Everything Chrysanthemum!
Popular in both gardens and bouquets, chrysanthemums have something to offer to everyone! Also called “mums,” there are two flower families associated with them – Chrysanthemum and Dendranthema. But chrysanthemum flowers are very closely related to daisies and asters, and can bloom from spring to fall, depending on how they are planted. Plus, they attract butterflies. The reality of Chrysanthemum is that no matter the color or size, it never goes out of style.

Meet the ‘Mum’!
The chrysanthemum can grow from 1 to 3 feet in height as well as width, and can be either annual (planted yearly) or perennial (planted once to grow back year after year) depending on how you choose to plant them. There are over ten different classes of flower shapes to the chrysanthemum, including:
- Regular incurve, with petals that curve up toward the center
- Irregular incurve, with petals that curve up each in different ways
- Pompon, which points straight out from the center
- Single and semi-double, which look a lot like their cousin the daisy
- Quill, which features tube-like petals that fall outward from the center

Bouquets and Decorations
Chrysanthemums can make beautiful bouquets, adorning vases and arrangements with ease. Cutting the stems on a slant every few days can help the flowers stay looking fresh for up to three weeks, especially if you pull off the leaves. Pair them with dahlias, daisies, and sprays of berries or leaves for some gorgeous fall arrangements. With so many colors and classes of chrysanthemums to choose from, you can even pair them with each other. Chrysanthemums have been capturing people’s hearts for thousands of years, and with all the beauty they share with the world, it is no wonder.
My mother’s birthday is coming this month, and I’m looking for advice to give her a splendid flower arrangement. I found it so interestingly funny to know that the flower of the month is best knows as “mum”s and October is my mother’s birthday. I will definitely make sure that I look for a florist that can make her a big beautiful “mum” arrangement.