Modern breeding techniques and mass production have meant that the chrysanthemum genus, frequently spotted in gas stations, funeral parlours, and granny's gardens, has, unfairly or not, fallen miserably out of fashion. It has got a reputation as a cheap garden filler, yet few care to remember just how useful it is for extending the garden's season of interest.
As garden trends go, this one is sticking, and it is hard for 'mums' to earn their way back into our hearts. So, if we are to move on, we're looking for substitutes that offer the following: late-flowering blooms that offer an injection of color, beautiful movement in the borders, textural interest, and a good vase life as a cut flower.
These three superb chrysanthemum alternatives deliver on all of these vows, and then some.
1. Asters
Asters are some of the best perennial plants, for growing in place of the chrysanthemum.
Happily, asters flower at the same time as chrysanthemums, though they outperform them in terms of looks.
Their ubiquity should not put you off them one bit. Asters can be relied upon for extending your season's tapestry of colors and texture; they're dependably colorful, attractive to pollinators, thrive in any soil type, and easy to grow from seed.
As the garden falls into a hushed lull in late summer, asters put on a terrific display. There are several aster varieties, namely the New England asters (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) and the asters commonly known as Michaelmas daisies.
An annual variety, called China Asters, will only survive for one season, though they are exceptionally pretty, almost peony-like with their cloud-like blooms and flower prolifically for months on end.
Hardiness: Perennial asters are extremely hardy and can survive in US hardiness zones 3-9.
Height: 40cm (16in) to 1.2m (4ft)
Planting position: Because they are native plants of North America, asters work very well in naturalistic or prairie planting schemes. Ensure they have maximum sun exposure, and in terms of height, they work best in the middle of the border. Asters can be grown in containers in well-drained compost.
This plant forms beautiful, yet delicate clusters of purple, lavender and light pink flowers. Very easy to sow from seed.
Large, cloud-like blooms blush in the softest creamy pink. A must have in cottage and cutting gardens.
A fantastic dwarf cultivar that typically grows to be 18-24" tall and up to 3 wide, so its great for the front of a border or in a pot.
2. Dahlias
If weaning yourself off chrysanthemums, then let me prescribe you a dose of dahlias instead. It's the range of dahlia varieties that is so astonishing. There are around 36 species of dahlias, with thousands of various cultivars and hybrids.
There are the dainty pompon dahlias, cactus dahlias, waterlily dahlias, dinnerplate dahlias, peony dahlias, collarette dahlias, the list goes on. Once you start growing them, you find you find it hard to stop.
Dahlias have a broad tolerance to soil types, but like it to be fertile, so add homemade compost to the soil to keep them happy. If you don't make compost, then add a small amount of organic seaweed fertilizer like this one available at Amazon.
All dahlias are bountiful cut flower croppers, so if you are planning a cut flower garden, you simply must get some in the ground.
Hardiness: Hardy in zones 8 and above, though in zones 7, you will find a good mulch, and they will overwinter in the ground. Any lower, lift them and overwinter them indoors.
Height: Depending on the type of dahlia you grow, height will vary dramatically. Compact dahlia varieties reach about 40cm (15in), and the taller varieties can grow up to 6ft tall.
Planting position: Dahlias are wonderful when grown in pots. In a border, they want a sunny and sheltered position.
An achingly beautiful velvety dahlia with a black center. It is one of the strongest and most prolific dahlia varieties ever - a true marvel.
The picture says it all. A stunning fully double dahlia with apricot blooms and ruby undersides, each four-inch wide.
A beautifully striking dahlia that lasts in a pot until early December. It grows to around 40 inches and looks great as a 'filler' in a pot, when paired with a 'thriller'.
3. Rudbeckias
If it's true staying power you're after, then rudbeckias win, hands down. Starting to bloom in summer, they are one of those rare flowers that will last until December, or even later, if you treat them well.
Butterflies, bees, and other pollinators are wildly passionate about rudbeckias, and they are always teeming with honeybees, ladybugs, and goldfinches.
It's probably much to do with how these flowers simply glow, while much of the garden is brown and bare. On the grey, gloomy days that kick in once summer has tailed off, rudbeckias keep the theatrics alive.
Hardiness: Annual rudbeckias, derived from Rudbeckia hirta, are grown from seed each year, cost next to nothing, and grow prolifically for a good six months. Whilst they aren't hardy, so they will complete their whole life cycle in one year, they are phenomenal bloomers.
You may find that if you overwinter them in a shed, greenhouse, or out of frost, they last more than one year and flower even more prolifically the second year.
Longer-lived perennial rudbeckias are notoriously bombproof. They're derived from Rudbeckia fulgida, Rudbeckia laciniata, and a few others, and they will survive almost any weather conditions, even in zones 2 and 3.
Height: Dependent on the variety you grow. The smallest will grow to about 25cm (10in), and the loftiest can reach well over 5ft.
Planting position: Rudbeckias have very few requirements. They want a full-sun position, but that's really it. They can be grown in pots or in a border; just be aware of the eventual height of the type you are growing when deciding whether to place it at the front, middle, or back of a border.
You may find the only issue is that slugs tend to like them just as much, so use a slug repellent like this one available at Amazon to prevent such a tragedy.
A beautiful mix of soft color rudbeckias which flower very well, right on into late November.
The Little Suzy is a shorter, more compact version of the original getting to a mature height of about 24 inches. Great for the front of border.
A rich and unusual coloured rudbeckia with crimson flowers which I have still in my garden by Christmas day.
Its true that chrysanthemums produce tidy, dense mounds of spectacular color, but these qualities certainly aren't limited to this group of plants.
To my mind, the dahlia trumps the chrysanthemum every time. Not just for aesthetic reasons, but for practical ones too. They return year after year, and if you choose the varieties that pollinators are less fond of, such as pompons, they will keep flowering into winter without issue.
It may be that mums are one of those wonderfully nostalgic plants your grandparents used to grow. I know petunias will forever conjure up images of gardening with my grandmother. Though would I permit petunias in my own garden? The answer is a resounding no. So, unless mums are sparking joy, remove them and replace them with one of these alternatives, unless of course, the nostalgia is just too strong.
