The Pelee Mum, or Chrysanthemum ‘Point Pelee’, is a garden cultivar known for its spectacular late-season display. This variety is characterized by vibrant, daisy-like flowers that exhibit a striking bronze-red hue, transitioning to yellow near the center of the petals. Unlike some common garden mums, this cultivar often retains a compact, mounding form, naturally growing to about two feet tall and wide. While often sold as a seasonal plant, with attentive care it can be treated as a garden perennial, offering a burst of fall color.
Choosing the Right Spot and Initial Planting
Pelee Mums require a minimum of six hours of direct sun daily to ensure robust growth and prolific flowering. Insufficient sunlight leads to weak, leggy stems that cannot support the weight of the autumn blooms. The soil composition is equally important, as all chrysanthemums demand excellent drainage and will not tolerate standing water.
If the garden soil contains heavy clay, amend it with organic materials such as compost or peat moss to improve porosity and aeration. When planting, ensure the mum is set at the same depth it was growing in its nursery container, as planting too deep can suffocate the crown. Plants should be set 18 to 24 inches apart to allow for proper air circulation, which helps prevent common fungal diseases.
Essential Care During the Growing Season
Consistent moisture is necessary throughout the growing season, particularly during dry spells, but overwatering must be avoided to prevent root rot. Provide roughly one inch of water per week, ensuring the water reaches the root zone deeply rather than just wetting the surface. Watering should be done at the base of the plant to keep the foliage dry, which helps to minimize the risk of mildew and other leaf diseases.
Fertilization should be a regular practice from early spring through mid-summer to fuel the plant’s vigorous vegetative growth. A balanced, water-soluble fertilizer can be applied every few weeks.
This feeding must be discontinued around mid-July. Stopping fertilization by this time is important because late-season feeding encourages new leaf growth instead of the plant setting flower buds for the fall bloom.
Pinching for Density
A technique called “pinching” is necessary to create the dense, mounding habit Pelee Mums are known for, preventing them from becoming tall and sparse. Start in the spring when new growth reaches four to six inches. The top half-inch of each new shoot should be pinched off using your fingers or a small clipper. This process forces the plant to branch out, resulting in a greater number of flowers.
This pinching routine should be repeated every two to three weeks until the deadline of the Fourth of July. Pinching any later will remove developing flower buds and delay or eliminate the fall bloom.
Preparing Pelee Mums for Winter
To protect the plant’s crown, do not cut the stems back immediately after the plant finishes blooming in the fall. The dried, spent stems and foliage should be left intact, as they provide natural insulation and protection for the crown.
After the ground has frozen solid, apply a four to six-inch layer of heavy mulch around the plant, covering the entire root zone. The goal of this mulch is to maintain a consistent cold temperature, preventing the damaging cycle of freezing and thawing that can heave the plant out of the soil. When new green shoots emerge in the spring, cut the dead stalks back to about three or four inches above the soil line.