I use snipped up bits of concrete 4" square wire mesh to hold up just about everything that flops. The exception is the huge stalks of climbing rose, then it wears a scar into the stems. So I think it would work - you could probably use the same ones; peonies, then take them off and put them on the mums.

I lucked into a variety of light purple mum that looks good for 8 weeks, because after the flowers fade and turn a light brown, from a distance the purple still dominates. I was thinking today I need to multiply that one out quite a bit more.

Hi High,

As long as you put the peony hoopÂor whateverÂout early so the foliage & stems can grow to fit it, IÂm sure it would work. Pinching the mums a couple times would also help to keep them a little bit shorter.

I never got around to pinching mine this year, so they got taller than they have in the past, and what I did, starting as soon as I realized how tall they were going to get, was to tie lightweight twine (string!) around the plants several times as they grew taller to keep the outside stems from flopping over. It works really well as long as the plant is flopping pretty much equally in all directions since the weight from each side counteracts the weight from the opposite side. When I have something that flops toward one side, I still tie twine all the way around the plant, but with 2 or 3 stakes on the side it needs to be pulled towardÂif that makes sense! Whatever you decide to do with mums, you need to start doing it when theyÂre still small and flexible. By late summer, the stems are getting woody and brittle. I donÂt use a hoop or other metal because I donÂt like the way it looks most of the summer while the plant is growing into it. And luckily I was able to get a large cone of green twine when my brother quit selling poinsettias and didnÂt need it anymore, so it really blends in and is virtually invisible.

David, if you want more of the one purple mum, the easiest way to do it would be to dig it up VERY early next spring and divide the new growth off of the outside of the plant, making as many new ones as you wantÂand throw away the old, woody center. Ideally mums should have this done to them (no, I donÂt!) every couple years. (My parents used to grow mums commercially when I was a kid!)

Skybird

P.S. You need to take some of those flowers up to your crowÂs nest, High!

Well, I DID pinch them back a couple of times, but you wouldn't know it to look at them now! How many inches do you remove off of each branch when "pinching"? Maybe I need to remove a lot more than I did.

At first I tried to tie all of the the branches up together, which didn't work. Then, I thought I would tie a few branches at a time to a stake in the middle, but that didn't work either. They were just too brittle, and kept breaking every time I tried.

Skybird, there's no room in my little crow's nest right now, LOL! It's full of seed catalogs and gardening books at the moment. Maybe when it's too cold to play outside, I will spend some time organizing my perch : )

LOL! I guess catalogs and books will do in lieu of flowers!

ItÂs too late to try to tie them without breaking them this year (but wouldnÂt it be nice to have some more inside before they freeze!) If you want to try tying them, you need to start by tying them and pulling them together some the first time when theyÂre only about a foot or a little taller. Then, as they grow, tie all the way around them again every 6 to 8 inches or so. YouÂll wind up with 3 or 4 loops of twine around them by the time theyÂre bloomingÂmaybe even 5 if they get that tall. As long as they keep getting taller just keep looping another layer of twine around them. And if they start to flop toward one side, thatÂs the time to put in a couple stakes to straighten them outÂbut do it as soon as you notice any floppingÂbefore they get "established" in that position.

When I pinch mine, I pinch them back about half way down the new growth. IÂve done it twice in the past, but if I have the time to do it again next year I think IÂll only do it once to increase the number of blooms. (My parents used to recommend 3 times to keep them short and bushyÂand theirs always wereÂbut they were growing in good Illinois soil too, so IÂm not sure how youÂd compare that to our growing conditions out here!) I really kind of like them taller, and, starting early, I was pretty successful at keeping them "chinched up" and staying upright this year.

Skybird