Every Connecticut porch deserves a splash of fall color, and nothing says autumn quite like a pot of cheerful mums. But before you fill your cart with those golds and purples, take a minute to look closer.
Even seasoned gardeners can get tripped up by a few common pitfalls at the garden center — mistakes that can leave your mums wilting before the leaves even fall.
1. Waiting Until October To Shop
The early bird catches the best mums in Connecticut! Garden centers receive their first shipments in late August, and waiting until mid-October means you’ll likely find picked-over plants.
Early shoppers get fuller plants with more unopened buds, giving you longer-lasting blooms. Plus, mums planted earlier have more time to establish roots before frost hits.
2. Choosing Plants With Fully Open Blooms
Those fully bloomed mums might look gorgeous at the garden center, but they’ve already used up most of their flowering potential. Smart shoppers select plants showing mostly tight, colored buds with just a few open flowers.
Buds will continue opening for weeks, giving you a longer display of color. Remember that once all blooms have opened, the show is nearly over!
3. Ignoring Hardiness Zones
Connecticut spans hardiness zones 5b to 7a, which matters tremendously for mum survival! Most commercially sold chrysanthemums are actually labeled as “garden mums” rather than truly hardy mums.
Garden varieties rarely survive Connecticut winters despite what sellers might claim. For perennial performance, specifically ask for “hardy mums” or “Korean mums” that can withstand our cold temperatures.
4. Skipping The Root Check
Never buy mums without checking their root systems! Gently slip the plant from its pot and look for healthy white or tan roots that hold the soil together. Root-bound plants with tightly circling roots will struggle to establish in your garden.
Brown, mushy roots indicate rot – leave these plants behind! Healthy roots mean the plant can take up water and nutrients properly.
5. Forgetting To Check For Pests
Mums can harbor hitchhiking pests that you definitely don’t want in your garden! Examine the undersides of leaves and between stems for aphids, spider mites, or whiteflies. Yellow stippling on leaves often indicates spider mite damage.
Connecticut gardeners should also watch for signs of powdery mildew, which appears as white powdery patches on leaves and stems.
6. Planting Too Late In The Season
Many Connecticut gardeners buy mums as decorations and delay planting until after they finish blooming. Big mistake! Mums need 4-6 weeks before the first hard frost to establish roots.
Our state typically sees first frosts between mid-October and early November. Plant immediately after purchase, even if they’re still flowering beautifully. This gives roots time to grow before the ground freezes.
7. Choosing Based On Pot Color Alone
Garden centers often display mums in colorful foil pots that hide important clues about plant health. That shiny purple wrapper might conceal dried-out soil or a rootbound plant desperately needing more space.
Remove decorative coverings before purchasing to inspect the actual container. Look for proportional sizing – the plant shouldn’t appear too large for its pot, which indicates stress and possible root problems.
8. Missing Local Growing Opportunities
Connecticut boasts several local farms and nurseries specializing in locally-grown mums adapted to our specific climate. These plants often outperform those shipped in from distant growing operations in other states.
Local growers like Gozzi Farm in Guilford and Lyman Orchards in Middlefield offer varieties selected for Connecticut conditions. Supporting these businesses also strengthens our local agricultural economy.
9. Neglecting Water Needs At Purchase
Mums sitting in garden centers often receive minimal care and may be severely dehydrated. Dry plants stress quickly and drop buds, even if they look healthy at purchase. Check soil moisture by sticking your finger an inch deep – if dry, pass on the plant or request a discount.
Ask when plants were last watered. Many Connecticut garden centers keep mums outdoors where they dry out quickly on warm fall days.