AboutTom Alonzo Expertise I have been a gardener for 20 years with perennials both growing from seed and from nurseries. I went through the Master Gardener Program from Kansas State University Cooperative Extension Service and I answered questions on the Hotline a few years ago for the Wyandotte County Kansas Extension Service. I have also lived in the Florida, California, Hawaii, Arizona, Texas, Kansas and Missouri and am experienced with a variety of climates, soils and weather conditions.
Experience I have been growing perennials for over 20 years now. I am self-taught mostly except for a master gardener class. I have experimented with all kinds of perennials including many that are not common to my area. I have read hundreds of books and grown hundreds of varieties of plants and hope to make it a business some day. I have become versed in botanical names and growing conditions and what I don't know off of the top of my head I can usually easily find in my vast array of research material and botanical and horticultural contacts. I especially enjoy experimenting with growing plants out of zone.
Question I know nothing about plants. In fact most plants I try to grow I kill. I planted some blooming mums last fall. They did well, but in the early spring they started coming up. I couldn't figure out what they were for the longest time, so I did not cut them back. Now they are blooming and some of huge and some very small. What should I do to make sure the survive or come back in the fall? Should I have cut them back when they first started coming up? Is this just a fluke d/t the weird seasons? I am in Southwestern OH. Thanks for your assistance.
Answer Hi Tricia,
Thanx for your question. It's too late now to trim the mums back but in the future, in the spring, after the plants reach 6 to 8 inches tall, start pinching them back a couple inches until July 5th. This will cause the plants to fill out and they should begin blooming in September. In the fall, after the frost kill, trim the plants back to a couple inches off the ground and discard the rubbish. I hope this helps.
Tom
