LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – Mums are the flowers of the fall. Experts say you should buy them before they start blooming.
“We've kind of done the hard work for you. We get them planted, we take care of them, we water them, we get them fertilized, we pinch them. We do all that stuff so all you have to do is come and pick out the mum color that you want,” said Jeff Wallitsch of Wallitsch Gardens.
But don’t be deceived because you won’t actually see the colors and that’s the point.
“So if you're having a party or a get together and you want some color, go for it and buy the ones that are already blooming, but you're not going to get as much time out of it,” Wallitsch said. “So if you want the biggest bang for your buck, for the longest time, pick out the mums that are in very tight bud, not even showing any bit of color. That's going to get you to last through the whole entire season.”
Wallitsch adds that when your mums are still in bud, it's important to keep them in more sunlight, but once they've started to bloom they can be in more shady areas.
After fully blooming, he says they last about three weeks.
“A lot of people ask us about our mums, if they're perennials. And typically we’ll get the mums that we just do for color. We don't necessarily look for hardiness. A lot of times people will just enjoy the blooms and just get rid of them at the end of the season. If you do want to overwinter your mums, you plant them early in the season,” Wallitsch said.
By planting them in August or September, they can take root for the season. Make sure to mulch them really well for the winter season so they can survive cold temperatures and come back next year.
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