Garden Mum
Chrysanthemum
Garden Mum blooms from September through October.
Mature size, 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.
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 2 ft tall and 2 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 1 year.
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. For the middle of its hardy zones 5 to 9 range, 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: for the middle of its range, start with zone 7 in March.
14 more colors in the Chrysanthemums family
Same family, similar care - pick the one you are growing.
Good to know about Garden Mum
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
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.
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 4.9 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.
Sunflower
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.
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