Mums and pansies?

Question

I've planted both mums and pansies this past week - how long do they typically survive into the fall in the midwest? Do pansies fill in very well? They seem a sparser flower. Also, I planted them in partial sun before realizing that they need full sun (didn't have one of those stick thingies in the ones I bought). Will they survive? Should I move them?

Thanks in advance for your patience, I'm a bit of a bumbling idiot when it comes to this stuff.

Answer 1

Hello-----I am a Certified Master Gardener. Horticulture was my major in college. I've been employed at a plant nursery, and work with plants at my local University Botanic Gardens.

Pansies are one of the few annuals that can actually survive being buried in snow. A mature pansy plant will typically be 5 or 6 inches in diameter. They will do well in part sun / shade. Don't move them------death from transplant shock could occur. Pansies will die with the arrival of summer heat.

The chrysanthemums will do well also. Give all your plants a good all-purpose fertilizer in a week. It's called OSMOCOTE.

Water BEFORE you apply the Osmocote, and water well AFTER you apply it. Follow package directions.

With both mums and pansies, be diligent to keep dead flowers picked off. Pansies are similar to roses in that, where you pick off one flower, two will grow back in its place. I have had 20 flowers on one pansy plant, due to keeping the dead blooms removed. Mums contain pyrethrin, which is a useful substance.

After your mums have finished blooming, prune the plants back so they are 8 inches tall.

You are doing well with your planting.

Just use the length of your hand to measure the distance between small plants.

I sincerely hope this helps you, and thank you for gardening!

Answer 2

Your pansies & mums will do OK where they are now for the winter. They both need some mulch protection.

Pansies will reseed & spread & will do well in partial sun. "They will tolerate full sun to shade" but will get leggy in full shade.
http://www.rhoadsgarden.com/pages/gardencenterpages/springgardenidea.html

Advice from Mike McGrath (91FM):
"The plants (pansies) will produce new blossoms at least until it gets REALLY cold. Then, depending on the weather, you might give them a little winter protection in the North. A few evergreen boughs placed gently overtop of the plants is the ideal protection; just use cut branches from discarded Christmas trees! Don't try and really 'mulch' them--the branches are just there to prevent the plants from being crushed if we get heavy snow or ice; they don't care about the cold.
Remove any winter protection early- as soon as the first Spring bulbs begin to poke up. Don't worry about frost--these super-hardy posies laugh at it! They'll begin flowering quickly and provide you with tons of flowers till summer's heat finally blasts them out...generally around the end of June or early July here in the North (which, coincidentally, is the time you should start seeds inside if you want to grow your own plants for Fall). "
http://www.whyy.org/91FM/ybyg/pansies.html

"True pansies" can weather temperatures in the single digits and bounce back after the weather warms. But they can be that strong and resourceful only if they've had a chance to get a good footing before cold weather hits.

Amend the soil with a little finished compost &/or rotted manure to make you plants are feed & they drain well.

Good luck!! Hope this is helpful.

Answer 3

Your mums should last until almost Thanksgiving depending on dead heading and frosts we get. Are they in a planter or in the ground? I am assuming in the ground if you are concerned about the amount of sun they get. The pansies will bloom a lot, but they do not fill in very much. Maybe double the size they are now. Dead head them both and you will be bloomin' for a while. From my own personal experience... partial sun is fine, don't move them now. Isn't the Midwest a great place to live? I love fall!

Answer 4

No they do no longer like it warm. Muggy air might reason rotting. they seem to be a funky liking plant. normally for seasons fall or early - mid spring. Mums can wilt truthfully. i'm useful they're bud's coming off, you basically might desire to attend and notice. carry out a little googleing and notice what you come back up with. happy planting.

Answer 5

Pansies annual, like cool weather.

Mumms perinnial, bloom in fall and early spring.

Miracle Gro! to see how they both "fill in" you'll like it