I can never resist planting mums in the fall. My other flowers are fading, and here are these wonderful pops of color at the garden center. I usually end up buying a few mums for my front porch. Because I buy them when they are barely showing color, they are often still in full bloom on Halloween.

What Are Chrysanthemums?

Chrysanthemums are popular flowers that bloom late in the growing season. Most of these late-blooming chrysanthemums are referred to as “garden mums” because they can be planted in the garden as a perennial flower, generally hardy in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 5 – 9. They are hardier than florist mums, which can be purchased in bloom year-round as a potted plant.

Types of Mums

The National Chrysanthemum Society lists 13 types of chrysanthemums on their website, but many of them are florist mums that most of us aren’t likely to grow in our own gardens. Hardy mums are the more typical variety, the kind sold in the fall at the local garden center. There are many different styles and colors to choose from.

One of my favorite types of mums is the Igloo Series, which is significantly hardier than many other mums. They are a good option for colder climates, especially USDA zones 3 – 4, but they’ll do well in USDA zones 5 to 9, too. Sometimes they are referred to by the genus name Dendranthema. But rest assured, they are chrysanthemums.

Another popular garden mum is ‘Sheffield Pink’ which has light apricot-pink flowers with gold centers. They can grow up to two feet tall and spread into large clumps. As an added bonus, butterflies love them.