Chrysanthemum 'Sheffield Pink'
Chrysanthemum 'Sheffield Pink' · Asteraceae
Single, apricot-pink daisies with yellow centres smother a loose, spreading mound in October, long after most perennials have finished. Reliably hardy and long-lived.
- Size
- 2½ ft tall, 3 ft wide
- Zones
- 4 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Late September to early November
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around chrysanthemum 'Sheffield Pink'
The planner designed this bed around chrysanthemum 'Sheffield Pink' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why chrysanthemum 'Sheffield Pink' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Chrysanthemum 'Sheffield Pink' × 4, pink
- 2 Common thyme × 5, lavender
- 3 Moor grass 'Greenlee' × 5, tan
- 4 Swamp milkweed 'Ice Ballet' × 3, white
- 5 Globe arborvitae 'Danica' × 1, green leaves
- 6 Coneflower 'PowWow Wild Berry' × 3, pink
- 7 Schubert's allium × 3, pink
- 8 Spring starflower × 10, blue
Why this plant
- Nothing here is unique to it. Its leaf, flower shape and colour are all on the plan already. Its case rests on where it stands and when it performs.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 2½ ft it is one of the taller plants here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to coneflower 'PowWow Wild Berry' (22 in) and swamp milkweed 'Ice Ballet' (3½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- 4 plants in 2 groups (3 and 1). Seen again further along, the same plant ties the bed together.
Why now
- In flower for six weeks. From late September to early November.
- Closes the season. In all that time nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 4 of the 5 groups (80%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The most in flower at one time is 3 kinds, from late May. Pink runs through the planting: 3 of the 7 kinds grown for their flowers have it.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 4 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where chrysanthemum 'Sheffield Pink' goes in a border
At 2½ ft it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium (24 in to 2½ ft).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
Looser and more natural than the dome-shaped florist mums, and a true perennial. Its soft apricot blends with autumn leaves and with the blue of late asters.
- The last big show of autumn
- Cottage gardens
- Late nectar for bees and butterflies
What to plant with chrysanthemum 'Sheffield Pink'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Aromatic aster 'October Skies': in flower together for five weeks, from late September.
- Sedum 'Autumn Joy': in flower together for three weeks, from late September; bold leaves against its medium ones.
- Little bluestem: its blue-green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after.
Questions about chrysanthemum 'Sheffield Pink'
Does chrysanthemum 'Sheffield Pink' need sun or shade?
Chrysanthemum 'Sheffield Pink' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does chrysanthemum 'Sheffield Pink' grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 9. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does chrysanthemum 'Sheffield Pink' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late September to early November. As an autumn flower it keeps much the same dates in every zone: it answers to shortening days and cool nights more than to the warmth of spring.
| Zone 4 | Late September to early November |
|---|---|
| Zone 5 | Late September to early November |
| Zone 6 | Late September to early November |
| Zone 7 | Late September to early November |
| Zone 8 | Late September to early November |
| Zone 9 | Late September to early November |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should chrysanthemum 'Sheffield Pink' be planted?
24 in (60 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 3 ft (90 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 2½ ft (75 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many chrysanthemum 'Sheffield Pink' plants do I need?
At 24 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 3 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 6 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 10 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used four in two groups.
Is chrysanthemum 'Sheffield Pink' poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: mild toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. Can cause vomiting and diarrhoea if eaten. Handling the plant can irritate skin.
Rated from the ASPCA. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like chrysanthemum 'Sheffield Pink'?
These come closest to doing what chrysanthemum 'Sheffield Pink' does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- New England aster 'Purple Dome': the same job in a bed; 10 in shorter, flowers early September to mid October.
- Autumn sage: the same job in a bed, the same size and the same colour; flowers mid May to mid October, fine leaves, not medium.
- Coreopsis 'Full Moon': the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers late June to mid September, yellow, not pink.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What does chrysanthemum 'Sheffield Pink' look like in winter?
Chrysanthemum 'Sheffield Pink' dies down to the ground and there is nothing to see until spring. The old stems can be cut in autumn, or left until spring as shelter for overwintering insects.
More Chrysanthemum
- Chrysanthemum 'Clara Curtis' Chrysanthemum 'Clara Curtis'
- Chrysanthemum 'Mary Stoker' Chrysanthemum 'Mary Stoker'
- Garden chrysanthemum Chrysanthemum x morifolium
In these guides
Zone guides: Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 2½ ft (75 cm) tall, 3 ft (90 cm) wide
- Plant
- 24 in (60 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium (24 in to 2½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Late September to early November; daisies; pink
- Leaves
- Medium texture, herbaceous; green
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Asteraceae
Checked against ASPCA poison lists. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.