**This article was written by Angela Mason Foster, Beaufort County Volunteer Master Gardener**

Every October, Eastern North Carolina bursts into color with mums—those cheerful domes of yellow, burgundy, orange, purple, and white that seem to appear overnight in garden centers, roadside stands, and festival displays. For many of us, the New Bern Mum Festival marks the height of fall, where streets are lined with brilliant blooms celebrating the season. But chrysanthemums are more than just a pretty backdrop for funnel cakes and parades. They have a rich history, deep cultural significance, and a rightful place in our gardens beyond the festival weekend.

A Flower with a Storied Past

Chrysanthemums originated in China more than 2,500 years ago, where they were cultivated for medicinal and ornamental purposes. Ancient texts describe them as herbs with the power to prolong life. From China, mums spread to Japan, where they became symbols of longevity, happiness, and even the emperor’s throne—Japan’s imperial seal features a stylized chrysanthemum with sixteen petals. The flower still holds such reverence there that the Japanese celebrate a National Chrysanthemum Day, known as the “Festival of Happiness.”

Mums didn’t reach Europe until the 1600s, and they came to North America in the colonial period. By the late 19th century, plant breeders were developing new varieties suited to home gardens. Today, the chrysanthemum is one of the most widely grown fall ornamentals in the world, with thousands of cultivars ranging from dainty pompons to extravagant spider forms.

The Many Faces of Mums

When most of us picture mums, we imagine the tidy, rounded cushion mums sold in pots each fall. But chrysanthemums come in a dazzling variety of forms:

• Decorative mums: The most familiar, with full, layered petals.
• Spider mums: Long, thin petals that curl and twist like fireworks.
• Pompon mums: Small, globe-shaped blooms.
• Quill mums: Straight, tubular petals resembling quills.
• Anemone mums: Petals radiating around a raised center.

Florist mums are bred for long stems and large blooms, while garden mums are selected for hardiness and compact growth. Both share the same ancestry, but they serve different purposes. That diversity explains why mums are equally at home in festival displays, bridal bouquets, and cemetery plantings.

Why Mums Mean Fall

Mums are short-day plants, which means they bloom as daylight hours shorten in autumn. This natural cycle is what makes them the quintessential fall flower. Gardeners can “trick” mums into blooming earlier or later by manipulating light exposure, but in nature they wait for those cozy, crisp days. Their timing is perfect: as summer annuals fade and perennials go dormant, mums step in to fill the gap with reliable, saturated color.

Growing Mums in the Garden

Many gardeners buy mums as seasonal “disposable” plants—enjoying them for a few weeks on the porch and then tossing them after frost. But with the right care, mums can be hardy perennials here in Eastern North Carolina.

Here are a few tips:

1. Plant early. If you want your mums to overwinter successfully, buy them in spring or early summer, not late fall. This gives their roots time to establish before cold weather.
2. Choose the right spot. Full sun and well-drained soil are key. Mums hate “wet feet.”
3. Pinch for shape. To encourage bushy growth and more blooms, pinch back the tips of stems until mid-July. After that, let them grow to set buds.
4. Mulch in winter. Apply a layer of mulch after the first frost to protect the roots from temperature swings.
5. Be patient. Even with care, not all mums make it through harsh winters. Treat them as a happy bonus perennial—if they come back, it feels like a gift.

More Than Porch Pots

Mums have become so associated with seasonal décor—lined up on steps with pumpkins—that it’s easy to forget they also shine in the landscape. Mass plantings in beds, borders, and even containers create long-lasting color displays. Pair golden mums with purple asters for a classic fall palette, or tuck bronze mums into ornamental grass plantings for a naturalistic effect.

Mums also play a role in cultural traditions. In some countries, particularly in Europe, chrysanthemums symbolize remembrance and are placed on graves. In the United States, they are more festive, adorning football homecomings, festivals, and Thanksgiving tables. The same plant holds very different meanings depending on where it blooms.

Why Festivals Celebrate Mums

It’s no surprise that New Bern chose the chrysanthemum as the star of its annual Mum Festival. Mums are hardy, colorful, and adaptable—qualities that mirror the resilience of the community itself. Their timing makes them perfect ambassadors for autumn, drawing visitors downtown when the air is crisp and the leaves are turning. And they offer something for everyone: casual gardeners admire their ease, florists appreciate their variety, and festival-goers simply enjoy the riot of color.

Appreciating Mums Year-Round

The next time you stroll through a festival display or pick up a pot of mums for your porch, pause to consider the layers of history and horticulture behind those blooms. They are survivors, having traveled continents and centuries to land in our garden centers. They are shape-shifters, ranging from dainty button blooms to spidery fireworks. And they are seasonal anchors, linking us to fall traditions and community celebrations.

Like the people who gather at the Mum Festival each year, chrysanthemums remind us of the power of beauty to bring us together. Their petals open not just to the sun, but to our shared sense of joy in the changing seasons.

So whether you treat them as temporary porch décor or embrace them as perennials in your garden, mums deserve more than a passing glance. They are, quite literally, flowers of happiness, carrying with them centuries of meaning, medicine, and memory. This fall, as New Bern celebrates its namesake flower, take a moment to truly see the chrysanthemum—not just as a festival prop, but as one of the world’s great garden treasures.

If you have questions about your home garden or landscape, reach out to Gene Fox, Consumer Horticulture Agent with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service. Email Gene at gene_fox@ncsu.edu or call (252) 946-0111. Don’t forget to check out the Beaufort County Master Gardeners Facebook page for additional resources.