Right on cue in late summer—about the same time we start to see Halloween candy appearing on store shelves—brightly colored, tight spheres of pot or cushion mums (Chrysanthemum cvs.) flood the benches at garden centers.

Scooped up by gardeners who are eager to add some sort of color to the fading late-season garden, these seasonal plants are available in autumn reds, yellows, and oranges, as well as shades of pink, purple, and white. While pot mums feed our hunger for a blast of color, I’m more fond of hardy garden mum selections, which, year after year, feature delicious blooms in a 2- to 3-foot-tall, free-form habit.

Small in size, big on charm

While low-growing, 12- to 18-inch-tall hardy mums are not as common as taller varieties, there are some excellent choices. One of my favorites, and probably the last to bloom, is the Pacific chrysanthemum (C. pacificum, syn. Ajania pacifica, Zones 5–9). Also known as silver and gold, it has unusually scalloped leaves edged in creamy white and makes a good 4- to 6-inch-tall, weed-smothering ground cover.

In early October, greenish white flower buds nest in the upper leaves and then open as fuzzy, ¾-inch-wide, golden yellow flowers in November. The flowers usually last until the first killing frost, which is generally around Thanksgiving where I live. There is a pale pink cultivar called ‘Pink Ice’ worth locating. As far as I’m concerned, however, I would be ecstatic with Pacific chrysanthemum even if the flowers never opened. The sight of the buds against the attractive foliage is an absolute delight.

For a more traditional-looking mum with a diminutive form, look to the species Chrysanthemum weyrichii (Zones 5–9), which is sometimes called Miyabe. The single flowers of this 8- to 12-inch-tall gem are 2 inches wide and open with pink or white petals and  yellow centers from August until hard frost. The cultivar ‘White Bomb’ has somewhat fleshy, dark green leaves and purple-stained stems. It displays white flowers that become blushed with pink as they age.

There is also a cultivar named ‘Pink Bomb’, which has pale pink flowers. But if pink is what you’re really after, consider pink-purple Chrysanthemum ‘Sweet Peg’ (Zones 5–9). This 12- to 18-inch-tall plant with semi-double, 3/4-inch-wide flowers is a sure hit from mid-October until early November.

Another double with slightly smaller, 1-inch-wide flowers is Chrysanthemum ‘Mei-kyo’ (Zones 4–9). The flower petals start out medium lavender-pink on the outer edges with darker shading around the yellow flower center. As the flowers age, the petals fade to pale pink with dark tips. The flowers are tightly clustered on 3-foot-tall stems, and plants grow to resemble small shrubs without pinching. ‘Mei-kyo’ blooms in late October and combines well with ‘Emperor of China’. If you need a break from pink, try Chrysanthemum ‘Bronze Elegans’ (syn. C. ‘Bronze Elegance’, Zones 4–9), which appears to be a sport of ‘Mei-kyo’. Its flowers open to a lovely coppery bronze with pinkish undersides. As the flowers fade, a striking yet subtle stripe of pale yellow and orange becomes apparent.

Chrysanthemum ‘J. C. Weigelan’ (Zones 3–7) is a little-known magenta beauty that grows to at least 3 feet tall and bursts with 3½-inch-wide, single flowers in early October into November. The catalog I ordered it from describes it as “wine red,” but to me the color is more vivid than that of a glass of fine Chianti. While some gardeners tend to steer away from magenta, I find that it adds pizzazz to the garden and goes well with almost any color. Like the other late-season workhorses I have come to rely on, ‘J. C. Weigelan’ holds its own in the fall garden. What more can an obsessed gardener ask for as days grow shorter and colder at the end of the season?