Garden Mum
Chrysanthemum × morifolium
Family Asteraceae
Garden mum owns autumn — cushions packed solid with bloom in cider colors, russet, bronze, burgundy, gold, flowering in fall straight through to hard frost. No other flower says the season has changed quite so plainly, which is why every porch in the country hires one.
Here is the secret the September display hides: potted mums bought in bloom rarely survive winter, but a hardy type planted in spring settles in and returns for years. Bees work the late flowers hard. Skip the disposable porch pot — plant one that comes back.
Full Sun
Moderate water
Fast growth
Attracts bees
From the print shop
Growing garden mum? Hang it.
Our Plant Library collection carries garden mum — Chrysanthemum morifolium, print Nº 198, “Garden Mum.”
526 designsfrom $12.99white or black backgroundmatte poster, unframed
Will it fruit where you are?
Enter your ZIP — we look up your USDA hardiness zone (2023 map) and check it against what garden mum actually needs.
Hardy inZones 5-9Garden Mum · Common problems
Common garden mum problems
Pests
5 problems on file
Diseases
3 problems on file
Garden Mum · Growing & propagation
Growing garden mum
- Light
- Full Sun
- Water
- Moderate, even
Soil- Rich, well-drained · pH 6.0 - 7.0
Fertilizer- Monthly through summer for fall bloom
Pruning- Spring + pinch to July
PINCH tips monthly until early July for a dense mound covered in bloom; unpinched mums get leggy and flop.
Spacing- 18-24 in
How to plant & propagate garden mum
- Propagate
- Division or seed
Garden Mum · Calculators & field guides
A little help in the garden.
Garden Mum · Yearly calendar
The garden mum year, month by month
Jan
No calendar activity is listed for this month.
BloomPruneBloomSeptember to November
PruneMarch to May, then July
What each band means
- Bloom — flowers open — pollinators working, frost on blossoms is the danger.
- Prune — shape it now — cuts heal cleanly and structure is visible.
These are the species' typical months — expect them a few weeks earlier in warm zones and later in cold ones. Watch the plant, not just the calendar.
Garden Mum · Ecology & uses
Ecology & uses
Chrysanthemum × morifolium
Garden Mum in the garden system
- Herbaceous layer perennial
Attracts- Bees
- Moisture
- Facultative / average
Deer- Browsed
Protect young plants
Origin- Introduced
What garden mum is grown for
! Some parts toxic — see notesToxic to cats/dogs (mild)
Use- Fall containers
- Use
- Cushion borders
- Use
- Cut flowers
Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.
Garden Mum · Varieties & cultivars
Choosing a garden mum variety
'Mammoth' series (hardy, perennial, huge); countless florist colors
Sources & plant identity
Know what you’re growing.
See where the knowledge comes from.
Garden Mum
Chrysanthemum × morifolium
The plant, at a glance.
- Botanical name
- Chrysanthemum × morifolium
- Plant family
- Asteraceae
- Growth habit
- Perennial
- Origin
- Introduced
- USDA plant symbol
- CHMO6
- Invasive risk
- Low
- Other names
- Chrysanthemum × morifolium (Dendranthema)
Hardiness, size and timing vary with your cultivar, soil and climate.
Rooted in research.
University extension research, brought together with hands-on growing experience at Story Thyme Farms.
for Garden Mum
Research from these sources
Publisher marks identify sources, not sponsorship or endorsement.
Where to buy
Third-party nurseries — not Story Thyme Farms.
Third-party nurseries, not Story Thyme Farms. Prices are theirs.
Story Thyme Farms may earn a small commission from these links, at no cost to you — it never changes what we recommend.
Questions
Garden Mum questions, answered straight.
Is garden mum safe for kids and pets?
With care. Toxic to cats/dogs (mild) Site it accordingly if children or pets roam the garden. This is general reference, not medical or veterinary advice — call a vet or poison control if something has actually been eaten.
How do you propagate garden mum?
Division or seed.
Elsewhere
Where garden mum sits in the library.
Sunflower
Zinnia
Peony
Daylily