Garden chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum x morifolium · Asteraceae Popular
The florist's mum: dense domes of daisies, pompoms or buttons in every autumn colour. Garden-hardy kinds return each year if planted in spring and left uncut over winter.
- Size
- 24 in tall, 24 in wide
- Zones
- 5 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Mid September to late October
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around garden chrysanthemum
The planner designed this bed around garden chrysanthemum 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 garden chrysanthemum stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Garden chrysanthemum × 3, yellow
- 2 Bloody cranesbill 'Max Frei' × 5, pink
- 3 Winter heath × 15, white
- 4 Stiff goldenrod × 3, yellow
- 5 Foxglove beardtongue × 3, white
- 6 Silver sage × 1, silver leaves
- 7 Star of Persia × 4, purple
- 8 Grecian windflower × 7, 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
- At the back. At 24 in it is seen over winter heath (10 in) in front of it, and has nothing behind it to hide.
- A step in the back row. Next to star of Persia (20 in) and foxglove beardtongue (3½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- 3 plants in one group. Massed, one kind reads as a single shape. Scattered, it would look spotty.
Why now
- In flower for 7 weeks. From mid September to late October.
- Closes the season. For its last four weeks 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. Winter heath, fine in leaf, stands next to bold-leaved stiff goldenrod, and each shows the other off. The flowering year starts with winter heath in late January and ends with garden chrysanthemum in late October.
The planner's own design check: 10 Excellent, 7 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 garden chrysanthemum goes in a border
At 24 in it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium short (18 to 24 in).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
Mums bought in flower in autumn rarely survive the winter; plant in spring so they root in. Pinch the shoots until July for a tight dome. Russets and golds sit best with autumn foliage.
- Autumn colour at the front of a sunny bed
- Containers
- Cut flowers
What to plant with garden chrysanthemum
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Sedum 'Autumn Joy': in flower together for five weeks, from mid September; bold leaves against its medium ones.
- New England aster: purple against yellow, opposite each other on the colour wheel, if you choose those colours, in flower together for five weeks; tall enough (4 ft) to stand behind it.
- Dwarf fountain grass 'Hameln': in flower together for two weeks, from mid September.
Questions about garden chrysanthemum
Does garden chrysanthemum need sun or shade?
Garden chrysanthemum grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does garden chrysanthemum grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 9. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does garden chrysanthemum flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid September to late October. 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 5 | Mid September to late October |
|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Mid September to late October |
| Zone 7 | Mid September to late October |
| Zone 8 | Mid September to late October |
| Zone 9 | Mid September to late October |
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 garden chrysanthemum be planted?
18 in (45 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 24 in (60 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 24 in (60 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many garden chrysanthemum plants do I need?
At 18 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 5 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 7 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 17 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 three in one group.
Is garden chrysanthemum 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 NC State Extension and the ASPCA. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like garden chrysanthemum?
These come closest to doing what garden chrysanthemum does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Black-eyed Susan: the same job in a bed, the same size and the same colour; flowers mid July to mid September.
- Coneflower 'Sombrero Salsa Red': the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers late June to early September, red, not yellow.
- Tickseed 'Sunray': the same job in a bed and the same colour; 4 in shorter, flowers early June to late August.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What does garden chrysanthemum look like in winter?
Garden chrysanthemum 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'
- Chrysanthemum 'Sheffield Pink' Chrysanthemum 'Sheffield Pink'
In these guides
- Garden plants toxic to cats
- Garden plants toxic to dogs
- Plants that flower in fall
- Plants for a white garden
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 24 in (60 cm) tall, 24 in (60 cm) wide
- Plant
- 18 in (45 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium short (18 to 24 in)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Mid September to late October; daisies; yellow, orange, red, pink, purple, white
- Leaves
- Medium texture, herbaceous; dark green
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Rich, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Moderate, in spring
- Family
- Asteraceae
Checked against NC State Extension and 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.