Mum (Chrysanthemum spp.)

Mum Plant Features

Instant impact! That's what you'll get when you put a generous helping of chrysanthemums (commonly just called mums) in your flower border or containers. Generally sold in ready-to-bloom form, mums provide a fall finale of color to any setting. They come in a wide variety of flower colors and shapes, from small button-sized blooms to giant corsage-worthy flowers. Mum colors include white, yellow, pink, orange, red, burgundy, cream, salmon, and bi-color. There are also dwarf forms that grow just 8 to 10 inches tall and standards that can reach 3 feet in height. Mums are very popular with bees and butterflies, too. Hardy from zones 4-10.

Get ideas for decorating with mums and other plants for fall.

Mum Questions?
Email us and one of our perennial experts will get back to you.

Mums are easy to grow and will last for years, but be sure to select plants that are labeled "garden mums." Varieties sold indoors at florists are generally not cold hardy and should be treated as short-lived seasonal gift plants for interior design only. Mums prefer a sunny spot in the garden with well-drained soil. Avoid locations where water stands after a heavy rain. To get the best bloom on large-flowering types, pinch off all the buds in late May. This will encourage more compact growth and additional blooms. In northern parts of their range, apply a winter mulch to protect mums from sub zero temperatures. If your mums grow too large, divide them in the early spring every two to three years. After a few years some mums may begin to weaken or die out. Add new plants every year or two to keep the fall color show going. Deer and rabbits generally avoid dining on mums.

This plant not intended for human or animal consumption.

Water

Moist
Light

Outside: Sun
Colors

Orange

Pink

Purple

Red

White

Yellow
Special Features

Attracts butterflies

Attracts hummingbirds

Deer/rabbit resistant

Super-easy to grow

Complement your Plant

Mum

Mums come in so many colors and flower forms you can mix different varieties to create an outstanding garden.

Aster

In the fall, the blue, pink, or white flowers of Asters look stunning planted next to the yellow, orange, or red blooms of Mums.

Japanese Anemone

Fall blooming Japanese Anemone makes a great partner for a cluster of flowering Mums.

Our favorite varieties

Aubrey Orange Garden Mum

Chrysanthemum Aubrey Orange

Aubrey Orange garden mum features delightful orange flowers that's perfect for adding a bold splash of fall color to garden beds, borders, and containers. It grows 24 inches tall and wide. Zones 5-9

Chelsey White Garden Mum

Chrysanthemum Chelsey White

Chelsey White garden mum shows off bright white flowers in the middle of mum season that are a great contrast or complement to other fall colors. It grows about 24 inches tall and wide. Zones 5-9

Jolly Cheryl Red Garden Mum

Chrysanthemum Jolly Cheryl Red

Jolly Cheryl Red garden mum is an easy-care, early-season variety that shows off reddish-purple flowers. It grows about 24 inches tall and wide. Zones 5-9

Regal Cheryl Purple Garden Mum

Chrysanthemum Regal Cheryl Purple

Regal Cheryl Purple garden mum features delightful purple-pink flowers early in the season. It grows about 20 inches tall and wide. Zones 5-9

Emberglow Orange Garden Mum

Chrysanthemum Emberglow Orange

Emberglow Orange garden mum is a late-season variety that bears bold orange blooms. It grows 24 inches tall and 36 inches wide. Zones 6-9

Eternal Red Garden Mum

Chrysanthemum Eternal Red

Eternal Red garden mum brings rusty-red flowers late in the season to fall gardens and containers. It grows 24 inches tall and 36 inches wide. Zones 6-9

Jacqueline Pink Garden Mum

Chrysanthemum Jacqueline Pink

Add bright pink shades to your outdoor spaces with Jacqueline Pink garden mum. It's an easy-care mid-season bloomer that grows 22 inches tall and 20 inches wide. zones 5-8

Sparkling Cheryl Yellow Garden Mum

Chrysanthemum Sparkling Cheryl Yellow

Bold and early blooming, you'll love the sunshine-yellow flowers that Sparkling Cheryl Yellow garden mum adds to your outdoor spaces. It grows 20 inches tall and wide. Zones 5-9

Sunbeam Yellow Garden Mum

Chrysanthemum Sunbeam Yellow

Eye-catching and elegant, Sunbeam Yellow garden mum pairs well with reds and oranges. An early-season bloomer, it grows 20 inches tall and 24 inches wide. Zones 5-9

Ursula Lavender Garden Mum

Chrysanthemum Ursula Lavender

Ursula Lavender garden mum features soft lavender-pink blooms early in the season. It grows 18 inches tall and 20 inches wide. Zones 5-9

Vigorelli Violet Garden Mum

Chrysanthemum Vigorelli Violet

You'll love Vigorelli Violet garden mum's bold purple flowers come season's end! A mid-season bloomer, it grows 24 inches tall and wide. Zones 5-9

Yellow Tang Garden Mum

Chrysanthemum Yellow Tang

Yellow Tang thrives in landscape beds and borders, as well as containers. It shows off glowing yellow flowers late in the season. It grows 24 inches tall and 36 inches wide. Zones 6-9

Bonnie Red Garden Mum

Chrysanthemum Bonnie Red

Bonnie Red garden mum features rich single red flowers decorated with a festive yellow center. It grows 24 inches tall and wide. Zones 5-9

Chelsey Coral Garden Mum

Chrysanthemum Chelsey Coral

Chelsey Coral garden mum offers something a little different -- flowers in a soft shade of coral-peach. It grows 24 inches tall and wide. Zones 5-9

Hankie Yellow Garden Mum

Chrysanthemum Hankie Yellow

Hankey Yellow mum is a cheery variety that shows off bright yellow single, daisy-like flowers, making it a fun contrast to the more common double-flowering mum types. It grows 24 inches tall and wide. Zones 5-9

Jacqueline Peach Fusion Garden Mum

Chrysanthemum Jacqueline Peach Fusion

Compact and fun, this variety shows off bicolored double blooms of peach and golden yellow. It grows 22 inches tall and wide. Zones 5-9

Nutty Fiona Bronze Garden Mum

Chrysanthemum Nutty Fiona Bronze

Nutty Fiona Bronze mum offers long-lasting bronze-orange flowers on a tidy plant that grows 24 inches tall and wide. It's winter hardy in Zones 5-9.

Spicy Cheryl Orange Garden Mum

Chrysanthemum Spicy Cheryl Orange

Bearing eye-catching orange flowers, you'll love the way Spicy Cheryl Orange garden mum looks in your container gardens, beds, and borders every fall. It grows 24 inches tall and wide. Zones 5-9