27 Gorgeous Ways to Use Mums

Mum's the word! Check out our fabulous ideas for using mums indoors and out.

By: Kim Visokey

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Photo By: Image courtesy of Kim Visokey

Photo By: Image courtesy of the Chicago Botanic Garden

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Photo By: Image courtesy of Kim Visokey

Photo By: Image courtesy of the Chicago Botanic Garden

Photo By: Image courtesy of Felder Rushing

Photo By: Image courtesy of At the Picket Fence

Pretty Pink Garden Mums

Mums are typically grown as an annual, but some hardy varieties can withstand the cold weather and bloom again next season.

Mum Colors

Mums come in a wild variety of colors. Try mass planting a single color mum for a dramatic effect in the garden.

Football Mums

Football mums can be seen flooding stores and garden centers in the fall.

Seeing Red!

From paprika red to deep burgundy, chrysanthemums have been cultivated through the centuries to attain regal perfection. Even King Tut was said to be smitten with the genus as he was buried with a glorious collar of red chrysanthemums. Here, 'Red Bradford' looks fit for a king.

Orange Mums

These orange garden mums show us what fall is all about.

Mum Madness at the Chicago Botanic Garden

Rivers of chrysanthemums take center stage at the Chicago Botanic Garden's Crescent where each season guests are greeted with annual installations of bright-blooming plants.

Mums are Fall's Dahlias

With such beautiful colors to choose from, it's not hard to see why mums are a go-to fall flower.

Mini Mums: Eye Candy and a Sweet Alternative to the Ordinary

The ancient Chinese found the first culinary uses for chrysanthemums. The tradition continues today with everything from stems and leaves, to petals and roots, being used for steeping sweet tea or flavoring dishes. While these little darlings, 'Santini' and 'Micro Button' look good enough to eat, they are purely eye candy.

Daisy Mum

Don't be fooled: colorful gems are actually a mum variety that look like daisies.

Chrysanthemum: A Flower of Many Uses

Did you know that chrysanthemums reduce indoor air pollution according to a study by NASA? The flower resin can also act as a natural insect repellant when burned as incense. But there's no work requirement for today's cultivars which simply need to show up to be noticed. Here a bronze football mum says it all.

Football Mums

Football mums are known for their large, dense blooms that are available in a wide range of colors.

Mum's the Word

Mums come in a variety of different colors and are perfect in containers.

A Mum Halloween Idea

Try mixing mums with rainbow croton foliage for a spooky, but charming Halloween arrangement.

An Off-The-Wall Idea for Using Mums

A powder room wall installation borrows from the Japanese floral art of using branches interspersed with live flowers. In Japan, the mum is revered for its resilience in cold and windy conditions. Try tucking in a few here and there and watch how they turn an ordinary corner into a work of art!

The Hardest Working Plant in the Flower Business

Most mums grow reliably in USDA zones 5-9. Here's more good news: mums can be cut and placed in artistic ways around your home and garden (sometimes even without a water source) and can last much longer than other cut flowers. These mums were cut and placed in an outside container and continue to give a good show. Mums are the perfect solution for dressing up a fall dinner party or simply sprucing up a tired looking summer container.

A Sunny Chrysanthemum and Lemon Cypress Topiary

The National Chrysanthemum Society divides the blooms into 13 different classes that range from the exotic to the simple pompon. With so many to choose from, it's fun to try different combinations both planted in the garden and as cut flowers around the house. Here, bold 'Yellow Cremon' and mini 'Santini' mums work in unison to dress up a cupressus 'Goldcrest' topiary.

Now That's a Corsage!

The old days of stodgy mum corsages are thankfully past. Now with literally thousands of cultivars worldwide, you can pin your hopes on finding one you like. Here chrysanthemum 'Dark Weldon' looks fresh as a daisy!

All the Rage: Cute as a Button Mums!

Button mums are all the rage these days because they're so cute and are long-lasting when used in arrangements. This variety, 'Focus' looks smashing when paired with terra cotta and succulents.

Master the Mixology of Mums

The Japanese celebrate the chrysanthemum season with the "Festival of Happiness." Here a joyful mix of 'Orange Viking' and 'Yellow Sizzle' spice things up as an ordinary houseplant becomes a smashing centerpiece.

Yellow Daisy Mums

Though known for their usual dense blooms, mums comes in all different shapes and sizes.

Chrysanthemums: I'll Drink to That!

Confucius thought the perfect path to a long and healthy life was to enjoy a cocktail with a single chrysanthemum petal (called a floret). Here, a whimsical garden figure adorned with a variety of mums toasts that idea.

One Bloom in a Thousand

Want to see more beauties like this 'Red Rover Morgan' variety? Check out the chrysanthemum exhibits at the New York Botanical Garden and Longwood Gardens featuring the Japanese art of "Kiku" where a single chrysanth "Ozukuri" is trained for an entire year to produce 1,000 or more blooms. The North American record is 1,167 blooms from a single stem!

Thanks for the Mummeries

A garden goddess brightens a fall border with a bit of humor. Bejeweled with mums, grasses, gourds and pumpkins, this over-the top garden "doll" takes her cue from the Japanese celebratory floral art known as "Kiku Ningyo" where human forms are adorned to honor folk heros.

The Chicago Botanic Garden's Towers and Tapestry of Mums

Everyone's getting in on the act of celebrating the season with new and exciting ways of displaying mums. From the Chicago Botanic Garden to the New York Botanical Garden's Kiku exhibit, you simply have to see one for yourself.

Chrysanthemums in the Mix

Chrysanthemums provide complementary texture and color for autumn gardens.

Decorate With Mums

Re-purpose a broken chair by turning the seat into a berth for mums.

Edible Mum Garden

Mums make a great companion to this herb garden.

27 Gorgeous Ways to Use Mums

Related To:

Shop This Look

Pretty Pink Garden Mums

Mum Colors

Football Mums

Seeing Red!

Orange Mums

Mum Madness at the Chicago Botanic Garden

Mums are Fall's Dahlias

Mini Mums: Eye Candy and a Sweet Alternative to the Ordinary

Daisy Mum

Chrysanthemum: A Flower of Many Uses

Football Mums

Mum's the Word

A Mum Halloween Idea

An Off-The-Wall Idea for Using Mums

The Hardest Working Plant in the Flower Business

A Sunny Chrysanthemum and Lemon Cypress Topiary

Now That's a Corsage!

All the Rage: Cute as a Button Mums!

Master the Mixology of Mums

Yellow Daisy Mums

Chrysanthemums: I'll Drink to That!

One Bloom in a Thousand

Thanks for the Mummeries

The Chicago Botanic Garden's Towers and Tapestry of Mums

Chrysanthemums in the Mix

Decorate With Mums

Edible Mum Garden

Mums vs. Asters and How To Use Them in Your Landscape

Mums 101: When To Plant and How To Grow Chrysanthemums

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