Is the Point Pelee Mum a Perennial?

In autumn, retail floral shelves burst with color from beautiful fall floral mums. 'Point Pelee' mum (​Chrysanthemum​ × ​grandiflora​ 'Point Pelee') remains one of the most recognized and most popular varieties of all. Though not a perennial, 'Point Pelee' provides outstanding blooms in long-lasting autumn colors to bring added beauty to your indoor fall floral display, just as it does to Point Pelee National Park at Canada's southernmost tip, a place renowned for its stunning fall colors.

For professional greenhouse growers, 'Point Pelee' has been one of the most important varieties of floral mums ever introduced. It was developed from the 'Pelee' mum (​Chrysanthemum​ × ​grandiflora​ 'Pelee'), the first bicolor floral mum ever. When 'Pelee' reached retail shelves in 1992, it was so popular it gained the distinction of being the first pot mum to earn a UPC code all its own. After many years in development, 'Point Pelee' made its debut in 2006. More pots of this new and improved mum sold in its first year of introduction than any other floral mum in history.

Outstanding autumn color is just one feature that distinguishes 'Point Pelee' from other floral mums. Its bicolor, daisy-like petals of deep red with yellow toward the center surround a tight green button that resists shedding pollen. These 2- to 4-inch flowers form a very full, dense and uniform canopy of blooms. In comparison with its famous predecessor, 'Point Pelee' exhibits fuller form, more flowers and more intense color. The daisy-like flowers also hold their form and color longer.

Floral mums and garden mums have been developed through very specialized breeding for specific qualities and very distinct purposes. Floral pot mums like 'Point Pelee' have been bred and produced for large, long-lasting flowers designed for a single season of bloom and peak indoor performance.

Not bred for the outdoors, floral mums develop few if any underground stolons that would enable them to survive winter freezes and thaws. Instead, they produce above-ground stolons or "runners" and, as a result, are unprepared to survive the cold. Even if a floral mum survives outside through heavy protection, outdoor conditions are contrary to everything the plant has been bred for. Any flowering the following year would likely be sparse and so late in the growing season that frost would take the buds before they could ever be enjoyed.

All floral pot mums are optimized through breeding and growing practices to excel in indoor environments with minimal care. Bright, indirect light and cool room temperatures of 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit result in the longest-lasting blooms. At higher and lower temperatures, bloom life begins to decrease.

There's no need to fertilize your 'Point Pelee' mum. Fertilizing actually decreases the longevity of your mum plant and its flowers at this point in its life. To extend the beauty of your 'Point Pelee' mum, water only when the soil becomes dry to the touch, never allow it to completely dry out and it will provide many weeks of enjoyment in your home.