Discover + Share

It seems like it just wouldn’t be fall without mums! But did you know you can enjoy perennial mums year after year?

These showy flowers get their name from their genus: Chrysanthemum. It contains around 30-40 species native to Asia and Europe that gardeners have cultivated and hybridized for centuries.

Many people purchase mums in the fall for seasonal decoration, and the plants often end up in the compost (or worse: the landfill). Even though they are technically cold hardy in the St. Louis region, these mums tend to have a poor rate of survival if planted out in the garden after the blooms have faded.

Want to give your decorative mums their best chance to come back next year? Check out this blog post on saving potted mums!

So, instead of purchasing new mums every fall, consider these perennial mum selections. They have a proven garden performance that can come back reliably year after year.

Recommended Perennial Mums for St. Louis Gardners

Chrysanthemum ‘Hillside Sheffield Pink’

One of the most popular perennial mums for mixed border plantings is ‘Hillside Sheffield Pink’. It forms blanket of pale, apricot-pink, single blooms that cover the upright stems from September through to frost. Mature plants will reach 2–3 feet tall with a similar spread and a mounding growth habit.

You can sometimes find this plant sold under the names ‘Sheffield Pink’ or ‘Single Apricot’.

Chrysanthemum ‘Coquette’

This cusion mum has a relatively low mounding growth habit, making it a good choice for the perennial border. Mature plants will reach up to 2 feet tall with a similar spread, topped with fully double, pale pink blooms in fall.

Chrysanthemum ‘Fireworks Igloo’

Named for its rounded shape, this hardy, perennial mum produces sprays of double, lavender-pink blooms in fall. The 1″-wide flowers are made up of tightly rolled, quill-type petals.

Like other hardy mums, this cultivar is sometimes sold under an old genus name: Dendranthema, but the names are synonymous.

Chrysanthemum zawadskii (Zawadzki chrysanthemum)

This species of mum produces a late summer to early fall display of white blooms with bright yellow centers on upright, 2′-tall stems.

It has been used to create many hybird mums with improved cold hardiness characteristics. Interestingly, an extract from this plant is also being studied for its ability to stimulate hair growth.

Pair Perennial mums with native asters

While you are browsing perennial mums, why not also add a few native asters to your plant shopping list? These fall-bloomers are an important late-season nectar and pollen source for many native insect pollinators.

Aster seeds provide winter food source for birds, and their leaves are the larval food source for a number of butterfly and moth species, including the pearl crescent and silvery checkerspot.

Symphyotrichum novae-angliae (New England aster)

One of the tallest and showiest of the native asters, New England aster is a common sight in old fields, moist prairies, and along streambanks and river bluffs.

The blooms are usually purple, but pink is relatively common. It can reach 3-6′ tall in the wild, but many shorter cultivars are available. ‘Purple Dome’ is a good choice for smaller garden spaces. It reaches up to 2 feet tall, with 3 foot spread and produces an abundance of deep purple blooms on upright stems. 

Symphyotrichum oblongifolium (aromatic aster)

A very common aster in Missouri, the aromatic aster is named for the sweet scent released by the leaves when crushed. It is tolerant of drought and will reach up to 3 feet tall with a similar spread. ‘October Skies’ is more compact than the species and features a more profuse display of small, blue flowers.

Ionactis linariifolia (stiff aster)

Impress your plant friends with this unique native aster! A good choice for rock gardens, this 1′-to -2′-tall aster features narrow, glossy, dark green leaves and a long bloom time from summer into fall.

---

Justine Kandra | Horticulturist with the Kemper Center for Home Gardening