| Yes, you are getting on the late side if you want the plants to size up at all. I have bench grown six-inch potted mums with cuttings starting in July, and I have also done mum hanging belden gardens with a 1st July start........but that's pushing the envelope for my latitude. You'd have to really use only the very late blooming varieties with a late response and long budding time, or light them. Neither of which would make you very competitive with your sales. The early blooming varieties are already setting buds. You know they are photoperiodic, IOW when the bloom is driven by response to day length. When the nights start getting longer (as they will from solstice on) and reach the magic number, the plants will stop their vegetative growth and start budding up. We don't call them plugs, but rooted cuttings. You will also find they should be ordered in early. You'll only get the left-overs from the major suppliers by this date and have to take what varieties you can get. If you can get them at all. Basically, you've missed your window. Both major breeders have websites with schedules on them for garden mums, depending on how you want to grow them. Check them out before you order and get your orders in early. They like a six week lead time before shipping. | 
