love our mums too and this will be our 3rd winter holding over our mums to keep them coming back. We usually prep our mums as we showed in this video and then place them up really close to, but not directly against, our house. You could also place them in your garage or in a shed so they stay dry and can stay a little warmer than directly outside. Healing them in might not be a bad idea either, especially if you have the room to do so, so your plants are taking up too much room in your garage. Yes, if you place your plants up close to your house or if you heal them in, a thick layer of straw or even woodchip mulch would really help insulate their crowns during the extreme cold temps you could have. Just remember when it starts warming up and the threat of frost has past to remove that straw or mulch so the crown of each plant can have more sun, moisture, and warmer temps to trigger new spring growth. Hope that helps and thanks again for watching!
@@SpokenGarden I live in Massachusetts and just like Pennsylvania it gets bitterly cold. I was thinking of cutting them back and putting in the shed. You answered what I was thinking.
Can I cut them back before they turn brown. Also you mentioned that you can leave them in their pots and plant into the garden, do I cut them down if I try this method?
HI Sandy! 👋👋 Thank you for watching our video and for your question. You can deadhead each plant before it turns brown, but don't cut it back yet because cutting it might stimulate more new growth. If you get freezing temperatures, this could kill that new growth and further hurt the plant. So, wait to cut your mums back until next spring when you see the new growth and then remove any dead portions of the plant. Hope that helps and have fun in your garden! 😉😃
@@SpokenGarden i bought two mums in October. Even though they're covered with tiny blooms, they never really bloomed but they have thick green growth, even after a couple of 20 degree nights. I've deadheaded all the tiny blooms and repotted them in larger containers in a mix of potting soil and perlite... But what do I do now? We have such crazy weather in Missouri, I'm wondering when i should take them to the garage? Love your channel and this video especially!
@@SpokenGarden Oh Ok. So this video is only relevant in certain zones. I live in a 4B and I'm not sure they'd live outside all winter. Though it's been below freezing several nights so far and they still have blooms and they haven't wilted or turned brown! I'm pretty amazed! lol
Hey James H. Edwards! 👋👋 Thank you for saying that and you are right; you can definitely bring them inside as you said, especially if they aren't hardy in your area. They would eventually stop flowering, as they are daylight (day length dependent for flowering), but would still stay actively growing with green leaves and need regular watering. You could bring them back outside once the coldest temperatures have passed. Be aware that when you bring plants from outside in that you also bring potential pests inside as well, so be ready. Thank you for watching! 😃😊👍👍
I have a big mum in a pot from last year. But he has spread open... he's straggly, tall, & just sad looking. He's definitely alive. But should I transplant him to the ground? I had cut him back in Spring & he did fine until a few wks ago. (I leave my stuff uncut until Spring for critters/bugs to nest in.) But, he just got tall & blah. Sad mum.
will I be able to leave them up against the house in Wisconsin with the below zero temps. and snow? Could I leave them in the garage with a black plastic bag over it? Still cold just no snow .
Yes, you can still over winter them there, but definitely place them in your garage (hopefully heated or attached to your house for residual heat) and have them up off the floor or ground. 😊😀
Hi Kathina! 👋👋 Great question. Hardy Mums can withstand tempertures way below freezing, but if you haven them in a container and plan to overwinter them, when the outside temperature is consistently below freezing, it's definitely a good ideas to bring them up against the house or a shed. Hope that helps and let us know if you would like more information on this for potted mums versus inground planted mums that we possibly didn't cover in our video. Thank you for your question and for watching! 😉😃👍👍
I just bought two huge pots of blooming mums and I don’t want to put my mum plants in soil , can I just leave them against the wall of my front porch in fall and winter?
Hi there! Yes, you don't need absolute complete darkness all the time, but keeping the light levels as close to natural light levels during this time of year is optimal. A garage light coming on every once in a while during the night or dark hours of day this time of year is ok. Hope that helps and thank you for commenting and watching! 😀😊👍🏼👍🏼
Hi Magda! 👋👋 Yes, the option of bringing them indoors to a semi or completely heated garage or shed would be the best option. Make sure to check the soil to see if it is staying moist every 3-4 weeks and up off the garage or shed floor (it's the coolest area of an area.). Up on a bench or shelf is good. You could try to keep them outside and up against or close to your house, but you will run the risk of them getting super cold temperatures to their roots. Heeling them in could also be a good option, along with mulching over the top with 2-4 inches of woodchip. If you do this, make sure to mark where you put them so you don't forget to uncover them in the spring and bring them back out. Hope that helps and thank you for watching!! 😃😊👍👍
Last year I tried the digging a hole and putting the mum (and pot) in the ground method. But the mum didn't come back in spring. So this year I'm going to try putting them up against the wall outside. I live in an apartment so I have no shed or garage. My question though, is do I put them in the front where it's shaded most of the day or out back where it's sunny all day long? I'm assuming out back bcuz they'd definitely get the warmth but my back patio isn't covered so that's direct sun then the warmth from the bricks on the building and the concrete of the patio. Where I live it may be too much warmth though. I live in the Foothills of NC so we don't see much snow but if it were to snow do I need to cover them?
I don't know what kind of mums I have but I did come back and it kept him in the basement and but I didn't know I was supposed to water will they still be okay if I start put him outside now put water in them and will they start up again I don't know what kind of mums they are they were orange is all I know
Hi Linda! 👋🏼👋🏼 Thank you for watching our video and you have a great question. Yes, some water once a month or so is good for the dormant mums, but it can be tricky with either over or underwatering. The trick is to keep the soil around the roots moist, but not really wet all the time. You should definitely place your mums out from storage, once the threat of frost has past, and give them a "drink" and then see if they start to wake up and grow. If there is any above-ground growth, you can use your thumbnail to scratch the bark and see if there is any green-colored tissue directly underneath that bark. If you see green, then that tissue is alive and you can expect to see some stem and leaf buds start to break and grow. If the tissue underneath the bark is any other color besides green, that tissue is dead and you shouldn't expect any growth from that stem. You can scratch the bark around the different stems and up and down each, if they are really tall, to really get a good idea of where the plant is still alive and to expect growth this year. Hope that helps and good luck. Happy Gardening! 😉😊
Nice video. Would setting the pots next to the house work in zone 5? What zone are you in? When you say set them in the garage will work too, I’m thinking you are speaking about an attached garage? What about a garage that isn’t attached to a house?
I'm in that same situation. A free standing garage gets MUCH colder so I don't think that will work well. I've also heard of putting them to overwinter in a basement. It's cooler than the rest of the house. I don't have a basement though. So, just going to try and see what happens! lol
Hey Tim!!👋🏼👋🏼 Great question and a lot of people do this. It isn't too late to trim it, but you can also wait until the threat of frost has past to give it such a hard prune, so you don't get a new flush of growth that isn't hardened off from cold temperatures and is very susceptible to freezing damage if you get a freeze-snap before the warmer weather starts. This is very dependent on where you live and if you still have some days until your last threat of frost has past. You can check your last frost date by going to www.almanac.com/gardening/frostdates to enter your zip code to see when your last frost date will be for this year. Hope that helps and your mums are looking good! 😀😊👍👍
Hi Shawna! 👋👋 Thank you for asking your question, and, yes, you will need to make sure they get some water over the winter, even if they look like they have died back to the soil. Check the soil in each container using your finger to see if the soil down to about 3+ inches is moist. If not, give the plant some water so the roots are surrounded by moist soil. Check your plants around 1-3 weeks, depending on if your have any warm days, your plants get direct sunlight, or you have a long period of time with no precipitation. The real test to see if they are alive is when spring rolls around and they either will sprout new growth or they won't. Hope that helps and thank you for watching! 😉😃👍👋
Hi, that was helpful. I'm Sara from Germany and I've a yellow mums potted (10 cm) at my reading table. Now in winter, should I keep it in my basement or near a heater after pruning? Otherwise what exactly should I do? Please advise.
Hi Sara!! 👋🏼👋🏼 Great question. And a semi-complicated question because there many different mums out there. From your plant's description, you may have what are referred to as "Pot Mums" and these are usually sold to be indoor flowering plants that are grown for short periods of time and then discarded. Our experience with mums is for what is referred to as "Florist Mums" or Garden Mums. We grow them in our pots or containers and then overwinter them every year with pretty good success, as all of them came back this year and are regrowing right now. We can recommend to you that, after your mums are done flowering, they will most likely want to go dormant or really slow down their growing. Best thing we have found when this starts happening is to put them in a dry, cool (but not freezing) indoor location up off the ground (because that will be the coldest part of the room or garage) and water them about once a month, but definitely check the soil down to about 3-inches (or 7.5 cm) to make sure it is kept moist, but not overly wet. If your plants continue to have green foliage and grow because they are growing indoors (Potted Mums), we can suggest that you keep them where they are and water and care for them as you normally would. If they do go dormant and leaves and stems turn brown, then treat them as we have described earlier placing them in a cool, dry location and see how they do. Hope that helps and thank you for watching and commenting. 😉😀
Hi 4strypepaws! 👋 Thank you for watching and for your question! It's a really good question, too, because some plants you can taken cuttings from whether they are currently flowering or not, or even after they have flowered. These would be coleus, lavender, african daisy, and others. With these mums, we could have taken cuttings after they were done flowering ,but way before we gave them their "haircut". In the video, the plants were already shutting down from the cold temps and dying back. If you want to take cuttings of your mums, definitely take cuttings just after their flowers are withered, but before they completely shut down and die back, like in this video. We might try this soon, as ours are blooming right now. From Sean's blue propagation book, Plant Propagation: Principles and Practices (6th ed.) edited by Hartmann, (amazon link if interested: amzn.to/3ApmjV7) it says to take softwood stem cuttings from the stems attached lower on the withered flower stem. The key here is to take these lower or lateral stems AFTER the plant is done flowering and the flowers are withered. Hope this helps and let us know if you do take any cuttings from your mums. Thanks again for watching! 😃👍
Hi HBMcD! 👋👋 Good question and, yes, you need to make sure the soil around their roots stays moist so the roots and the plant don't die. Be sure that your plants are in well-draining soil and that the soil doesn't stay really wet (like mucky or muddy) for too long or the plants roots will die and rot. Checking the soil for moisture every week to see if the first 2-3 inches of soil is moist should be a good schedule. Hope that helps and thank you for watching!
Hi Joseph! 👋👋 Good question, and yes, you could put them in your basement, as long as it doesn't also get cold soaked during the winter and reach below freezing too long or often. Hope that helps and thank you for watching!! 😊😃
Wow! We've been throwing away money for years. I never knew this about Mums! Thank you for this video.
Really enjoyed your video on trimming back and storing the mums in a cool dark place over winter. I do everything you describe d. I store all my mums under a shelter about 4 to 6 “ apart in several rows. I then pack in between them 360 degrees around each pot leaves that fall from all my oak trees to include placing a light amount over the top. Have never lost any of my mums in the cold of winter doing this. I live in South Georgia, but sometime we get extreme cold weather.
Thanks again for your video and God bless you both.
Carl -
I put potted plants ( mainly roses) into a chicken wire surround next to my shop wall and fill it with cardboard mulch that I make in a paper shredder. I live at 7000 ft. where it can get lower than zero degrees. Haven't lost a plant yet. Michael
I figured this out by accident. I was too lazy to toss out a few a year ago and I saw new blooms in early spring and I almost lost it.
Hey Sean C! 👋👋 That's sooo great and what a nice surprise to have! (Sean likes how you spell Sean, 😉) Thank you for watching! 💪👍
Wow, finally, after watching so many videos, I found one that explains things clearly and concisely! Thank you!
First time I have plants of my own. The mum was a gift and I know nothing about plants! Need to start learning to take good care of it (and my orchid).
¡Gracias! ;-).
Thank you. I purchased a mum with blended colors and it "died" out, I was so discouraged especially with the freezing temperatures now. You've given me hope. ❤
Tell you what I have been in love with mums since moving to iowa. They are so hardy and even the little squirrels and rabbits don’t bother them. So, easy to grow year after year. I have separated them and they are my favorite !!
Great video!!!!!! So, do you need to continue to water the mums when you leave them outside, against the house for the winter?
Thank you!! I’m hopeful for next year!👍👍👍
Thank you so much for the video! This was exactly the information I was hoping for/looking for. I live in an apartment and have a balcony so planting them in the ground isn’t an option for me. Fingers crossed that they survive the winter!
Thank you. You answered every single of my questions and showed me how to do it!!! 💕🙌 You rock!!!
You are so welcome! We are so happy this was helpful for you!
Very helpful video for my first time truly caring for my plants! I am now prepared for when my mums die back closer to winter :D
Hi X.Makaylar! 👋 Thank you for watching and for saying that! We truly appreciate it. 😉👍💗
Got worried about my potted mum, it's getting close to freezing Temps here in Nevada. Thanks for the tips guys!!
They do come’s back when u put them in the ground. They are beautiful and my mom have the purple one. My mums are big yellow and it has that teddy bear looks . They are very cute . 👍
THANK YOU!!! I have so many out door plants and I thought I was going to have to bring them inside to keep them going. I will try all the methods you suggested here. I’m in Denver CO. I think I will also “wrap” my plants with leaves. Get back to me next spring to hear how it went. 🎉
Thank you,a great video plain n simple ,🌱♥️
for years my mom dumps the pot out into a giant box and leaves all the root balls in the box in the garage , then uses the pots for winter arrangements. then brings the mums out for a spring bloom again. and our garage does have windows...
Hi @tradergirl7067 ! Besides "dumping" the plants out of their containers, this is the best practice to overwinter mums. This is a fun way to keep using containers for the winter season, too. 👍🏼👍🏼
Does your mom keep the mums out of the direct sunlight, or the roots moist over winter, and is your garage heated? I know I am responding to an old comment, thanks for any info that you may or can provide.
thanks for your priceless videos. i love watching them for their rich information. they empower us new gardeners to be better & not be frustrated with our plants. thanks again & stay healthy & safe. 👩🏻❤️🐿🌻🦋🌸🐢🌺🐝
I put mine on a covered porch against the house, but I also wrap bubble wrap around the pot.
What zone are you in? This was very helpful but just wanted to share a laugh with you. When I first saw your intro, it looked like Mr. Was holding Mrs. Like she was a wooden doll that ventriloquists use. 😂. Sorry, it was just my quirky sense of humor.
Hi! Super happy our video was helpful!😊😀 We are in Zone 8b, in Washington State west of the main mountain range here, The Cascades. Thank you for watching!
Great! Just what I needed to know. Thank you so very much.🥰🫶🏾
You are so welcome!!😀👍🏼😉👍🏼
I’m in Philadelphia area. Is up against house ok? I’d love to keep my mums. They were so vibrant this fall!
I have a few plants in my garage. Should I bring them out now. I live in ajax ontario Canada. April 10 2024.
Plants are raspberry bush, beebalm, salvia (sage), and mint plants.
Great video… very informative and easy to understand. Thanks!!
Thanks guys for the video. Mine always seem to come back in the late summer early fall and stay brown stems till than 😢. I know that plants roots could freeze but this video gave me some great ideas for next year to help them out and for this not to happen. Thank you so much 👍!
Easy to listen to,great video guys,
Hi Mary O Driscoll! 👋 Thank you for saying that and for watching!!! 😉💪
Thank you for the video. I have wintered my Mums it’s spring now (March) but what should I do bring them back, is there a video with information ?
Hi Millie! 👋 Thank you for watching and super GREAT question! We don't have a video, yet, to show how to "wake up" your mums, but it's in the que. 😃 We would suggest to start giving it more water and some more light, but don't place outside just yet, especially if it has been in a shed or inside out of the cold temperatures. Once the plant starts to grow some new leaves and stems, keep up the watering when it needs it (soil gets dry), and start to place in full sun locations, but still protect from freezing temps. Once the threat of frost has past, you can slowly start setting it outside during the daytime for a week and bring inside every night. Then, start leaving outside overnight. Hope helps and we will get the "waking up mums" video ready for this coming month. 😉
@@SpokenGarden this is my first time seeing your channel but based on this comment alone I’m gonna subscribe.
Such great info❤ Thanks heaps!!!!❤❤❤
Another good video full of valuable tips. Thanks!!!!
Glad it was helpful!
That.s some awesome information I well definitely do that with my mum's
We used to pile the fallen leaves over the mums, only cutting them back to new greens in the spring.
But now, the whole town is infested with deer ticks. We must bag the fall leaves and dump them at town compost site.
Yikes! That sounds like a plot for a horror movie.. the WHOLE town 😳
@@shawnahathaway4762 it's been a bad year for ticks all over.
Well I cut my Mums way back and dug them out of the soil and shook most of the soil of and placed them in a cardboard box so I'm hoping they will come back I put them in the garage
Should we be watering them in the winter
My mums are in the ground and have been outside though the whole winter.. oh no I hope they come back I will prune them now and hopefully fingers crossed
Hi Tanya!! 👋🏼👋🏼 Unless your mums aren't hardy in your area, you should be ok. There can be some variation in cold temperatures from year to year, but, if your mums are hardy in your local climate you and your mums should be fine. This time of year, you can check each plant by visually inspecting the very base of the plant where it comes out of the ground; if you see any new green leaves or stems starting to form or even grow, then that plant made it through the winter, so far. Sometimes during a milder winter here, we will see new shoot and leaf growth on the older stems from years past further above the base of the plant and then we know that part of the plant made it through the winter. Definitely keep in mind that we are still in winter until the March 20th, AND, you might still get cold snaps past that depending on where you live. So, if you can hold off pruning them until the threat of frost has past, so you don't expose live tissue to any unknown freezing that would be best. Also, if you give your plant a hard pruning and it has a flush of new growth before the threat of frost has past, you run the risk of having freezing damage to new, unhardened new growth. Our plants are in zone 8b and we usually wait until the threat of frost has past to prune back our mums for the new gardening year. You can check for your frost-free dates by going to www.almanac.com/gardening/frostdates and plug in your zip code to see when the last frost date will be for your area in 2023. Good luck and we hope you get to enjoy your mums for another beautiful year!! 😀😊
👉🏼Someone put 4 large potted Mums on their tree lawn for the garbage. I saw them, thought about picking them up, circled the block twice and said "yes... I'm taking them"! 🤣 I could not resist. I can't imagine a garbage truck picking that up. I'm going to try and get them to come back for next year.
I can't plant them in the ground due to Deer will eat them every year,... but I sure DO have a COVERED porch for them.
Wish ME LUCK!!!
I have a few mums this year that I've been thinking I'd heal them in, in the veggie garden. But thhis video reminds me that my grandfather use to always place plants against the foundation of the house for the winter. I guess I have too a long time ago. So my question is which side of the house do you put them? I know my gut tells me north side but not so sure. Thanks from a new subscriber.
Hi @brad823! 👋🏼👋🏼Welcome and great question. 👍🏼 👍🏼 Best-case scenario is to place them on the south side of your house so they can stay as warm as possible. If this is too warm then a west or east facing side can also work. North sides of most homes end up being the coolest, but there are exceptions to this. Thank you for your comment, question, and for subscribing! We hope we have more gardening videos to help you around your garden.
I live in zone 5, and would like to over winter my mums in my basement. If placing the mums in a basement, should I just let the roots dry out completely, or should I keep the roots moist from time to time? Also, should the mums be kept out of complete sunlight as my basement has windows, and temps in my basement can range in temps depending on if I close off the heating vents or not?
Question it is approaching April do I clean up the mulch from the pot to see if there is life or wait few weeks?
I just got a beautiful big potted Mum plant from my grandson. I never had mums before. I live in Iowa and my plan is to put it in the shed for the winter (water before i put it in) my question once the snow flies i cant get in my shed never till spring melt so how important is it for the plant to be watered threw out the winter ?? Will it be ok just watering before putting in just that one time ?
thank you! so helpful!
Hi Adrianne! 👋 Thank you for watching and for saying that! 😊👍
Im zone 5 every year lm put in the ground little deeper they came every year from the ground
Another ?. Can I cover them over the winter? I was thinking of heeling them into the ground next to my house, as that's where I plan to permanently put them next spring. We have steel skirting so idk if they will get any residual heat from the house so if I cut them back, heel them them as recommended and also cover them is it possible I can just plop them into their hole in the spring then?
Hi, thanks for the video. What zone are you in?
Yes... I am wondering the same thing about what zone range can one out next to the house!
What zone are you in? I’m in 5 and wondering if my climate is too extreme.
I just purchased mums I love the way they smell ,and look I live in Pennsylvania ,and want them to be able to come back year after year ! Is it better to put them up against my house or in my garage in order for them to bloom again? Also if I put them outside and I cut them back should I buy straw once they go dormant and cover them up by putting the straw over top of them to help with the survival of the plant?
Hi Michelle! 👋 Thank you for watching our video and for asking your great questions. We love our mums too and this will be our 3rd winter holding over our mums to keep them coming back. We usually prep our mums as we showed in this video and then place them up really close to, but not directly against, our house. You could also place them in your garage or in a shed so they stay dry and can stay a little warmer than directly outside. Healing them in might not be a bad idea either, especially if you have the room to do so, so your plants are taking up too much room in your garage. Yes, if you place your plants up close to your house or if you heal them in, a thick layer of straw or even woodchip mulch would really help insulate their crowns during the extreme cold temps you could have. Just remember when it starts warming up and the threat of frost has past to remove that straw or mulch so the crown of each plant can have more sun, moisture, and warmer temps to trigger new spring growth. Hope that helps and thanks again for watching!
@@SpokenGarden I live in Massachusetts and just like Pennsylvania it gets bitterly cold. I was thinking of cutting them back and putting in the shed. You answered what I was thinking.
Can I cut them back before they turn brown. Also you mentioned that you can leave them in their pots and plant into the garden, do I cut them down if I try this method?
HI Sandy! 👋👋 Thank you for watching our video and for your question. You can deadhead each plant before it turns brown, but don't cut it back yet because cutting it might stimulate more new growth. If you get freezing temperatures, this could kill that new growth and further hurt the plant. So, wait to cut your mums back until next spring when you see the new growth and then remove any dead portions of the plant. Hope that helps and have fun in your garden! 😉😃
@@SpokenGarden i bought two mums in October. Even though they're covered with tiny blooms, they never really bloomed but they have thick green growth, even after a couple of 20 degree nights. I've deadheaded all the tiny blooms and repotted them in larger containers in a mix of potting soil and perlite... But what do I do now? We have such crazy weather in Missouri, I'm wondering when i should take them to the garage? Love your channel and this video especially!
Does this work for zone 3 in MN? We have hard and below 0 temps.
Hello. Thank you so much for this awesome advice. May I ask what growing zone you're located in?
Hi Tiffany Grace! 👋👋 Thank you for saying that and for watching! We are in Zone 8b. 👍😉👍😃
@@SpokenGarden
Considering that I live in zone 5B, my only option probably would be to keep them in a cool cellar over the winter. Correct?
@@SpokenGarden Oh Ok. So this video is only relevant in certain zones. I live in a 4B and I'm not sure they'd live outside all winter. Though it's been below freezing several nights so far and they still have blooms and they haven't wilted or turned brown! I'm pretty amazed! lol
Great video thanks! Can you bring them in the house and put them in a window that gets Southern facing sun...would they just keep growing?
Hey James H. Edwards! 👋👋 Thank you for saying that and you are right; you can definitely bring them inside as you said, especially if they aren't hardy in your area. They would eventually stop flowering, as they are daylight (day length dependent for flowering), but would still stay actively growing with green leaves and need regular watering. You could bring them back outside once the coldest temperatures have passed. Be aware that when you bring plants from outside in that you also bring potential pests inside as well, so be ready. Thank you for watching! 😃😊👍👍
@@SpokenGarden Thank you they are Hardy but there is no room in garage or anyplace else. They are in one gallon plastic pots now.
I have a big mum in a pot from last year. But he has spread open... he's straggly, tall, & just sad looking. He's definitely alive. But should I transplant him to the ground? I had cut him back in Spring & he did fine until a few wks ago. (I leave my stuff uncut until Spring for critters/bugs to nest in.) But, he just got tall & blah. Sad mum.
will I be able to leave them up against the house in Wisconsin with the below zero temps. and snow? Could I leave them in the garage with a black plastic bag over it? Still cold just no snow .
Yes, you can still over winter them there, but definitely place them in your garage (hopefully heated or attached to your house for residual heat) and have them up off the floor or ground. 😊😀
If I put mine in the garage, do I just leave them alone until spring or do they need to be watered during that time also?
Relisten to 2:00 for about 30 or so seconds.
When should I move my mums next to the house? When it’s cold (below freezing) consistently?
Hi Kathina! 👋👋 Great question. Hardy Mums can withstand tempertures way below freezing, but if you haven them in a container and plan to overwinter them, when the outside temperature is consistently below freezing, it's definitely a good ideas to bring them up against the house or a shed. Hope that helps and let us know if you would like more information on this for potted mums versus inground planted mums that we possibly didn't cover in our video. Thank you for your question and for watching! 😉😃👍👍
@@SpokenGarden yes please more info re potted mums 😊👍🏼
You would be amazed at how many people throw mums away in the fall thinking they are dead. 😢
4:04 Do I have to water potted mums that are wintering outside next to the house?
I just bought two huge pots of blooming mums and I don’t want to put my mum plants in soil , can I just leave them against the wall of my front porch in fall and winter?
Can i put in garage after cutting back without the complete darkness?
Hi there! Yes, you don't need absolute complete darkness all the time, but keeping the light levels as close to natural light levels during this time of year is optimal. A garage light coming on every once in a while during the night or dark hours of day this time of year is ok. Hope that helps and thank you for commenting and watching! 😀😊👍🏼👍🏼
Hello,
Will these methods work for zone 5b (Chicago, IL suburbs)?
Thank you!
Hi Magda! 👋👋 Yes, the option of bringing them indoors to a semi or completely heated garage or shed would be the best option. Make sure to check the soil to see if it is staying moist every 3-4 weeks and up off the garage or shed floor (it's the coolest area of an area.). Up on a bench or shelf is good. You could try to keep them outside and up against or close to your house, but you will run the risk of them getting super cold temperatures to their roots. Heeling them in could also be a good option, along with mulching over the top with 2-4 inches of woodchip. If you do this, make sure to mark where you put them so you don't forget to uncover them in the spring and bring them back out. Hope that helps and thank you for watching!! 😃😊👍👍
Can I additionally protect container with something? Newspapers,etc?
Should be fine “in our region”… what is your region? Thanks!
They are in Ocen Shores, WA, so their zone is 8b/9a, which isn't very cold.
Last year I tried the digging a hole and putting the mum (and pot) in the ground method. But the mum didn't come back in spring. So this year I'm going to try putting them up against the wall outside. I live in an apartment so I have no shed or garage. My question though, is do I put them in the front where it's shaded most of the day or out back where it's sunny all day long? I'm assuming out back bcuz they'd definitely get the warmth but my back patio isn't covered so that's direct sun then the warmth from the bricks on the building and the concrete of the patio. Where I live it may be too much warmth though. I live in the Foothills of NC so we don't see much snow but if it were to snow do I need to cover them?
I don't know what kind of mums I have but I did come back and it kept him in the basement and but I didn't know I was supposed to water will they still be okay if I start put him outside now put water in them and will they start up again I don't know what kind of mums they are they were orange is all I know
Hi Linda! 👋🏼👋🏼 Thank you for watching our video and you have a great question. Yes, some water once a month or so is good for the dormant mums, but it can be tricky with either over or underwatering. The trick is to keep the soil around the roots moist, but not really wet all the time. You should definitely place your mums out from storage, once the threat of frost has past, and give them a "drink" and then see if they start to wake up and grow. If there is any above-ground growth, you can use your thumbnail to scratch the bark and see if there is any green-colored tissue directly underneath that bark. If you see green, then that tissue is alive and you can expect to see some stem and leaf buds start to break and grow. If the tissue underneath the bark is any other color besides green, that tissue is dead and you shouldn't expect any growth from that stem. You can scratch the bark around the different stems and up and down each, if they are really tall, to really get a good idea of where the plant is still alive and to expect growth this year. Hope that helps and good luck. Happy Gardening! 😉😊
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Nice video. Would setting the pots next to the house work in zone 5? What zone are you in? When you say set them in the garage will work too, I’m thinking you are speaking about an attached garage? What about a garage that isn’t attached to a house?
I'm in that same situation. A free standing garage gets MUCH colder so I don't think that will work well. I've also heard of putting them to overwinter in a basement. It's cooler than the rest of the house. I don't have a basement though. So, just going to try and see what happens! lol
What region are you in?
When I trimmed our mum I cut 2 inches from the top instead of 2 inches from the bottom. Is it too late to trim it?
Hey Tim!!👋🏼👋🏼 Great question and a lot of people do this. It isn't too late to trim it, but you can also wait until the threat of frost has past to give it such a hard prune, so you don't get a new flush of growth that isn't hardened off from cold temperatures and is very susceptible to freezing damage if you get a freeze-snap before the warmer weather starts. This is very dependent on where you live and if you still have some days until your last threat of frost has past. You can check your last frost date by going to www.almanac.com/gardening/frostdates to enter your zip code to see when your last frost date will be for this year. Hope that helps and your mums are looking good! 😀😊👍👍
Do we water them while they're against the house or in the garage?
Hi Shawna! 👋👋 Thank you for asking your question, and, yes, you will need to make sure they get some water over the winter, even if they look like they have died back to the soil. Check the soil in each container using your finger to see if the soil down to about 3+ inches is moist. If not, give the plant some water so the roots are surrounded by moist soil. Check your plants around 1-3 weeks, depending on if your have any warm days, your plants get direct sunlight, or you have a long period of time with no precipitation. The real test to see if they are alive is when spring rolls around and they either will sprout new growth or they won't. Hope that helps and thank you for watching! 😉😃👍👋
Exactly what I was looking for. I live in northern WI. Does it work okay against the house when we have -15 weather?
I am no expert, but I don’t think they can survive that cold outside.
What zone are you in for outside.. I'm zone 4
Hi Kaitte! 👋👋 Thank you for your question. We are in zone 8b. Sometimes it feels like a 9a or 9b, too. 😉😃
Hi, that was helpful. I'm Sara from Germany and I've a yellow mums potted (10 cm) at my reading table. Now in winter, should I keep it in my basement or near a heater after pruning? Otherwise what exactly should I do? Please advise.
Hi Sara!! 👋🏼👋🏼 Great question. And a semi-complicated question because there many different mums out there. From your plant's description, you may have what are referred to as "Pot Mums" and these are usually sold to be indoor flowering plants that are grown for short periods of time and then discarded. Our experience with mums is for what is referred to as "Florist Mums" or Garden Mums. We grow them in our pots or containers and then overwinter them every year with pretty good success, as all of them came back this year and are regrowing right now. We can recommend to you that, after your mums are done flowering, they will most likely want to go dormant or really slow down their growing. Best thing we have found when this starts happening is to put them in a dry, cool (but not freezing) indoor location up off the ground (because that will be the coldest part of the room or garage) and water them about once a month, but definitely check the soil down to about 3-inches (or 7.5 cm) to make sure it is kept moist, but not overly wet. If your plants continue to have green foliage and grow because they are growing indoors (Potted Mums), we can suggest that you keep them where they are and water and care for them as you normally would. If they do go dormant and leaves and stems turn brown, then treat them as we have described earlier placing them in a cool, dry location and see how they do. Hope that helps and thank you for watching and commenting. 😉😀
@@SpokenGarden Wow! Such detailed answer! All clear to me. I can't thank you enough. Great channel. Best wishes to you and your family!
Would you have taken cuttings from those plants, before they had the haircut??
Hi 4strypepaws! 👋 Thank you for watching and for your question! It's a really good question, too, because some plants you can taken cuttings from whether they are currently flowering or not, or even after they have flowered. These would be coleus, lavender, african daisy, and others. With these mums, we could have taken cuttings after they were done flowering ,but way before we gave them their "haircut". In the video, the plants were already shutting down from the cold temps and dying back. If you want to take cuttings of your mums, definitely take cuttings just after their flowers are withered, but before they completely shut down and die back, like in this video. We might try this soon, as ours are blooming right now. From Sean's blue propagation book, Plant Propagation: Principles and Practices (6th ed.) edited by Hartmann, (amazon link if interested: amzn.to/3ApmjV7) it says to take softwood stem cuttings from the stems attached lower on the withered flower stem. The key here is to take these lower or lateral stems AFTER the plant is done flowering and the flowers are withered. Hope this helps and let us know if you do take any cuttings from your mums. Thanks again for watching! 😃👍
Got some of these for me birthday and am confused... Are they annuals or perennials?
Do I put them in the garage before or after it frosts?
Do you water them
He said once a month. Just enough to keep them alive but not too much water bc they need to rest.
...do you water them at all while they are overwintering?
Hi HBMcD! 👋👋 Good question and, yes, you need to make sure the soil around their roots stays moist so the roots and the plant don't die. Be sure that your plants are in well-draining soil and that the soil doesn't stay really wet (like mucky or muddy) for too long or the plants roots will die and rot. Checking the soil for moisture every week to see if the first 2-3 inches of soil is moist should be a good schedule. Hope that helps and thank you for watching!
@@SpokenGarden
Thanks!
Woah!! At 3:20 the music made me jump! 😳😂
I love it, give them a 'haircut,' CHOP!
Hi Brian! 👋 Yes, haircuts all around! 😁✂
What zone are you in?
Hi there! We are in Zone 8b. What zone do you garden in?
Can you dry the dead flowers? And plant then in the spring
What's your zone?
This doesn’t work in zone 5.
With "Climate Change" our plants and flowers don't know whether to grow or hibernate......SIGH !!!!!!!!!
They can get a little confused at times. They usually snap out of it or continue on finding their rhythm. 😉😊
My garage is freezing. Just no wind. Should I put in the basement. Syracuse ny
Hi Joseph! 👋👋 Good question, and yes, you could put them in your basement, as long as it doesn't also get cold soaked during the winter and reach below freezing too long or often. Hope that helps and thank you for watching!! 😊😃
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