Chrysanthemum × grandiflorum 'Sheffield Pink'
(previously known as Dendranthema × grandiflorum)
Overview
Uses: Middle of sunny borders, cottage and cutting gardens, autumn seasonal plantings, pollinator gardens, large outdoor containers.
Benefits: A true garden chrysanthemum rather than a florist mum — it returns and widens for years instead of being replaced each fall. Single apricot-toned daisies open through October and age to soft pink, giving the plant two colors at once and a much looser, more natural look than a clipped mum ball.
USDA Hardiness Zones: 5–9
Sun: Full Sun
Life Cycle: Hardy Perennial
Growth Habit: Upright, Spreading — loose stems from a slowly creeping crown
Bloom Color: Apricot to Pink
Mature Height: 2–3 ft.
Mature Width: 2–3 ft.
Bloom Season: Fall
Growth Rate: Moderate to Fast
Summary
Most people meet chrysanthemums as the tight colored globes stacked outside a grocery store in September. Sheffield Pink is the other kind — an old garden perennial that gets planted once and keeps coming back.
It grows through summer as an unremarkable green mound, then puts on a show in October when almost everything else is finished. The flowers are single daisies rather than dense pompons, opening a warm apricot-salmon and fading toward pale pink as they age, so an established plant carries both tones at the same time. Bloom runs for weeks and takes light frost without collapsing.
The habit is loose and slightly sprawling. It leans, and that is part of the character — it reads as a cottage-garden plant rather than a clipped one, and it mixes into a border in a way that a nursery mum never quite manages.
It also arrives at a genuinely useful moment for insects. In late October the plant is often the busiest thing in the garden, worked steadily by bees and any butterflies still moving.
Care
Sheffield Pink Hardy Mum Care
Plant in full sun. At least six hours; less produces weak stems that lean much harder and a thinner bloom set.
Give it well-drained soil. Winter wet is the single most common cause of loss in a hardy mum — the crown rots in heavy, saturated ground far more often than it freezes out. Raised beds and slopes suit it well.
Water through establishment and during summer dry spells. Once the crown is settled it handles ordinary summer heat without complaint.
One light spring application of slow release fertilizer is enough. Heavier feeding produces taller, weaker stems.
Pinch or cut stems back by about a third in late May and again in mid-June to build a denser, shorter plant with more flower buds. Stop pinching by the Fourth of July or you will cut off the bloom. Leave the top growth standing through winter as crown protection and cut it back in spring, dividing every two to three years when the center thins.
In containers, expect to water more often and choose a pot with real drainage. Plants hardy in the ground may require winter protection when grown in containers in colder zones.
Size
What Size is the Sheffield Pink Hardy Mum for Sale Online?
Our Sheffield Pink Hardy Mum ships in a greenhouse-grade grow pot and is appropriately sized for its container at the time of shipment. If you have specific sizing or planting questions, please contact us.
How Large Does Sheffield Pink Hardy Mum Grow?
Sheffield Pink reaches two to three feet tall and spreads two to three feet wide, widening slowly from the crown each year. Pinched plants stay closer to two feet and hold more upright. Space twenty-four to thirty inches apart.
Additional Information
What are some common names for this plant?
The most widely used names, in rough order of familiarity, are:
- Sheffield Pink mum
- Hardy garden mum
- Sheffield daisy
- Korean mum
How is this different from the mums sold at garden centers in fall?
Those are florist or "cushion" mums, grown as a seasonal annual and sold already in full bloom. They are bred for a tight uniform shape and are rarely reliable through winter because they are planted too late to root in. Sheffield Pink is a perennial garden chrysanthemum — planted in the ground, it establishes, returns, and widens for years. It also blooms later and looks looser and more natural.
When exactly does it bloom?
Later than nearly everything else. Buds show in early October in most of the country and the main display runs mid-October into early November, holding through light frost. In the coldest part of its range an early hard freeze can occasionally cut the show short. See our Perennials collection for other late-season options.
Does it make a good cut flower?
Yes. The single daisies last well in a vase and the long, slightly arching stems arrange easily. Cut when the flowers are about two-thirds open and strip the lower foliage.
Will deer eat it?
Yes, given the chance — chrysanthemums are among the plants deer seek out, and both the foliage and the flower buds are at risk in areas with real pressure. Plan on repellent or fencing if deer visit your garden, or choose from our deer-resistant perennials and grasses instead.
