Don't be scared by the fact that Chrysanthemums have been around in one form or another for centuries. Some of the latest advances have been made in color, bloom size, and bloom type in the last 10 or 15 years-- these ain't your grandma's mums! Flowers are like music, in that the growers must pay the patent holder a royalty to grow the patented flower. This means, the rush is on to hybridize new varieties-- in all kinds of flowers, not just mums. The good news is that more varieties are available every year. The bad news is that some of your old favorites may no longer be grown commercially because they're not popular, or because of difficulties in cultivation. Chrysanthemums, or mums, are most plentiful in the fall, and there are many worth noting. "Spray mums" refer to any mums that grow with short laterals, meaning their blooms are clumped together, and a long main stem. Spray mums come in many forms-- cushion, daisy, button, and spoon, are just a few. "Standard" mums, in the 1950's called "football" mums, refer to the great big fluffy blooms with one on a stem. They were all the rage in the 1950's, 1960's, and 1970's nationwide, and remain popular in the south to this day, for wearing at football games in your favorite school colors. "Spider" mums come in both spray and single bloom stems. There are so many new varieties, colors and forms, next time you need flowers, consider mums. They just might surprise you. The added benefit is that they last pretty much til you're sick of them.

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