Located in Wilmington, Delaware, Leon’s Garden World shares helpful tips and tricks on its social media channels, and this one it shared about mums took many of us by surprise. If you normally throw your mums away at the end of fall, you could be tossing a perennial that will come back again next fall, and if you’re lucky, maybe even before that in the spring.

Listen in as this woman explains how to get them ready for and protect them through winter, where garden mums grow best, and how to enjoy them for years to come.

For quick reference, they shared these tips in the caption:

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Those brown, crispy flowers don’t necessarily mean your mum is finished. If the foliage underneath is still healthy, it may have plenty of life left.

Here’s what to do:

• Plant it in the ground instead of tossing it.
• Choose a sunny spot with at least half a day of sun. Full sun is even better.
• Remove the faded blooms, but don’t cut the entire plant back right away. Wait until a hard freeze turns it brown, then trim it down to a few inches above the soil.

Garden mums are generally hardy in Zones 5 through 9, although the variety, planting time, drainage, and winter conditions affect whether they survive. But if you’re willing to find out if they’ll come back again next year, it’s worth a shot to plant them and see!

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Are All Mums Perennials?

Not all mums are perennials; only garden mums are. The Farmer’s Almanac explains that garden mums, which are typically found at nurseries, are hardy perennials. Florist mums, often sold at grocery stores and flower shops, are generally treated as decorative annuals and aren’t bred to survive winter.

You may not be able to tell the difference by looking at them, but according to Costa Farms, garden mums will explicitly state their hardiness for outdoor survival, while floral mum tags usually just give indoor or temporary care instructions.

We love mums, and recently shared another post about how to care for them and help them bloom for as long as possible. If you do this one thing as soon as you bring them home, they should do much better throughout the fall.

Before tossing your mums at the end of the season, check the tag to see which type you have. If they’re garden mums, a sunny spot, well-draining soil, and a little winter protection could help them return for another beautiful fall display next year.

Related: If Your Potted Mums Always Die, These Simple Care Tips Can Help