Prize-winning mum grown by Robert Holland
Just completing our mum selling season might leave us a little jaded and tired of these plants, but they are pretty much a fact of life for the fall season. I love mums, the abundance of flowers, the bright colors, even their scent. Apparently, I’m not alone…Here’s a beautiful specimen grown by Robert Holland in Lillington, NC. He won first prize for the flowering potted plant category in his county fair. Congratulations!
While it seems too far away to think about, it is really the best time to plan your mum crop for next year. I learned long ago to make those decisions while the current season is still fresh in my mind, then just adapt it if needed closer to planting time.
Here at Jolly Farmer, we offer mums from two different breeding companies: Gediflora, also known as “Belgian Mums” and Syngenta, carrying the well-known “Yoder” varieties.
In our experience the Belgian mums are an excellent choice if you have a later season market, like late September to October. Meanwhile, the Yoder selections are ideal to start off your early sales. I personally love the large flowers on the Yoder mums, but the Belgians typically exhibit the true ball-shaped plant with myriads of flowers. Having said that, there are no hard and fast rules to choosing, since both lines offer an abundance of options.
In our catalog you’ll find lots of charts and graphs to help with your planning. Please take a look at our “Easy Selections” if you need a starting point. From there, we detail the best sellers by top volume, best in color class, and percent of sales by color for both the northern and southern regions of the US. Pictures and details of each variety are included, along with a comparative chart by bloom time in consecutive order. You may also find our notes about culture helpful.
Which ones do you choose? Why? It’d be great to hear from you. If you need a copy of our catalog, don’t hesitate to let us know.