Like overgrown buttercups, Chrysanthemum x rubellum 'Hillside Sheffield Pink' (AKA Dendranthema morifolium 'Sheffield' and and 'Single Apricot'), commonly known as Pink Daisy Mum, resembles an ocean of small butterscotches nestled atop a pillow of fern-like foliage. Masses of golden yellow-tufted centers are surrounded by daisy-like ray petals in
apricot pink with cocoa undertones that cover this "must have" beauty with stunning and profuse blooms from late summer to frost, adding a glorious "last hurrah" of color to your garden.
Sheffield Pink is a
clump-forming herbaceous perennial that typically grows 2-3 feet tall and as wide. Use in mass plantings, mixed beds,
borders and edging. Excellent in containers and rock gardens. The flowers are attractive to
butterflies, the seeds attract
birds.
An antique variety, Sheffield Pink is both vigorous and hardy even in the South. Sheffield grows best in humusy, fertile, dry to moist, well-drained sandy loam with high organic content. Very light sandy soils are not recommended due to their poor moisture retention.
Full sun produces the best growth and flowering results. She tolerates
light shade and will tolerate heat and
drought but appreciates some afternoon protection from the hot sun in southern climates.
You can pinch stems back from early- to mid-summer if you wish to control her height and to encourage bushy dense growth. For best bloom,
feed plants several times during the growing season. Cut plants back to 6” after flowering and mulch for winter in northern zones. You can divide clumps every 2-3 years in spring or fall.
Most garden mums are hybrids that originated from species native to Russia, China, or Japan. This one is said to have been rescued from an old garden in Sheffield, MA.