Do you deadhead a Chrysanthemum

I received a gorgeous plant for my birthday but alas the beautiful flowers have wilted and died. My question is..can I nip off the flowers, keep it moist through the winter in the house and then put it outside in the front garden to see if it will bloom again? Or am I supposed to throw the plant into the trash. It was from a family member so if I can salvage it I'd really like to try. Any tips on how to care for mums are much appreciated. http://grandmasarge74.blogspot.com or GrandmaSarge74@gmail.com

  14 answers
  • Barb Rosen Barb Rosen on Nov 28, 2014
    Yes, deadhead your chrysanthemum just as you would any other plant, Corrine! Here are some good tips for keeping your potted mum healthy : http://homeguides.sfgate.com/keep-mums-alive-inside-44112.html
  • Dianne Dianne on Nov 29, 2014
    Yes...don't throw away...take care and dead head same as your mums...
  • Annie Silveira Annie Silveira on Nov 29, 2014
    yes you do deadhead
  • Dorothy Dorothy on Nov 29, 2014
    Deadhead. Depending on your winter climate you might also plant outside asap, mulch or the winter and it should grow back next year. Mum's are good perennial flowers and most of the ones sold potted will do well in a garden. Edited.....see you are in Richland, WA....should do fine there as perennial but you want to get it planted asap and mulch well...Dec/Jan will be worst for it and you want to give it some time to grow new roots before the ground freezes.
  • Douglas Hunt Douglas Hunt on Nov 29, 2014
    Dorothy raises an interesting possibility. If your climate is mild enough, I think it might well be worth trying planting it in the ground now. Mound evergreen boughs or a thick mulch of straw around the plant and remove when you start to see signs of new growth in the spring.
  • Irene Irene on Nov 29, 2014
    It's hard to find a plant that is this resilient. Dead head, keep it watered and plant in the ground after the last frost. You will need to nip back the "buds" that form during the summer or it will bloom too early. In Pa. We usually nip back buds til August 15th then let it go to bloom. These plants can be very invasive so be careful were you plant it. Sometimes it works out to plant in its pot to help contain it. Fertilize after planting.
  • Debra Kennedy Debra Kennedy on Nov 29, 2014
    Cut it all the way back once in the ground. Will come back every year and grow bigger. Can easily split them up each year to propagate.
  • Rita Wozniak Rita Wozniak on Nov 29, 2014
    YES dont toss it plant it.. and next season when it starts to grow.. keep it trimmed till 4th of July.. it will come back full and beautiful..
  • Charlene Lovelace Charlene Lovelace on Nov 29, 2014
    I brought some home from a nursing home where a friend was and threw the pot in the edge of the woods after riding them around a few weeks in the back of my truck. One day I saw color and so I reclaimed them and deadhead them each year. That was 1999 and they are beautiful and in bloom right now. Them remind me of her.
  • Corrine E Shirley Corbin Corrine E Shirley Corbin on Nov 29, 2014
    Thanks to all who took the time to answer. I'll fix the baby right now!
  • Sandy Burrell Sandy Burrell on Nov 29, 2014
    some mums are hardy and some are not. So it may not make it if you plant it outside, especially this late in the season. You should overwinter it indoors and plant it out in a sunny area in the spring, after acclimating it to being outdoors by putting it in a shady place outdoors for a week. Do deadhead it now, if there are any blooms not already bloomed, they might go ahead and develop if you put the plant in a sunny window.
  • Linda O'Leary-Gleason Linda O'Leary-Gleason on Nov 29, 2014
    I plant mine outside. We have freezes and in the Spring it may look dead but check around the base and you will see new growth. When that looks sturdy enough, I cut the old stalks off.
  • Barbara C Barbara C on Nov 30, 2014
    This picture looks like the plant desperately needs water.The little bit of soil you can see is very dry.
    • Corrine E Shirley Corbin Corrine E Shirley Corbin on Nov 30, 2014
      @Barbara C As you can see by the plants behind this one...I had been watering them regularly but this one appearantly neded more TLC. I can't see any soil in the picture so your comment was un-necessary.
  • Dorothy Dorothy on Dec 01, 2014
    The soil that is in pots of plants that you get from grocery stores, flower shops and even nurseries is not designed to hold water. Plants are watered and drained and then shipped. If the soil held water well this would be some very heavy shipping costs. Instead, the soil gets moist, drains and dries quickly and is lighter weight for shipping. This is part of the reason you see so many wilted plants at the larger box stores.....they have to be watered several times a day to keep the plants hydrated and that often doesn't happen. It's really best to repot or plant in the ground as soon as reasonable after buying. The leaves on the plant in the photo though don't appear limp/wilted so assuming that the bedraggled look actually is flowers that have gone well beyond their prime.