Choosing planting

5 pink chrysanthemums

A gentle selection for autumn

Contents

Modified the 20 January 2026 by Gwenaëlle 4 min. Difficulty: Débutant

Chrysanthemums undeniably extend the flowering season in the garden, and the small pink-flowered varieties are one of autumn’s delights. Far from the image of cemetery flowers they once had, autumn chrysanthemums are enjoying a return to favour and we won’t complain, they are so easy to grow and rather hardy.
Chosen in shades of pink, their small flowers, often dotted with a yellow centre, are irresistible! With single or double flowers, compact or more upright, we present 5 must-have chrysanthemums for your garden.

Difficulty

The Chrysanthemum rubellum 'Clara Curtis'

With its very pretty soft pink colour and large heads 7 cm in diameter, it is far from the gloomy image associated with chrysanthemums.
With the chrysanthemum ‘Clara Curtis’, the centre of the flower is yellow on narrow, soft pink petals: a marvel of light for the autumn garden! Prolific and vigorous, this early chrysanthemum flowers from mid-July to early November, with a peak flowering in September–October. This hybrid with single flowers proves very hardy. Growing between 60 and 80 cm tall, it lights up the garden, but it can be pruned to create beautiful autumn cut flower arrangements. As a chrysanthemum, it needs sun to flower well, but light partial shade will also suit it. A rich, well-drained soil is essential at planting, because like all chrysanthemums, it hates stagnant moisture in winter and dislikes heavy, cold soils. Its dark green foliage disappears in winter.

Pair it with other purple or mauve chrysanthemums, and with penstemons such as ‘Alice Hindley’ for a contrast of form.

Chrysanthemum 'Clara Curtis', pink autumn daisy

Chrysanthemum ‘Clara Curtis’ (© FD Richards)

The Chyrsanthemum x 'Emperor of China'

Here is another must-have variety to add to the garden: the Chrysanthemum ‘Emperor of China’. This pale pink chrysanthemum with double flower heads is a very old hybrid, developed in the late 19th century. Recognisable by its beautiful double flowers with tubular petals, it shows a purplish-pink colour on the backs of the petals, the centre of the flower being a deeper pink. The flowering starts in September and continues in October. The foliage takes on a lovely vinous red colour as frosts approach. With a height of 90 cm to 1.2 m and a spread of at least 50 cm, it should be planted in full sun within a large bed. You will probably need to stake it to control its spread.

Plant it alongside light ornamental grasses and asters. Its pale pink also looks wonderful next to the silvery foliage of Artemisia.

Chrysanthemum ‘Emperor of China’ (© FD Richards)

The Chrysanthemum 'Mei Kyo'

This chrysanthemum is more compact, forming a small clump about 60 cm high with a similar spread, which makes it suitable even for borders. ‘Mei Kyo’ bears dark purplish-pink flower buds that open into very double flowers forming regular pompoms, borne on the stems in cut flower arrangements.
Very floriferous, rather late (flowering from October), the chrysanthemum ‘Mei Kyo’ fades as autumn progresses, shifting from a bright pink to a paler pink, always with its small yellow eye at the centre of each flower. It is equally suitable for the front of a bed or for a pot where it will form a very attractive regular cushion. The foliage is, as with all chrysanthemums, crenate, and disappears completely in winter. Plant it in full sun, in deep, well-drained soil.

Some variegated Carex or slightly bluish Carex flacca will make a lovely setting around it, as will still-flowering Persicaria bistorta, or a dwarf Pittosporum also forming a pretty ball.

chrysanthemum pink flowers, compact chrysanthemum

Chyranthemum ‘Mei Kyo’ (© FD Richards)

The Chrysanthemum 'Pink Sheffield'

Valued for its salmon-pink colour, ‘Pink Sheffield’ is another superb chrysanthemum for late autumn. It is also known as ‘Hillside Sheffield Pink’, named after the English garden where it was reintroduced. It flowers in mid-autumn, from October onwards, and its flowering will last for a good month, bringing a lovely light mass to borders (height of 60 cm), truly attractive. Its flowers, about 5 cm in diameter, will, like many cultivars, fade over the weeks. It is hardy down to -15°C, which allows it to be planted almost anywhere, like its companions in this selection.

Surround this very handsome chrysanthemum with purple shrubby sages or blue ones still flowering, and with soft-coloured plants such as the sage ‘So Cool Pale Blue’: they will enhance each other.

The Chrysanthemum 'Orchid Helen'

The candy-pink colour of the chrysanthemum ‘Orchid Helen’ gives it a great softness, ideal for dressing the garden with a romantic touch before the first severe frosts. This chrysanthemum is medium-sized, about 50 cm tall with a slightly wider spread. Its very double flowers wear a deep pink before gradually opening into paler shades. Rather early, ‘Orchid Helen’ blooms from late August through September, even into October. This autumnal beauty is much loved and suits both English gardens and urban gardens, where it can be placed in a pot on the terrace. It also thrives in a sunny position.

This chrysanthemum will keep good company in a mixed-border with hardy, accommodating Sedum spectabile ‘Emperor’, the airy pearly-pink gauras ‘Elegance’, and a clump of Pennisetum setaceum bearing downy spikes in a mild climate.

pink chrysanthemum