Chrysanthemums are among the most popular garden, balcony and tub plants. Above all, the lush flowers make them so popular. Many hobby gardeners and plant lovers dispose of them before the onset of winter at the latest and buy new specimens the following year because they think they are not hardy. But is that so? The answer is below.

Are chrysanthemums hardy?

There are around 40 different species, which differ in summer and autumn or winter asters, among other things. Summer asters, also known as pot chrysanthemums, are not hardy, which is why they are considered annual species. The autumn/winter chrysanthemums are usually perennial and accordingly hardy. However, they differ in the level of cold resistance. There are specimens that tolerate only a few degrees Celsius below freezing and others that are extremely hardy. In specialist shops, hardy species are usually offered as garden chrysanthemums. There are also so-called hybrids, which are special breeds using crosses. These are basically hardy.

winter asters

Winter hardiness aside, autumn/winter asters can be recognized by their flowering time. Their main flowering time is between August and November, often until the first frost. They are available in just as gorgeous a color as a summer chrysanthemum. They flower very profusely, grow upright as a perennial or bushy. They are ideal for cultivating in the plant bed because they do not need to be moved to winter quarters.

cold protection

Despite winter hardiness, chrysanthemums should still receive winter protection. Potted plants in particular are much more at the mercy of the cold than their peers in the garden bed, because they are not surrounded by thick, protective layers of earth and the cold also penetrates from below through the bottom of the pot.

Chrysanthemums are often sensitive to damp weather conditions in winter. It is therefore advisable to cut them down almost to the ground before the onset of frost and to provide protection from the cold from around -10 °C. Ideally, it looks like this:

  • Lay clippings, straw, brushwood, leaves or pine needles in a thick layer on the surface of the earth
  • Cover perennials with brushwood or plant fleece - protects against cold winds and buckling if not cut back
  • Place potted plants on an insulating base, such as styrofoam, wood or thick cardboard
  • With buckets, make sure that excess water can run off unhindered at all times
  • Cover bucket walls with thick foil
  • Place the bucket in a wind-protected place - ideally also protected from rain
  • Potassium fertilization in early autumn gives the chrysanthemum more resistance to cold influences

Hardy chrysanthemums

The selection of hardy types/varieties of chrysanthemums is extensive. It includes more than three quarters of all species and offers something for every need and taste.

From A - F

Chrysanthemum 'Anastasia'

  • Growth height: up to 70 centimeters
  • Flower color: various colors
  • Flowering period: August to October
  • Location: sunny
  • Winter hardiness: down to -18 °C (zone 7)
  • Special features: perennial like all autumn/winter asters, fragrant

Chrysanthemum x hortorum 'Bee'

  • Growth height: up to 50 centimeters
  • Flower color: orange
  • Flowering time: September to November
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Winter hardiness: down to -15 °C (zone 7)
  • Special features: fragrant, very robust

Chrysanthemum 'Brockfire'

  • Growth height: 50 to 70 centimeters
  • Flower color: dark red, brownish yellow in the middle
  • Flowering time: September to November
  • Location: sunny
  • Winter hardiness: down to -18 °C (zone 7)
  • Special features: medium fragrance intensity, very long-lasting

Winter Aster 'Bronze Crown'

  • Growth height: 60 to 70 centimeters
  • Flower color: brown-orange
  • Flowering period: October to November
  • Location: sunny
  • Winter hardiness: down to -11 °C (zone 8)
  • Special features: upright growing, undemanding

Chrysanthemum indicum 'Bronze Giant'

  • Growth height: about 90 centimeters
  • Flower color: orange-red
  • Flowering period: late August to November
  • Location: sunny to full sun
  • Winter hardiness: down to -11 °C (zone 8)
  • Special features: strongly scented, ideal as a cut flower

Chrysanthemum x hortorum 'Citronella'

  • Growth height: about 70 centimeters
  • Flower color: lemon yellow
  • Flowering period: August to October
  • Location: sunny
  • Winter hardiness: down to -11 °C (zone 7)
  • Special features: Excellent for cutting

Garden chrysanthemum 'Fellbacher Wein'

  • Growth height: up to 70 centimeters
  • Flower color: dark red
  • Flowering time: September to October
  • Location: sunny to semi-shade
  • Winter hardiness: down to -7 °C (zone 9)
  • Special features: very undemanding in care

Chrysanthemum 'Fire Magic'

  • Growth height: up to about 100 centimeters
  • Flower color: bright crimson
  • Flowering time: September to October
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Winter hardiness: down to -20 °C (zone 6)
  • Special features: one of the most cold-resistant species

From F - K

Chrysanthemum 'Goldmarianne' (hybrid)

  • Growth height: 50 to 70 centimeters
  • Flower color: yellow-brown
  • Flowering time: September to October
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Winter hardiness: down to -15 °C (zone 7)
  • Special features: very fragrant

Garden chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum indicum 'Hebe')

  • Growth height: between 60 and 80 centimeters
  • Flower color: soft violet-pink
  • Flowering period: September to October - sometimes October to November
  • Location: sunny to full sun
  • Winter hardiness: down to -11 °C (zone 8)
  • Special features: upright growth

Chrysanthemum 'Autumn Brocade'

  • Growth height: about 50 centimeters
  • Flower color: orange, brown-red
  • Flowering period: late September to November
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Winter hardiness: down to -18 °C (zone 7)
  • Special features: well-established, very floriferous variety

Winter Aster 'Innocence'

  • Growth height: about 90 centimeters
  • Flower color: changing from pink to white, yellow in the middle
  • Flowering period: August to October/November
  • Location: sunny
  • Winter hardiness: down to -16 °C (zone 7)
  • Special features: similar to the popular daisies

Chrysanthemum 'Isabell Pink'

  • Growth height: between 60 to 80 centimeters
  • Flower color: pink
  • Flowering time: September to October
  • Location: sunny to full sun
  • Winter hardiness: down to -12 °C (zone 8)
  • Special features: perennial and robust

Chrysanthemum 'Julia' (Indicum hybrid 'Julia')

  • Growth height: between 50 and 70 centimeters
  • Flower color: soft pink with some white
  • Flowering time: September to October
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Winter hardiness: down to -18 °C (zone 7)
  • Special features: high abundance

Chrysanthemum 'Little Amber' (Chrysanthemum x hortorum 'Little Amber')

  • Growth height: 30 to 50 centimeters
  • Flower color: brown to bronze yellow
  • Flowering time: September to October
  • Location: sunny
  • Hardiness: down to -12.3 °C (zone 8)
  • Special features: very long-lived variety

Little polar bear chrysanthemums

  • Growth height: between 40 and 70 centimeters
  • Flower color: white with a lemon yellow center
  • Flowering time: September to November
  • Location: partial shade
  • Winter hardiness: down to -12 °C (zone 8)
  • Special features: very stable growth

From L - O

Chrysanthemums 'Salmon Red Cloud'

  • Growth height: about 80 centimeters
  • Flower color: red, brown-red
  • Flowering period: August to November
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Winter hardiness: down to -11 °C (zone 8)
  • Special features: blooms again in spring after cutting back in autumn

Chrysanthemum 'Tangerine' (Chrysanthemum x hortorum 'Tangerine')

  • Growth height: between 50 and 60 centimeters
  • Flower color: semi-double in yellow-brown to orange
  • Flowering time: September to October
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Winter hardiness: down to -12 °C (zone 8)
  • Special features: subtle floral scent

Winter Aster 'Manito'

  • Growth height: 60 to 80 centimeters
  • Flower color: pink
  • Flowering period: October to November
  • Location: sunny
  • Winter hardiness: down to -20 °C (zone 6)
  • Special features: subtle floral scent

Chrysanthemum 'Mei-kyo'

  • Growth height: 40 to 50 centimeters
  • Flower color: violet-pink, yellow in the middle
  • Flowering time: September to October
  • Location: sunny
  • Winter hardiness: down to -12 °C (zone 8)
  • Special features: subtle fragrance, very robust

Chrysanthemum "hortorum 'mist rose'"

  • Growth height: up to 120 centimeters
  • Flower color: silver-pink
  • Flowering time: September to November
  • Location: sunny to semi-shade
  • Winter hardiness: up to - 16 °C (zone 7)
  • Special features: basket-like flower shape

Winter Aster 'Orchid Helen'

  • Growth height: 20 to 40 centimeters, at best up to 60 centimeters
  • Flower color: pink
  • Flowering time: September to October
  • Location: sunny
  • Winter hardiness: down to -20 °C (zone 6)
  • Special features: fragrant, eye-catching flowers, bushy and upright habit, predominantly short stature

Chrysanthemum x hortorum 'Order Star'

  • Growth height: 70 to 90 centimeters
  • Flower color: golden bronze
  • Flowering time: September to October
  • Location: sunny
  • Winter hardiness: down to -12 °C (zone 8)
  • Special features: requires many nutrients

Chrysanthemum Indicum hybrid 'Oury'

  • Growth height: between 90 and 110 centimeters
  • Flower color: dark pink
  • Flowering period: October to November
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Winter hardiness: down to -18 °C (zone 7)
  • Special features: excellent stability

From P - W

Chrysanthemum 'Poetry'

  • Growth height: up to 80 centimeters
  • Flower color: white, yellow in the middle
  • Flowering time: September to October
  • Location: sunny to semi-shade
  • Winter hardiness: down to -12 °C (zone 8)
  • Special features: ideal cut plant - slightly fragrant

Chrysanthemum 'Red Velvet'

  • Growth height: between 50 and 60 centimeters
  • Flower color: crimson
  • Flowering time: September to October
  • Location: sunny to full sun - tolerates partial shade
  • Winter hardiness: down to -12 °C (zone 8)
  • Special features: very undemanding

Winter Aster 'Rose Silver'

  • Growth height: between 70 and 90 centimetres
  • Flower color: filled in purple
  • Flowering time: September to October
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Winter hardiness: down to -12 °C (zone 8)
  • Special features: perennial, fast-growing

Winter Aster 'Red Julchen'

  • Growth height: up to 50 centimeters
  • Flower color: deep pink
  • Flowering period: late September/early October to November
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Winter hardiness: down to - 13 °C (zone 8)
  • Special features: bushy growth

Chrysanthemum 'Scherzo'

  • Growth height: 40 to 60 centimeters
  • Flower color: light yellow, yellow-white
  • Flowering time: September to November
  • Location: sunny
  • Winter hardiness: down to -11 °C (zone 8)
  • Special features: subtle floral scent, bushy growth

Autumn chrysanthemum 'Schwabenstolz'

  • Growth height: up to 80 centimeters, sometimes up to 100 centimeters
  • Flower color: dark red
  • Flowering time: September to November
  • Location: sunny to full sun
  • Winter hardiness: down to -15 °C (zone 7)
  • Special features: perennial, flowers in spring with good care

Winter Aster Indicum Hybrid 'Schweizerland'

  • Growth height: between 50 and 70 centimeters
  • Flower color: violet-pink, dark pink
  • Flowering time: September to October
  • Location: sunny to full sun
  • Winter hardiness: down to -18 °C (zone 7)
  • Special features: excellent winter hardiness

Chrysanthemum pacificum 'Silver and Gold'

  • Growth height: up to 55 centimeters
  • Flower color: yellow
  • Flowering period: August to October
  • Location: sunny to semi-shade
  • Winter hardiness: down to -12 °C (zone 8)
  • Special features: leaves framed in silver/gold

Chrysanthemum indicum 'Vreneli'

  • Growth height: between 80 and 90 centimetres
  • Flower color: rust-red to brown-red
  • Flowering time: September to October
  • Location: sunny to full sun
  • Hardiness: up to - 12 °C (zone 8)
  • Special features: perennial and robust

Chrysanthemum Indicum Hybrid 'White Bouquet'

  • Growth height: between 80 and 110 centimetres
  • Flower color: pompom-shaped, creamy-white with a delicate yellow center
  • Flowering time: September to October
  • Location: sunny
  • Winter hardiness: down to -15 °C (zone 7)
  • Special features: large flower balls

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Garden plants