A picture would help.

If I can figure out how to upload a photo from my tablet to this website, I will do it. I'm pretty inept at this - I can get photos to Facebook, because my tablet is somehow directly linked to FB. Beyond that, I'm hopeless.

When you click on photo you should see a few options, including taking a photo or pulling one from an existing photo library on the device.

Upload your photos to a photo site such as Photobucket. Once your photos are there, you click their link (direct), go to the bottom of your GW post and click Photo. Paste your link in the File name.

It works easily.

Jane

I have some that get only about 4 hours at most, but not surrounded by other plants blocking air movement and in very well draining soil. They have smaller flowers and not as compact, but still very colorful and pretty that come back every year..It's possible you are just buying mums with a bad root system from the start...They either keep them rather soggy and stores of too dry..Have you ever thought of buying a couple at a nursery where they get proper care until you buy them for just a few more bucks?

This idea does not address whether its the care or soil you're providing; would you be willing to try spring starts of smaller plants? I think it would be worth buying some of the tried and true iron clad perennial mums, just to experiment. You want to look for 'Sheffield pink or yellow', Bolero,....anyway look them up in the Bluestone on line catalogue or Lazy S; there are a score of them. If you are serious about having mums it would be worth the investment. Smarter yet, do any of your neighbor's mums start growing every spring (demonstrating these are true perennial mums) If so, just ask for a few divisions when you see they've come up.

Certainly, small plants started in spring should be fine in the fall, if they are sited properly and receive appropriate care.

I can't think of why commercial, mass produced fall mums should just die on you. With sun and proper watering you should be able to get a month of bloom. Something is strange about this story.

Thanks to all for your suggestions! It is possible that this year because of heavy rains, the mums have had problems staying dry. I noticed a neighbor's beautiful mums were planted on a hillside; maybe this keeps them well-drained. Most everything else I plant grows very well; it's possible soil and drainage conditions are creating problems with mums.

Sounds like you figured out the problem. Too wet. When I grew them in NY I always bought the small plants in early spring. Mine grew in full sun all summer. I would pinch them back throughout the summer so they got real bushy. By Sept. they would start budding and blooming until hard frost.

The plants you buy in full bloom do not do as well because they need to root into the new soil/ climate. They rarely come back unless you have a long period of decent weather. Even then it's Iffy.

They like well draining soil and good air movement. They do not like wet feet.

Buy the young plants and grow them over the summer.

Jane

Ditto Jane; that was my experience. The only fall purchased and planted mums that survived winter were planted in my raised beds, then mulched with salt marsh hay. Even so, not all have returned in spring. Again, purchase and plant in spring!