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From the Greenhouse to the Front Porch

The After

It’s that season again where you see chrysanthemums at very store and on very porch. And I can’t help but to think about my childhood in a greenhouse.

One of my earliest memories is planting mums.

Chrysanthemums, to be exact.

I remember the little plugs arriving. I think there were something like 700 of them at a time.

Seven hundred tiny plants.

Each year we seemed to get more and more.

And we were just kids. Maybe eight years old.

When that delivery arrived, we knew what we’d be doing for the next couple of weeks.

After school and on the weekends, we’d head out to the greenhouse and plant mums.

And plant mums.

And plant some more mums.

I can still remember the humidity inside those greenhouses. The smell of the soil. The tiny chrysanthemum plugs waiting to be planted. The endless number of pots.

I’m sure there were plenty of afternoons when I would have rather been doing something else.

Because let’s be serious, what eight-year-old dreams of spending her entire weekend planting 700 mums?

But we did it.

And looking back, I wouldn’t trade those afternoons for anything.

Now that I look around and see the mums at every store and try not to buy each one, I just buy a few and decorate our outdoor space with them, a few at the front door and and few on my patio.

Here are a few cute ideas to decorate with mums that I saw and that caught my eye.

Vintage Style

A welcoming porch scene featuring stacked cream-colored pots with vibrant orange and red chrysanthemums, surrounded by various pumpkins of different colors and sizes on wooden steps.
A large galvanized metal planter filled with vibrant red and orange mums, placed on stone steps leading to a front door adorned with a seasonal wreath. Pumpkins and flower arrangements are visible around the entrance.
A white ornate planter filled with white chrysanthemums beside an old wooden ladder. Two pumpkins, one orange and one white, sit on the ladder. The background features a lush garden with trees.

Farmhouse

A welcoming front porch featuring a dark blue door with glass panels, surrounded by large potted white flowers, decorative white pumpkins, and a cozy doormat.
Decorative display of red and white chrysanthemums in wicker baskets alongside white and green pumpkins, placed near a wooden door.
Four wicker baskets filled with colorful chrysanthemums in red, orange, yellow, and white, arranged beside small pumpkins and decorative gourds on a wooden floor.

Here’s a Video on Extending the life of your mums from Hamilton House Designs

Don’t Throw Those Mums Away!

Did you know chrysanthemums can come back year after year?

Just because their beautiful fall blooms have faded doesn’t mean they’re finished!

Many garden mums are perennials, meaning they can return each spring with a little care.

Hardy Garden mums develop underground shoots (stolons) and survive winter to return year after year in USDA Hardiness Zones 4 through 9, depending on the specific cultivar.

Check out The Old Farmers Almanac Guide to learn more.

Plant them in the ground in a sunny spot with well-draining soil, keep them watered while they establish roots, and add a layer of mulch to protect them through winter. Mums planted in spring have the best chance of returning, but even your fall porch mums are worth a try!

I’ve even had mums come back in pots and not require to be planted, even after serve snow!

So before you toss those faded flowers, give them a chance to bloom again next year.

I’d love to see your spaces decorating with mums. Tag me on Instagram @apileofashes

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