Do Chrysanthemums Prefer Sun or Shade?
Are you thinking of adding some chrysanthemums to your garden, but aren't sure if they take direct sun, partial shade, or need a mostly shaded area? Getting your mums the right amount of sunlight is critical for their well being and longevity. In this article, we take a look at the mum's preferred sun conditions, and where you should be planting them!
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Chrysanthemums, commonly called ‘mums’, are bright and cheerful flowers. These hardy perennials grow best in hardiness zones 5-9.
If you are thinking of growing mums to add some color to your outdoor garden, you may have wondered whether mums like sun or shade. Will they survive in partial shade, or with some dappled sunlight?
This article will discuss whether Chrysanthemums like sun or shade. You’ll learn how to answer this question based on a plant’s hardiness zone, as well as how a lack of sunlight will affect your mums. Let’s jump in!
The Short Answer
Mums need 6 hours of sunlight per day. Chrysanthemums are sunlight loving perennials that love full sun conditions. If they get less than 6 hours, or spend time in the dappled shade, their blooms will not be as robust as they can be with additional time in the sun.
Ideal Light Conditions for Mums
When adding any plants to your garden, it is essential to consider their ideal growing conditions. This ensures they remain healthy and happy.
Whether you are growing chrysanthemums indoors or outdoors, these flowers are true sun lovers. While they may be able to tolerate partial shade, they will do best in an area that gets several hours of direct sunlight every day. Six hours is usually an average benchmark, but oftentimes, more is better.
If you plan to grow mums in your yard but don’t have any places that get full sun, plant them in an area that receives bright, direct light in the morning and early afternoon.
Florist Mums vs. Garden Mums
While mums add aesthetic appeal to your garden when planted outdoors, you may also be familiar with seeing them used in decorative displays.
While these are both chrysanthemums, there is actually a significant difference between ‘florist mums’ and ‘garden mums.’
Florist Mums
When you buy mums, they will fall into one of two categories: florist mums or garden mums.
Telling the difference between the two is quite simple, but can make all the difference in the success you have with your Chrysanthemums.
Florist mums are just what they sound like: chrysanthemums that are intended to be used for their floral display. They are kept in pots, grown as annuals, and won’t live past winter. They are used as fall decorations (indoors or outdoors) and are usually composted afterwards.
Garden Mums
Garden chrysanthemums are precisely what they sound like: chrysanthemums that can be planted in your garden.
If you are planning on planting mums outside, you must get garden mums and not florist mums. These perennials are much hardier and can withstand being planted outdoors. These are the ones you’ll find at your local nursery in the outdoor section.
Garden chrysanthemums are hardy perennial plants and can survive year-round in hardiness zones 5 through 9 with proper care.
Sun vs. Shade
Garden mums are true sun-lovers. They can withstand both harsh winters and hot summers in the right environments, making them hardy and easy to grow plants.
Mums need an average of 6 hours of direct sunlight each day. They thrive in full sunlight, and will typically bloom even more if they are in an area with more than 6 hours of direct sunlight, as long as the heat doesn’t take them out.
Florist mums are slightly different. Since they are grown to only last a couple of months, they can grow well in partial shade. Some protection from harsh direct light will preserve the existing flowers.
When Mums Don’t Get Enough Sun
If you are worried that your garden won’t get enough sun for chrysanthemums to thrive, it’s worth giving it a shot. As long as your mum gets at least 4 hours of sunlight a day, they should still be able to survive and flower.
Remember that these ornamental flowers need direct sunlight, so they are not ideal for planting under trees or other shaded areas.
There are several indicators to pay attention to that may indicate that your mums need more sunlight, the most obvious of which is that they aren’t producing many flowers.
Your mums need the energy they get from the sun to grow their trademark flowers. Without enough sun, flowering will be minimal.
Even if they don’t stop flowering altogether, your chrysanthemums may develop smaller flowers less frequently, with less vibrant colors. They may even start dying or turning brown.
In addition to the lack of floral growth, your plant may compensate by stretching. If you notice tall, leggy offshoots with minimal flowers, this is a sign that your mums need more sunlight.
Consider moving them to an area where they get more sunlight in your garden if you see these signs, or simply replant in a pot that you can move to a sunnier area.
