I cannot get mums to grow and come back each year

you need to dig up the bulbs every year then replant in spring. store them in cool dry area

Are you planting the right kind of mums? It can be confusing, but not all mums are winter hardy. Yellow daisy mums and painted daisy mums are annuals and will not come back in the spring. You want "garden mums" or "hardy mums" and you need to plant them early enough that they have a chance to get established before winter arrives. If you live in Zone 4 or Zone 5, you should really have planted them in August or very early September.

Most important when purchasing mums there are annual mums and hardy mums.You must find out prior to purchase if in fact they are hardy for your zone

I think this will help too