Mums fall into two useful categories: flower forms, which describe the shape of the bloom, and garden or trade groups, which describe how plants grow or are used. The 15 entries below combine both; they are not 15 mutually exclusive botanical classes. In particular, incurved, incurving and reflexed are decorative-flower subtypes, while Korean/Rubellum, spray, charm and bloom mums are garden or trade groups that can overlap with flower forms.
Flower forms: what the blooms look like
Extension guides commonly describe eight major chrysanthemum flower forms. The first eleven entries below include those forms, with decorative subtypes shown separately to make their differences easier to compare.
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1. Single
Single mums have daisy-like flower heads with a visible central eye and a ring or rings of ray petals.
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Anemone forms resemble single mums, but have a raised central cushion that is often a deeper color than the surrounding petals.
#1 Best Overall
- FALL COLOR: Beautiful hardy mums that are sure to brighten up your Fall garden!
- GROWTH: Mums grow up to about 24" tall with a spread of up to 24".
- CARE: Chrysanthemums will bloom best in full sun. They thrive in well-draining soil and require even, consistent moisture.
- FUN FACT: Mums colors can symbolize different meanings, such as love, sorrow, well wishes, etc., making them a great gift for different occasions!
- LIVE PLANTS: Our plants are grown exclusively for Deep Roots and The Three Company, shipped fresh directly from our greenhouse to you!
3. Pompon
Pompon mums produce small, stiff, rounded or globular flower heads.
4. Cushion
“Cushion” can describe both a compact, low, bushy plant habit and a flower group. Cushion plants often flower early; many cultivars are hardy, but that label alone does not guarantee winter survival.
5. Decorative
Decorative mums have full flowers with petals that curve toward or away from the center. The three entries that follow are decorative subtypes, not separate hardiness classes.
Rank #2
- FALL COLOR: Beautiful hardy mums that are sure to brighten up your Fall garden!
- GROWTH: Mums grow up to about 24" tall with a spread of up to 24".
- CARE: Chrysanthemums will bloom best in full sun. They thrive in well-draining soil and require even, consistent moisture.
- FUN FACT: Mums colors can symbolize different meanings, such as love, sorrow, well wishes, etc., making them a great gift for different occasions!
- LIVE PLANTS: Our plants are grown exclusively for Deep Roots and The Three Company, shipped fresh directly from our greenhouse to you!
6. Incurved decorative
Petals curve inward toward the center, creating a dense, rounded flower.
7. Incurving decorative
Petals curve toward the center more loosely and irregularly than in the incurved form.
8. Reflexed decorative
Petals curve outward and away from the flower center.
Rank #3
- FALL COLOR: Beautiful hardy mums that are sure to brighten up your Fall garden!
- GROWTH: Mums grow up to about 24" tall with a spread of up to 24".
- CARE: Chrysanthemums will bloom best in full sun. They thrive in well-draining soil and require even, consistent moisture.
- FUN FACT: Mums colors can symbolize different meanings, such as love, sorrow, well wishes, etc., making them a great gift for different occasions!
- LIVE PLANTS: Our plants are grown exclusively for Deep Roots and The Three Company, shipped fresh directly from our greenhouse to you!
9. Spoon
Spoon mums have tubular ray petals that widen into flattened, spoon-shaped tips.
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Spider mums have long, narrow tubular petals with hooked or curled ends.
11. Quill
Quill mums have long, straight tubular petals.
Garden and trade groups: how mums grow or are used
These labels describe growing habit or intended use rather than one exclusive flower shape. A plant in one group may also fit a flower-form description.
Rank #4
- FALL COLOR: Beautiful hardy mums that are sure to brighten up your Fall garden!
- GROWTH: Mums grow up to about 24" tall with a spread of up to 24".
- CARE: Chrysanthemums will bloom best in full sun. They thrive in well-draining soil and require even, consistent moisture.
- FUN FACT: Mums colors can symbolize different meanings, such as love, sorrow, well wishes, etc., making them a great gift for different occasions!
- LIVE PLANTS: Our plants are grown exclusively for Deep Roots and The Three Company, shipped fresh directly from our greenhouse to you!
12. Korean/Rubellum garden mums
Korean or Rubellum mums are used as hardy perennials in mixed borders. Their ability to return depends on the named cultivar and local growing conditions, not the group name alone.
13. Spray mums
Spray mums branch to carry clusters of flowers on their stems, making them useful in borders.
14. Charm mums
Charm mums are compact plants suited to pot culture and commonly sold in autumn. They overlap with cushion types. A plant sold in a pot should not be assumed to survive winter outdoors just because it is called a mum.
Best Value
- FALL COLOR: Beautiful hardy mums that are sure to brighten up your Fall garden!
- GROWTH: Mums grow up to about 24" tall with a spread of up to 24".
- CARE: Chrysanthemums will bloom best in full sun. They thrive in well-draining soil and require even, consistent moisture.
- FUN FACT: Mums colors can symbolize different meanings, such as love, sorrow, well wishes, etc., making them a great gift for different occasions!
- LIVE PLANTS: Our plants are grown exclusively for Deep Roots and The Three Company, shipped fresh directly from our greenhouse to you!
15. Bloom or show mums
Bloom or show mums are often trained to produce one large flower on a stem for exhibition or cutting. Growing them this way can involve substantial labor, including training and disbudding.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which mums come back every year?
Some garden mums are more cold tolerant than florist types, but “hardy” is not a promise for every cultivar, site or winter. Virginia Tech says garden mums are typically hardy in USDA zones 5–9; it also cautions that cold tolerance varies by cultivar. Treat that range as broad guidance, not a guarantee for a particular plant or garden. See Virginia Tech Extension’s garden mum guidance.
For a plant intended to persist outdoors, choose a garden mum and check the named cultivar’s suitability for your local conditions. Flower shape does not establish hardiness: a pompon, spider or decorative form is not automatically more or less winter-hardy because of its bloom type. Winter risk and cultivar variation also matter; Iowa State Extension discusses these considerations in its guide to growing chrysanthemums in Iowa.
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How to choose among the types
- For a mixed border: Look for a garden mum, including Korean/Rubellum or spray types where their habit suits the planting, and verify the cultivar’s local cold tolerance.
- For an autumn container: Compact charm or cushion plants offer a contained shape, but pot culture by itself does not establish outdoor winter survival.
- For cut flowers or exhibition: Bloom/show types can be trained for large flowers; that result takes more work than choosing a plant for an informal border.
- For flower appearance: Choose by head shape—such as a visible eye, rounded pompon, spoon tips or long spider petals—rather than treating bloom form as a hardiness label.
Compare plants by flower shape, mature habit, intended use, locally documented flowering period and cultivar-specific cold tolerance. There is no universal best mum independent of region and purpose. Purdue Extension’s chrysanthemum guide and the North Carolina State Extension Plant Toolbox explain the distinction between flower forms and garden or trade groups; the Smith College Botanic Garden overview also illustrates named flower forms.
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