First, I want to state that I am not a gardener. I'd like to call myself a "lazy gardener," but that would be far too generous. Lazy, yes. Gardener, no. I buy plants and do a bit of transplanting here ...

Pick healthy mums early in the season—choose plants with tight buds, not full blooms. Decide between hardy mums for perennials or florist mums for one-time fall color. Give mums six hours of sun, ...