Question
what can I do to keep my potted mums? do I plant them in my flower bed or what? I live in Indiana
Thanks,Heather

Answer
We don't know the Latin name for our potted mums, do we Heather?

Because there are hardy mums and there are annual mums and there are tender mums.  And some hardy perennial mums don't come back anyway!   May as well be annuals.

But let's assume they're hardy and will survive your Indiana winter.

Find a nice sunny spot with lots of good drainage and rich soil, and put the mums right into the ground.  A mixture of mushroom compost, sand and garden soil will give your chrysanthemums a terrific place to grow.

Do this asap so that they have a chance to harden off.  Put them outside in their pots unless it's below freezing (32 degrees F), in which case you should put them in a basement or a cool unheated porch.  This will help them acclimate to the winter weather.

Eventually you will put them in the garden and they will go dormant.

And then in spring, they will come back.  Don't fertilize until spring, by the way.  You want the plant to wind down, not speed up.  And pay good attention to drainage.

Let me know how they do.  I'll be watching.

Thanks for writing.