Did You Know?

When it comes to mums, M's the word

One of the many hardy mums bred at the University of Minnesota.

It's no secret: If you want to grow great chrysanthemums in the north country, choose a hardy bloom born and bred at the University of Minnesota.

In the 1920s, University researchers began selecting and growing mums for their ability to flower before the state's killing frosts. In the process, they cultivated the oldest public-sector mum breeding program in North America and one of the oldest in the world.

Since then, innovative breeding efforts coupled with the U of M's germplasm base and genetic resources have yielded a wide range of colors and shapes of hardy mums for northern flower beds.

In fact, if it weren't for the University, northern fall flower gardens would likely not be as colorful--nor as robust.

Mum quick facts
Latin name: Dendranthema morifolium
Type: perennial undershrub
Soil: variety of soils but must be well-drained
Light: full sun
Height: 10-24"
Spacing: 18-24"
Bloom: large variety of colors in late summer and early fall

The "cushion habit" of mums, for example, was a genetic discovery of University of Minnesota Agricultural and Experiment Station mum breeders and served as the basis for the University's first plant patent, for "Minngopher" mums in 1977. Cushion mums are hemispherical, with flowers almost completely covering the outside surfaces of each plant. Earlier mums, like most other flowers, exhibited an "upright habit," blooming only at the top of long stems. Within a decade, the cushion type became the dominant mum worldwide.

In 1990, breeders discovered seedlings of unprecedented size. That led to the "My Favorite^TM" series of shrub/cushion mums, which produce several thousand flowers and are now sold worldwide. And researchers continue to develop new colors--including pumpkin and purple--and types of mums, such as spreading or wave varieties, with daisy or double blossoms.

This tradition of excellence in horticulture has earned international respect and opportunities for collaboration. For instance, University researchers are collecting wild mum species in western China near Tibet, to add to the germplasm collection. In turn, scientists from Asia are in Minnesota learning advanced breeding techniques to bring back to their countries, where many of the mums we know and love originated.

Further reading

"Minnesota Gardening for Beginners: Chrysanthemums"

Chrysanthemums