For fall color, mum's the word

In gardens and on porches near and far, chrysanthemums are as iconic to the autumn season as pumpkins and cornstalks.

You can find them at just about any supermarket or garden center, and this time of year, they reach a crescendo at Toadflax Nursery in South Glens Falls.

The chrysanthemum, from Chrysous a Greek word for golden, and anthemon, meaning flower is a perennial introduced to Europe in the 17th century. It is a member of the Asteraceae family.

Toadflax owner Rich Morris said he gets bored with the general mums that are everywhere, so he carries at least 50 Belgian types, like allegro yellow, coparo pink, Milano white and conaco gold, known for their copious numbers of buds, unique color and flower shape, growing habits and resistance to disease.

Theres lots that goes into choosing them, Morris said. Were looking for a mum thats going to perform in the landscape.

If you choose to put them in a planter, you dont have to be limited to just one color or flower shape. Morris likes to mix them in complementary or contrasting blends or in any of a number of combinations with dwarf bidens; carex, Juncus or purple fountain grasses; heuchera, frost-hardy calibracoa and flowering kale plants.

He advised choosing mums based on their size, their height when mature and what you plan to mix with it.

Once the end of the season comes and your mums look tired in the container, pull them out and plant them in the ground rather than throw them out with your annuals so theyll come back next year. Just be sure to keep them watered and well mulched around the crown.

Allison Steele, a growers assistant at Toadflax, said the orange, reds, yellow and occasionally whites are traditionally hardy, but even the unconventional pinks, corals and purples might do well if they are placed in a sheltered location.

I just dont want to tell people that all varieties are perennials, because thats not absolutely the case. With a little help, a little love and a little attention, certainly they could make it that way, she said.

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For fall color, mum's the word