Chrysanthemums remind us of autumn and cooler weather. They are important symbols of fall, right up there with Halloween decorations and pumpkin spice lattes.
Yet, when most people think of mums, we picture something like those tight little balls of color found at Publix and Lowes. Let me save you some heartache... those that you see on every doorstep are florist mums and bred to look great for about a month. If you plant them in the garden, they will probably die.
I'm a perennial person! I don't want plants that I can't appreciate and propagate/ share with others. My favorite plants are those that 1) produce viable seed or 2) can be rooted or divided. So, if you love mums, you'll be happy to know that many chrysanthemums are great perennials for our climate!
According to NC State, the wild ancestors of modern mums are from eastern Asia. All mums are in the Aster family and are sometimes labeled Korean mums or included in genera like Dendranthemum or the unpronounceable "Ajania." All that aside, if you want to get the "hardy" types, you'll need to do a little research and probably buy them online.
From my limited experience, I can safely recommend 4 different cultivars in 4 colors. For a bright pink, 'Hillside Sheffield Pink' is probably the most common one you'll encounter. I think many of these "pink mums" are basically the same thing. I've seen this called 'Ryan's Pink' or simply ' Sheffield Pink'. Plant Delights offers a supposed dwarf Sheffield named 'Country Girl'. Btw, these hardy pink mums are the first ones in bloom for me, often beginning the first week of October.
For a lighter creamy pink, I'd recommend 'Cream' or sometimes called 'Dwarf Cream' from Petals From the Past. The photo below was taken at the Master Gardener display garden at the Coweta Fairgrounds.
My all time favorite hardy mum is one called 'Golden Snowflakes' from Plant Delights Nursery. According to their website, "it arose as a seedling here at Juniper Level Botanic Garden between a patch of Chrysanthemum (Ajania) pacificum and Chrysanthemum 'Gethsemane Moonlight'."
Btw, I had to look up Ajania pacificum, and found it to be the common"silver and gold chrysanthemum" one often sees at flower shops- the one with the silvery colored leaves.
'Gold Snowflakes' has proven incredibly durable and drought-tolerant in my mom's yard. Every year, I look forward to its cheery yellow display. It typically blooms later than the pink ones—like one or two weeks after. So, that's mid-October.
Lastly, if you desire a darker, more autumnal color, I'd suggest 'Cathy's Rust'- also from Petals from the Past. While this one doesn't seem quite as vigorous as the others, you can't beat that rich orange color! For me, it's also one of the last ones to bloom, usually around Halloween, and doesn't it just embody the very essence of Autumn?
Hardy chrysanthemums have few pests or issues, but they do get "leggy" and flop over. While I don't mind this growth habit, as it can actually provide a "flowing" informal or Romantic quality to your fall garden, if you want them to stay more upright, I'd suggest a mid-summer trim. I've had good results by cutting the plants back by a third in July. Many of these plants will "travel" or become mildly invasive, especially the pink ones. But they are easy enough to divide and reduce as most of the roots are right at the surface.
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