It seems as soon as the air cools, signaling the coming of fall, garden centers begin showcasing full mounds of brilliant red, yellow, and violet flowers. Chrysanthemums, or mums, are a staple in fall gardens. Mums are a national symbol of fall abundance, and this herbaceous and hardy perennial is an easy addition to give a gorgeous pop of color in your fall garden landscape. With a little understanding and a few simple tips, you can have a lush, beautiful fall chrysanthemum garden display to help celebrate the changing of seasons.
What Are Chrysanthemum?
Chrysanthemum are a member of the Compositae family and are available in a wide range of brilliant colors, shapes and sizes. First cultivated in China over 6 centuries ago, this type of daisy was initially grown as an herb associated with the power of life. The chrysanthemum flowers range from dazzling whites to deep bronzes, and the hardy plants are highlighted with full, dark green leaves.
Chrysanthemum flowers look like they have a multitude of petals, but each individual petal is actually a small floret. There are two different types of florets: ray and disc florets. Ray florets are what we traditionally see as the petals, while the disc florets create the center buttons. When the florets are all clustered together, they give us what we know and love as a mum bloom.
Types of Chrysanthemum
With over 100 different chrysanthemum cultivars in the United States, the National Chrysanthemum Society has a classification system in place to categorize 13 different mums by flower shape.
·Anemone
These daisy-like blooms feature long, tubular florets clustered around a tight button center. They form a 4-inch bloom in single or multiple colors.
Popular varieties include: Dorothy Mechum, Purple Light and Angel
·Decorative
Florists use decorative class mums in floral arrangements. The 5-inch plus blooms have a flat appearance as the florets gradually get longer from the center out.
Popular varieties include: Fireflash, Coral Charm and Honeyglow
·Irregular Incurve
Incurve blooms feature florets curving inwards. Irregular incurve mums feature large blooms between 6 to 8 inches. The florets curve in and cover the center of the flower. A few florets at the bottom of the bloom add fringe to the stem.
Popular varieties include: Luxor, Blushing Bride and River City
·Intermediate Incurve
The florets of an intermediate incurve mum don’t cover the center of the bloom. With shorter florets curving inwards, the less-compact bloom of an intermediate incurve only reaches a maximum 6 inches.
Popular varieties include: Apricot Alexis, Candid and Pat Lawson
·Regular Incurve
Regular incurve chrysanthemum blossoms are tight, smooth globes of inwardly curving florets. Each bloom is between 4 to 6 inches in diameter.
Popular varieties include: Gillette, Moira and Heather James
·Pompom
Resembling the regular incurve, Pompom mums are only 1 to 4 inches. The tight blooms are common in floral arrangements.
Popular varieties include: Rocky, Yoko Ono and Lavender Pixie
·Quilled
Show-stopping quilled chrysanthemums feature long, tubular florets that open to a spoon shape or slight downward curve at the end. Their spiky appearance often mimics other types of mums.
Popular varieties include: Seatons Toffee, Mammoth Yellow Quill and Muted Sunshine
·Single and Semi-Double
These daisy look-a-likes feature one or two rounds of ray florets around a compact center. Their total plant size is between 1 to 3 feet, making them ideal for small spaces and borders.
Popular varieties include: Rage, Icy Island and Crimson Glory
·Spider
Spider mums are well known for their long, spiky florets of single or multiple colors. The tubular florets resemble spider legs and can go in all directions. The delicate and exotic appearance creates a focal bloom in your garden.
Popular varieties include: Evening Glow, Symphony and Western Voodoo
·Spoon
Spoon mums have a button center surrounded by ray florets featuring a spoon shape at each tip. They are often mistaken for single chrysanthemums, but the difference lays in the slight curve.
Popular varieties include: Kimie, Fantasy and Redwing
·Reflex
The bloom of a reflex mum is slightly flat with florets that curve downward. The crossing of the florets produces an interesting feather-like appearance.
Popular varieties include: White City, Champion and Apricot
·Thistle
The thistle bloom, also called the bush bloom, often features multi-colored blooms. The long, thin florets twist to rise up or fall backwards towards the stem. Thistle blooms have a unique, exotic look to them.
Popular varieties include: Cindy, Cisco and Orange Spray
·Unclassified
With so many chrysanthemum varieties, many chrysanthemum blooms feature characteristics that place them in more than one category. Unclassified mums exhibit a wide range of colors and sizes.
Popular varieties include: Lone Star, Lili Gallon and Pacificum