You planted them in July already budded out? If so the poor things are confused. It's the shorter days of fall that trigger mum bloom. For them to be budded in July they had to be tricked by being placed in a dark green house for a while evry day.
Mums are fall plants and should be just setting buds now.
Linda C

I have to agree with Linda, your mums are confused. They are probably done for the year but will be back with a vengence next year. Don't worry, you can't kill the things! They have to be the hardiest plants alive. lol

This summer, I planted an ARB 5-6 in front of my house to concel some of foundation. I picked this shrub because of the slow growth. However, The ARB 5-6 died. I do not know why. I would like to replace with another shrub to maintain the green all year round and to add curb appeal.
What should I do?

I bought 2 beautiful hanging baskets of MUMS at the local nursery. How soon should I plant them in the ground? Is there any particular kind of soil I should use for them?
Should they be planted in sun or shade? Thanks all for your help!

sweet blooms, your mums need to get into the ground very soon. You will want to get them in before the ground gets too cold for the roots to take hold.

In my yard mums are almost invasive. They don't seem to care what kind of soil they are in. I have some that have been growing for a few years in a 2 inch space between a retaining wall and bricks with a minimum of soil. More are growing in un-amended clay soil in various places. I guess the lucky ones are growing in amended beds but they don't look any different than the ones growing in not-so-good of soil.

I have them all over the yard from full sun to almost all day shade and that doesn't seem to bother them either.

What shoould I do after my mums stop blooming? I've heard you should cut them back.

Mums, like any other herbaceous perennial will die down to the soil line naturally. If you don't like the look of dead stems you can cut them down now; if you want them for winter interest and to help capture snow you can leave them. By spring they will be nearly gone and you can trim them then.

They will put out new growth from the roots in spring. If you want them to look bushy and full of blooms (they way they looked at the nursery when you bought them), you will need to cut them back and pinch buds during the summer.

Personally, they are so inexpensive that I treat them like annuals by removing them in the spring and planting new ones next fall.

Here is a link that might be useful: Growing tips for Mums

HI!
I have some hardy mums that I bought about 10 days ago. I got busy and never planted them so I think I have 2 options.
1-plant them in the ground now, even though it's pretty late, and hope for the best

2-replant them into larger containers and put them out into the yard. When we start getting into frosty weather, I'll move them into our basement. If I did this could I plant them late next summer in my yard??

I'm a new to gardening so forgive me if these are dumb questions...

:)

Thanks for any help you can provide,
Christine

I have mums in a pot. where is a good place to store them for the winter?

I'm not sure about your zones and weather patterns, but don't cut them back. They need the protection for winter. If you live where it's colder, you shoul also mulch well, and cover them with some burlap. In the spring, cut them back, and give them some fertilizer. When they start coming to, pinch them back a few times, and you'll get more blooms and they'll look great. When you do have to divide them, which is usually every 2-3 years, dig up and take the outer parts of the plant that have some roots, and discard the center. They are similar in nature to the Asters. You can tell division is needed, if they start flopping out in the center. Keep them watered well, and water at the base, not overhead.
Hope this helps.

I have hardy mums and there getting way to big. I cut them down in the spring but they still take over my garden.

Test your soil. This problem you are having is not giving you enough phosparus for your plants to bloom. There is a slow release fertilizer called Bloom Buster from Miracle Grow and it will help with your problem of blooms. Yes, Mums can be "forced" to bloom when kept in shady spots for long periods of time. This is how they are confused a lot. This should correct your problem.

I live in Delaware - I planted mums in the fall and did not cut them down for the winter - should I cut them back now or just leave them - the plant actually looks dead, dried up. Is there hope of them returning for this season.