Grow Zones for Button Mums

Zones 1 Through 3

• Gardeners living in USDA Winter Hardiness Zones 1 through 3 will have to grow their button mums in a greenhouse or indoor pots, as they are not hardy enough to over-winter in these climates. While this may seem as a given for flower lovers in Alaska, gardeners in the northern-most areas of Maine, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota and Wisconsin will have to raise their chrysanthemums indoors.

Zones 4 Through 6

• USDA Zones 4 through 6 still regularly experience winters with sub-zero temperatures, but gardeners who take precautions to protect their button mums during cold weather may be able to enjoy their flowers year after year. The University of Minnesota Extension notes that the Betty Lou Maxi-Mum and Inca varieties of button mums show a particular resistance to cool temperatures. A 4- to 6-inch layer of mulch will help button mums survive winters in Zones 4 through 6.

Zones 7 Through 9

• Gardeners in USDA Zones 7 through 9 regularly experience winters with below-freezing temperatures, but many button mums are hardy enough to survive these cold periods with little help. The areas included in these zones span to nearly every corner of the United States, from northwestern Oregon across the bulk of Texas to the Massachusetts coastline, and the variations in these different climates need to be taken into consideration by gardeners who hope to raise chrysanthemums.

Zones 10 & 11

• USDA Zones 10 and 11 offer gardeners mild winters that rarely experience freezing temperatures, providing an excellent environment to raise button mums and other chrysanthemums. The most southern areas of the United States as well as areas on the Pacific coast should have little trouble helping their flowers over-winter year after year.