Mums

If I am not of a mind to pinch them and they are pretty much gone, do I leave them in the ground through winter or just pull them now and be done with it? Does it matter one way or the other?

I don't think it matters in relation to how the mums perform next year.  I have always heard that if you leave plant debris in your flowerbeds over the winter that it encourages more slugs.  It's been very warm this year.  My mums are still green.

Hello Mr. Georgieboy,

I have a B.S. in Ornamental Horticulture and plant physiology. And have been running a greenhouse that grows mums for lowes and walmart. So to answer your question, yes you can leave them in the ground they are technically a perennial and they should come back in the spring.  However they will not have the tight compact head shape like they do when bought from a store, they will revert back to more of their natural appearnce which is taller and more leggy, it will have a similar growth structure to more perennials... shasta daisies, black eyed susans etc...  the pinching process is what makes them more compact and tighter.

Hope that helps some.

P.S. if you want to pinch them that is a spring job. 

Whatman21 said:

Hello Mr. Georgieboy,

I have a B.S. in Ornamental Horticulture and plant physiology. And have been running a greenhouse that grows mums for lowes and walmart. So to answer your question, yes you can leave them in the ground they are technically a perennial and they should come back in the spring.  However they will not have the tight compact head shape like they do when bought from a store, they will revert back to more of their natural appearnce which is taller and more leggy, it will have a similar growth structure to more perennials... shasta daisies, black eyed susans etc...  the pinching process is what makes them more compact and tighter.

Hope that helps some.

P.S. if you want to pinch them that is a spring job. 

A question for the expert:  why is it that the flowers of the mums sold today are so small?  I remember the big, "pom pom" mums of years ago and this is what I would prefer to have.  How can I buy the big flowered mums?  Thanks.

What is for sale at box stores are the cheaper, faster growing, mass produced plants.  There are plenty of higher quality mums available, but you need to buy from a specialty nursery (and pay a higher price). Suggest you contact a local chapter of The National Chrysanthemum Society for sources.

tomcat said:

What is for sale at box stores are the cheaper, faster growing, mass produced plants.  There are plenty of higher quality mums available, but you need to buy from a specialty nursery (and pay a higher price). Suggest you contact a local chapter of The National Chrysanthemum Society for sources.

There's a society for everything nowadays!  LOL!  Thanks for the advice.