No autumn season seems complete without a cheery mum or two adorning the front stoop or porch. The key is keeping the plants healthy all through the season, so I’ve compiled some tips for selecting and growing healthy mums.

• When selecting your Chrysanthemum plants, look for ones with buds that haven’t bloomed yet.
• Understand that to get the most out of your plant, you should probably plan on repotting it in a larger vessel once you bring it home because chances are it will be pretty root bound, meaning the roots are becoming cramped in the pot and need some room to breathe.
• If you repot your mum, use potting soil, not dirt from your yard.
• Mums like sun, so try to place your pot in a sunny spot.
• Water thoroughly and watch over the coming days to see how long it takes for the soil to start losing its moisture. You don’t want the soil to be soaking wet, but you don’t want it to dry out either. This will depend on the temperature outside and whether or not your plant is getting a lot of sun or not. In my case, I water my mums every other day when it’s hot and every 3-4 days when its cooler. Again, the key is not letting the plant dry out but not to overwater either.
• When blooms are spent and are looking like they’re done, clip them off so the plant can focus its energy on other blooms.

And that’s it. With just a little attention, your mums should last beautifully through the season. Enjoy!