Varieties of Pot Mums
People purchase potted mums, also known as chrysanthemums, frequently in the fall. Potted mums are often used to decorate patios, entrance ways and landscapes. Although the original mums were mainly yellow flowered, many varieties of potted mums exist in an array of colors. Mix and match more than one variety in a large container or feature just one mum type in a pot near your doorstep to add a pop of color. Does this Spark an idea?
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History
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While the precise date that mums were introduced in America is unknown, it's believed to have occurred in the 18th century. The Massachusetts Horticulture Society recorded that at least 17 cultivars of mums were grown in the United States in 1892 -- the year of the organization's inception, according to Dr. T. Ombrello of Union County College Biology Department. Greenhouses later made it possible to grow hardy mums as non-hardy plants for use as potted mums and cut flowers. As of 2011, there are approximately 100 varieties of mums grown for pots, states Dr. J. Raymond Kessler, Jr. of Auburn University.
Yellow
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Choose yellow Graceland, a bright yellow flowering pot mum, for displaying in the fall. Its large disk-like flowers can extend to 6 inches in diameter. The mum has multiple ray petals that project outward revealing the flower's deep yellow center. Yellow Graceland mums have a full appearance with a semi-spread when in bloom. Plant them in a container that provides them plenty of room to expand.
Sunny Olympia, a variety of white pot mum, has cheerful muted chiffon-yellow blooms. Its ornamental flowers have multiple buds tightly configured in a round shape with an average size of 4 1/2 inches. Plant it in a container outdoors that offers ample room for its full spread.
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Lavender
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The Jamestown pot mum has intense lavender almost purple decorative flowers. Each flower is about 2 1/2 inches in diameter and features multiple tiny petals. The pot mum has dark green, shiny leaves. It performs well in a variety of pot sizes. You can usually find them sold by greenhouses throughout the year, not just the fall.
The pastel colored flowers of the Soledad pot mum make it an ideal mum for featuring as an Easter dinner centerpiece or in multiple small pots arranged on your patio. It has pale lavender flowers with deep purple centers of an anemone shape. Soledad mums have a near equal amount of flowers to foliage.
Bicolored
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Pelee pot mums have delicate daisy-like flowers of about 5 inches in size. The bicolored flower has deep red petals accented by a bright yellow center and surrounded by dark green leaves. Pelee pot mums are ideal for centerpiece, since they perform best in temperatures of 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
May Greenhouses consider point pelee pot mums an enhanced version of the pelee pot mum. Its flowers also have a daisy shape with bicolored red and yellow petals. What makes it superior to the pelee pot mum, is that it has more flowers and has a fuller form, notes May Greenhouses.
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References
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