5 Ideas for Pairing Chrysanthemums

In a romantic pot.

In bloom for several weeks from September to October, the Garden ChrysanthemumChrysanthemum (x) indicum‘Orchid Helen’ features very dense double daisies in a candy pink colour with a dark pink centre. Forming a compact, rounded bush about 50 cm high and 60 cm wide, this medium-sized Chrysanthemum can easily fit into a container or large pot and is covered with a multitude of flowers, creating a soft, romantic, powdery atmosphere for late summer.

Pair ‘Orchid Helen’ with easy-going grasses like the Pennisetum setaceum ‘Ruppellianum’, which produces silky, trailing spikes from July to October, lasting longer if the autumn is mild. The Aster novae-angliae ‘Madame Loyau’ complements these shades with its countless light pink flowers from August to October. Finally, in the foreground, plant a Carex hachijoensis ‘Evergold’; its evergreen foliage will be decorative, both summer and winter or, for a shaded and cool spot, a variegated Japanese rush Acorus gramineus ”Ogon’ with decorative, semi-evergreen foliage in chartreuse green striped with cream yellow.

These plants can be planted together in a large container or placed in separate pots, grouped together on the terrace or at the entrance of a home.

Chrysanthemum (x) indicum ‘Orchid Helen’, Acorus gramineus ”Ogon’, Carex hachijoensis ‘Evergold’, Aster novae-angliae ‘Madame Loyau’ and Pennisetum setaceum ‘Ruppellianum’

In a contrasting display

With its numerous yellow flowers edged in coppery orange, Chrysanthemum rubellum ‘Last Sun’ is a very old French creation forming a bush 50 – 60 cm high and 50 cm wide with a fairly rapid growth. Its flowering extends from late August to early November. Far from the somewhat sad symbolism of cemetery plants, this chrysanthemum will enliven a bed of contrasting coloured plants from August until late in the season, in both warm and tangy tones.

Plant alongside ‘Last Sun’ a red-stemmed white dogwood like Cornus alba ‘Siberian Pearls’. This attractive shrub throughout the four seasons has abundant white flowering in spring, stunning purple foliage in late summer, blue fruit in autumn, and sumptuous mahogany red wood in winter. Still in purple tones, Oxalis triangularis ssp.papilionacea ‘Atropurpurea’, a perennial with a bulbous stump and chocolate clover-like leaves featuring a dark purple delta in the centre of each leaflet, will bloom its small pale pink flowers from June until frost. It will take its place at the edge with the Heuchera ‘Stoplight’ with yellow to lime green foliage marbled with rust. Additionally, plant a trio of Euphorbias ‘Ascot Rainbow’: these evergreen, bushy euphorbias have variegated foliage and flowers, creating an intense multicoloured effect!

Euphorbias ‘Ascot Rainbow’, Cornus alba ‘Siberian Pearls’, Chrysanthemum rubellum ‘Last Sun’, Oxalis triangularis ssp.papilionacea ‘Atropurpurea’ and Heuchera ‘Stoplight’

In a dazzling flowerbed

In a bed of vibrant and warm colours, plant the Chrysanthemum indicum ‘Brennpunkt’. This garden chrysanthemum with very double daisies offers a magnificent deep red colour from October to November. A compact and fairly hardy perennial, it forms a beautiful flowering dome that pairs wonderfully with the Chrysanthemum indicum ‘Herbstbrokat’, which produces a profusion of small pompom flowers in shades of salmon and light bronze-red, surrounding a yellow centre. Provide them with good garden soil, not too heavy, well-drained, and a position without scorching sun.

In the background, install a Barberry Berberis thunbergii ‘Orange Rocket’, a stunning spiny bush with an upright habit, vibrant with its small bright orange foliage turning to bright red in autumn and a Pyracantha ‘Soleil d’or’. This is a groundcover shrub with a bushy habit that produces golden yellow berries from October to December. A grass such as the Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Gelbstiel’ will lighten the whole arrangement with its fine, tousled foliage, golden flower stems, and sparkling white spike inflorescences.

In a naturalistic composition with fresh tones

Since autumn is here, let’s enjoy the fresh and bright tones of certain plants to extend the beautiful days a little longer and bring light to the garden! The Chrysanthemum indicum ‘Julia‘ is perfectly timed with its charming flowering from September to November, featuring small pale pink pompons with darker centres, striated with carmine. It is a perfectly hardy plant that requires only normal, well-drained, and cool soil, especially in summer, and a bright location without harsh sunlight. This recent variety of garden chrysanthemum is ideal for a slightly wild and natural-inspired border when paired with the miniature cactus dahlia ‘Park Princess’ and its numerous double flowers in soft pink with cream centres.

Add clumps of autumn Stonecrop Sedum spectabile ‘Meteor’ that proudly display carmine star-shaped flowers on stems with glaucous leaves, creating a charming tangy contrast with the flowers in the border. The Lady’s Mantle sericata ‘Gold Strike’ will come to the edge with its compact habit, small grey-green leaves and remarkable floribundity, as it is covered all summer with a mist of chartreuse flowers. Generous and light masses of Gaura lindheimeri, flowering from June to October-November depending on the regions, will complete this simple, charming, and easy-to-maintain border.

Chrysanthemum indicum ‘Julia’, Gaura lindheimeri, miniature cactus dahlia ‘Park Princess’, Lady’s Mantle sericata ‘Gold Strike’ and Sedum spectabile ‘Meteor’

In a classic and elegant garden

In a timeless garden with classic elegance, the Chrysanthemum indicum ‘Poésie’ will provide a profusion of double flowers in autumn, yellow-green at first, then white around a yellow centre. This chrysanthemum, with its soft and subtle hues, will enliven the borders left bare by summer blooms alongside balls and borders of Box. It forms a large bush, 1 m high and 75 cm wide, with a fairly rapid growth rate, and its flowering occurs in September-October.

On a gazebo or a support fixed to a wall, install a Clematis cirrhosa ‘Wisley Cream’: this winter-flowering clematis offers charming bell-shaped flowers in cream-white, lightly tinged with yellow, contrasting beautifully with its small, glossy, semi-evergreen to evergreen foliage. This medium-sized variety is ideal for covering a trellis. For a lovely lightness, plant in groups of 3 to 5 Carex comans ‘Frosted Curls’. These beautiful evergreen and perennial grasses form dense clumps with a trailing habit, composed of fine, blue-green leaves that appear frosted with silver. They will take on a lovely copper hue as winter arrives.

Chrysanthemum indicum ‘Poésie’, Clematis cirrhosa ‘Wisley Cream’, Buxus sempervirens and Carex comans ‘Frosted Curls’

For further reading

• Discover our varieties of Chrysanthemums
• To learn more, browse our comprehensive guide on Chrysanthemums: planting, maintenance and pruning