Fall mums bring gorgeous color to Georgia gardens right when everything else starts fading away. These cheerful flowers are a Southern tradition, but picking the right ones can be trickier than you might think.
Many gardeners rush through the selection process and end up with plants that don’t last or fail to bloom properly. Learning what to avoid will help you choose mums that thrive beautifully all season long.
1. Choosing Mums That Are Already In Full Bloom
Walking past those gorgeous, fully-bloomed mums at the garden center is tough. They catch your eye with their stunning display of color, making them almost impossible to resist.
But here’s the problem: mums showing all their flowers have already peaked. Once you bring them home to your Georgia garden, they’ll fade within a week or two instead of lasting through fall.
Look for plants with plenty of tight buds and just a few open flowers instead. Those buds will gradually open over several weeks, giving you months of continuous color rather than a brief show.
2. Ignoring The Root System Before Purchase
Most folks never flip over the pot to check what’s happening underneath. That’s a mistake because the roots tell you everything about the plant’s health and future success.
Gently tip the container and peek at the drainage holes. Healthy mums should have white or light-colored roots just starting to emerge. If you see a thick tangle of brown, circling roots, the plant is root-bound and stressed.
Georgia’s warm fall weather can stress already root-bound plants even more. Choose mums with developing root systems that have room to grow when you transplant them into your garden beds.
3. Buying Plants With Yellow Or Brown Lower Leaves
Yellow or brown leaves hiding under all those pretty flowers are warning signs many gardeners overlook. The colorful blooms distract you from noticing the dying foliage below.
Discolored lower leaves usually mean the plant has been sitting too long without proper care. It might be suffering from disease, poor watering, or nutrient deficiencies that won’t magically fix themselves in your yard.
Georgia gardeners should inspect the entire plant carefully, pulling back the flowers to examine the stems and base. Select mums with green, healthy foliage from top to bottom for the best chance at long-lasting beauty.
4. Selecting Mums In Flimsy Or Undersized Containers
Container size matters more than most people realize when shopping for mums. A big, bushy plant crammed into a tiny pot is basically starving and incredibly thirsty.
These plants dry out within hours on hot Georgia afternoons, even in fall. You’ll find yourself watering constantly just to keep them alive, and they’ll still struggle to perform well.
Look for mums planted in containers that match their size—the pot should be proportional to the plant’s width and height. Sturdy, appropriately-sized pots indicate the grower gave the plant enough space and resources to develop properly before selling it.
5. Not Checking For Pests And Disease Signs
Bringing home a pest-infested plant is like inviting trouble into your entire garden. Unfortunately, many shoppers never inspect their mums closely before tossing them in the cart.
Turn over a few leaves and check the stems carefully. Look for tiny insects, sticky residue, webbing, or strange spots on the foliage. These problems spread quickly to other plants once you get home.
Georgia’s humidity creates perfect conditions for fungal diseases and pest populations to explode. Spending an extra minute examining your mums before purchase can save you weeks of frustration and protect your other garden plants from infestation.
6. Picking Mums Based Only On Flower Color
Color is important, but it shouldn’t be your only consideration. Many gardeners grab whatever shade matches their porch decor without thinking about the plant’s overall condition or variety.
Different mum varieties have different growth habits, cold tolerance, and bloom times. Some are better suited to Georgia’s climate than others, regardless of how pretty they look on the shelf.
Consider the plant’s shape, bud count, foliage health, and variety name if available. A slightly less vibrant mum that’s healthy and well-suited to your area will outperform a gorgeous but poorly-grown plant every single time this fall season.
7. Forgetting To Ask About Hardiness And Care Requirements
Are your mums meant for short-term decoration or long-term planting? Most shoppers never ask this crucial question, assuming all mums are the same.
Some mums are bred specifically as temporary decorations that won’t survive winter, while others are hardy perennials that return year after year. The difference isn’t always obvious just by looking at them.
Georgia’s winters can surprise you with occasional hard freezes. Ask the nursery staff whether the variety you’re considering is hardy in your zone and what care it needs. Knowing whether you’re buying an annual or perennial helps you set realistic expectations and care for it properly.