Too early for mum buds?

All of my chrysanthemums are full of buds. I was hoping they would give some fall color, but they're going to be blooming way before that. I cut some of them back about six inches, but there are still some buds at the base of the stems. Is there any way I can keep them from blooming for another few months? Or is this a lost cause?

I have had the same thing and you are doing the right thing. Just keep pinching them back until the end of August and then let them go. The pinching will keep the plant bushier and force it to make more buds, maybe even larger flowers.