Illustration
Garden Mum
Chrysanthemum
Garden Mum blooms from September through October.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Garden Mum
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 5–9. Expect it to reach about 24 in tall and 24 in wide at maturity, in roughly 1 year (not yet checked).
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not, and each fact above says which. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Garden Mum
Plant Garden Mum in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 7, the middle of its hardy zones 5 to 9, spring means March to May and fall means September or October. Once settled, it blooms from September to October.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 7, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 7 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Garden Mum get?
24 intall5 ft 7 inan adult24 inwideSee Garden Mum in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Garden Mum
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Garden Mum about 24 in apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Garden Mum to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Garden Mum's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags were checked against 5 published sources on July 29, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- NC State ExtensionChrysanthemum x morifoliumheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- NC State Extensiongenus Chrysanthemumheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Clemson Home and Garden Information CenterHGIC 1161height, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- University of Illinois ExtensionFlowers, Fruits, and Frassheight, sun and trait tags
- Iowa State University ExtensionYard and Gardensun and trait tags
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
14 more colors in the Chrysanthemums group
Same genus, similar care - pick the one you are growing.
Compare every variety in the Chrysanthemums group
Every figure is the variety's own page fact. Tap a name to open it.
| Variety | Color | Blooms | Hardiness | Sun | Size (H × W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | Orange | Sep–Nov | Zones 5–9 | Full sun | 24 in × 24 in |
| Burgundy | Red | Sep–Nov | Zones 5–9 | Full sun | 24 in × 24 in |
| Clara Curtis | Pink | Aug–Oct | Zones 3–9 | Full sun | 2.5 ft × 2.5 ft |
| Coral | Orange | Sep–Nov | Zones 5–9 | Full sun | 24 in × 24 in |
| Gardenthis page | Orange | Sep–Oct | Zones 5–9 | Full sun | 24 in × 24 in |
| Gold | Yellow | Sep–Nov | Zones 5–9 | Full sun | 24 in × 24 in |
| Lavender | Purple | Sep–Nov | Zones 5–9 | Full sun | 24 in × 24 in |
| Mary Stoker | Yellow | Sep–Oct | Zones 3–9 | Full sun | 2.5 ft × 2.5 ft |
| Pink | Pink | Sep–Nov | Zones 5–9 | Full sun | 24 in × 24 in |
| Purple | Purple | Sep–Nov | Zones 5–9 | Full sun | 24 in × 24 in |
| Red | Red | Sep–Nov | Zones 5–9 | Full sun | 24 in × 24 in |
| Rust | Red | Sep–Nov | Zones 5–9 | Full sun | 24 in × 24 in |
| Sheffield Pink | Pink | Sep–Nov | Zones 3–9 | Full sun | 2.5 ft × 2.5 ft |
| White | White | Sep–Nov | Zones 5–9 | Full sun | 24 in × 24 in |
| Yellow | Yellow | Sep–Nov | Zones 5–9 | Full sun | 24 in × 24 in |
Good to know about Garden Mum
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.
Safety
Toxic to dogs, cats and horses, and a skin irritant to people. Eating it usually causes mild stomach upset, drooling and diarrhea; NC State rates it low-severity. per ASPCA and NC State
Worth knowing
This genus is the botanical source of pyrethrins, the natural insecticide. Pyrethrins in some dog flea-and-tick products can be extracted from chrysanthemum. per ASPCA and Pet Poison Helpline
Perennial or annual?
Hardy garden and Rubellum mums return for years; potted florist mums bought blooming in fall are best treated as disposable annuals. Plant hardy types in spring. per NC State and Utah State
When to stop pinching
Colder gardens and early varieties stop pinching by early July; warm southern or coastal gardens can pinch into late July or early August. Later pinching costs fall blooms. per Utah State and Clemson
How to pinch
Start when shoots reach 6 to 8 in tall, remove the top 0.5 to 3 in of each tip, and repeat every 2 to 4 weeks for bushy, flower-heavy growth. per Clemson
Help it survive winter
Leave the top growth uncut in fall as insulation, then mulch 4 to 6 in after the ground freezes. Soggy winter soil kills hardy mums more than cold does. per NC State
Deer and rabbit resistant
NC State lists garden mum as both deer resistant and rabbit resistant; the aromatic, pyrethrin-bearing foliage is the kind that browsers tend to avoid. per NC State
Bees prefer single flowers
Single, daisy-form and hardy Rubellum mums offer real late-season nectar for bees and butterflies, but fully double florist pompons crowd out the florets and feed pollinators far less. per NC State
What pairs well with Garden Mum
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Globe Thistle
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in midsummer, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Creeping Sedum
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in early summer, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Sneezeweed
Shares full sun and moderate water; opens in midsummer and overlaps into this one's season; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; both offer pollinator forage.
Honeysuckle
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in late spring, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; climbs to 13 ft behind it, height without the footprint.
Jasmine
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in early summer, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; climbs to 10 ft behind it, height without the footprint.
Lavender
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in early summer, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Feather Reed Grass
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in early summer, before this one opens; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; taller at 5 ft, for the layer behind it.
Crocosmia
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in midsummer, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; red sits close to orange on the wheel.
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