13 Companion Plants You Can Grow With Chrysanthemum Flowers For A Thriving Fall Garden

Chrysanthemums, or "mums," are one of fall's biggest symbols. Long associated with the crisp air and changing leaves of the season, these flowers add bright splashes of color to your home's exterior. It seems no fall is complete without their showy flowers in reds, pinks, whites, and oranges. You can grow your own chrysanthemums with a wide range of companion plants for a thriving fall garden.

Garden mums are cold-hardy in USDA Hardiness Zones 5 to 9, with some variance among different cultivars. Florist mums sold in decorative pots are generally treated as annuals, as they're not bred to survive winter outdoors. Overall, mums don't require much care, only full sun (six to eight hours daily) and well-draining soil with rich organic matter. They can tolerate some shade and, with a little love, look splendid.

Pairing your mums with certain other plants will help you keep a beautiful garden before and after their fall blooming period, filling the bed with a diverse range of colors, textures, and leaves. In addition, chrysanthemums really benefit from companion planting, or the practice of growing certain plants together for mutual benefits. It can also help you create a more pollinator-friendly garden while still enjoying the rich beauty of mums. Mums aren't necessarily attractive to pollinators on their own, but the presence of pollinator-friendly plants, such as marigolds, can help welcome these insects and birds into your garden. Overall, there are a number of reasons to enjoy companion planting with mums, with many suitable plants or herbs that are easy to care for.

Coleus (Coleus scutellarioides) is a good companion plant for multiple perennials, including mums. Pairing mums with coleus will create an attractive visual contrast, as coleus' foliage comes in multiple shades, including green and rich burgundy. Known for being very easy to grow, coleus has similar care needs as chrysanthemums, as both prefer well-drained, moist, and fertile soil. Coleus sunlight needs vary based on cultivar, so use an option that works best for the mums' full-sun requirements. When planting it in the garden alongside your mums, treat coleus as an annual. It is only hardy in zones 10 to 11.

A member of the onion family, chives (Allium schoenoprasum) are a garden perennial that makes a great companion for chrysanthemums. Chives are delicious herbs that act as natural pest repellent for plants like mums. The tangy, onion-garlic smell may deter would-be pests, such as aphids, that could affect your mums. As a bonus, chives attract pollinating insects. They thrive in zones 3 to 9, provided they have well-drained soil and six to eight hours of sun daily. Be careful growing around pets, as they're toxic to cats and dogs.

Coneflowers (Echinacea) are perennial flowers that will add depth to your garden when they bloom, coming in a range of colors, including pink, purple, white, and yellow. Some species reach up to 4 feet tall, giving a lovely height contrast to your mums, while filling the whole garden with color as the two bloom in different seasons. Hardy in zones 3 to 8, coneflowers share the same sun requirements as mums, plus they are nectar-rich for pollinators.

Garlic, like its cousin chives, is a perfect, zesty addition to your garden bed of mums. Some gardeners use garlic as a way to naturally deter garden pests. Planting garlic with your chrysanthemums lets you use the garlic's sulfuric compounds to deter aphids and spider mites that would ravage your flowers. There are multiple types of garlic, but what we most commonly think of as garlic (Allium sativum) is hardy in zones 4 to 9. Like mums, it prefers moist but well-drained soil and full sun. It's toxic to animals, so be careful with garlic around cats and dogs.

What garden is complete without marigolds (Tagetes)? Easy to grow and ideal for a garden border, marigolds are a great companion to mums. They share a similar fall-colored palette and will help you fill your garden with the brilliant yellows, golds, and reds, well into the season. Marigolds are known for their pest-deterrent properties and also attract beneficial insects. They're quick-growing and easy to care for: Like mums, marigolds need full sun for their best blooms, as well as well-draining soil that's high in organic matter and stays consistently moist.

The soft, fuzzy texture of Lamb's ear (Stachys byzantina) leaves mixes well with the vibrant colors of chrysanthemums, especially as it spreads into a ground cover. Gardening experts recommend considering this plant as a companion for mums because of the interesting contrast the leaves create. It can grow well in zones 4 to 9 in most soil types, but it needs full sun and good drainage, preferring to dry out between waterings.

Common yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is a perennial herb with tiny white, red, gold, or even pink or purple flowers. While these draw pollinators, the summer to early fall blooming also helps keep your garden lush before the mums flower. With its fern-like foliage and drought-tolerant nature, yarrow is a low-maintenance companion. It attracts ladybugs, and these beneficial insects can help control aphids in your mums, consuming up to 50 daily. Common yarrow can become weedy, so monitor for sprawl. It's hardy in zones 3 to 9. It prefers full sun and dry soil, but can tolerate wet soil.

Blooming from late spring to early fall, nasturtiums (Tropaeolum) add great shades of cream, orange, or gold flowers to the garden before the mums flower. There's little concern for pests, though they have a reputation as a "trap crop" for aphids to protect other flowers. You can grow them as a perennial in zones 9 to 11 and as an annual elsewhere. Plant in pH-neutral, moist to occasionally dry soil, and ensure they get full sun. If deer are a concern for you, don't worry, as deer seldom damage nasturtiums.

Salvias are members of the mint family. Filling your garden with a powerful aromatic scent that can deter pests, salvias are easy to grow and come in many species, hybrids, and cultivars of various colors. Hardiness and other factors differ by species, with both annuals and perennials available. Overall, salvias come with few pest concerns but will have your garden buzzing with pollinators. The spiked flowers they grow will add contrast to the showy blossoms of your mums.

Often described as very low-maintenance, the genus of Sedum features more than 400 plants. Also known as stonecrop, they bloom from late summer to mid-fall, overlapping chrysanthemums for long-lasting garden color. With some growing low and others standing tall, they can be used to add dimension to your garden, with many featuring tiny star-shaped flowers. Since they're succulents, they're highly tolerant of drought, cold, and heat. Their growing season also adds support for pollinators when nectar sources are more scarce in the fall. Overall, sedums typically prefer full sun and average soil with good drainage, so they're compatible with mums.

Crotons (Codiaeum variegatum) are great for fall planting because their bold, variegated foliage naturally echoes autumn's palette, boasting deep reds, oranges, and golds that grow with light exposure. Crotons prefer full sun or partial shade. A perennial evergreen shrub, croton is hardy in zones 11 and 12 and is grown as an annual elsewhere. When paired with chrysanthemums, this plant's dramatic leaves provide a striking backdrop that accentuates mums' cheerful flowers for depth. Croton may grow up to 10 feet tall, but there are also smaller varieties if you're concerned about space. Be careful handling, as they produce a milky sap that may irritate the skin. 

Pansies (Viola x wittrockiana) are fall garden marvels because they thrive when the temperature drops under 60 degrees Fahrenheit during the day. Pansies are grown as annuals, but they may survive a winter freeze. They are available in a wide range of colors, from white, gold, and rust, to orange, purple, and red. Pansies require only partial sun and well-drained, moist soil. Their compact growth pattern contrasts nicely with chrysanthemums' taller stems, adding a contrast of texture and height to your garden.

Same as mums, asters bloom from late summer to fall, encompassing both the Aster and the Symphyotrichum genus. While mums have bold, dense flowers, asters produce flowers that are more like those of daisies, creating a pleasing contrast for your fall garden beds. Asters are also magnets for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators that need nectar late in the season to fuel migration. They may grow 6 inches to 8 feet tall, which makes them ideal to add depth to the back of garden borders. Asters flourish in full sun or partial shade conditions, ideally in moist soil, and are generally hardy in zones 4 to 8.