August 2022 - 11

ADVERTISEMENT
Ashley™
Red
Keeping Your Red Natural Season
Garden Mums Fresh-All-Fall
Natural season garden mums are one of a few crops where the same
variety cannot be used to have fresh material for sales throughout
the entire selling season. Although blackcloth can be used to " force "
garden mums to fl ower when you want, not all growers have access to
easy blackcloth systems, so they rely on natural fl owering response.
Based on the range of colors needed-four to seven-and the fall sales
window (late August through mid-October), a basic natural season
garden mum program needs about 40 varieties. Normally, varieties are
selected based on plant performance and natural fl owering response.
It is also equally important to consider plants with good fl ower and
color longevity, especially for the end consumer to fi nd value with their
purchase and want to continue to buy in future years.
While red garden mums are widely desired, it is certainly a demanding
color because red mum fl owers tend to turn into an unappealing
tan color as they age. Although they may look great in bud at retail
or when they are fi rst installed in the landscape, consumers want
them to continue to look good weeks after the fl owers have opened.
At Syngenta Flowers, we continue to evaluate all varieties after the
wholesale or retail stage to see what will hold up for the consumer.
We have a very good range of red varieties that have both plant
performance for the grower and fl ower longevity for the consumer.
Start the season in late August with Samantha™
the new Josephine™
Depending on your growing location, Mila™
Selena™
as Selena™
Red in early September. Josephine™
because the variety fl owers with the Jacqueline™
Red and Selena™
Red, followed by
is special
family in the east
Red can be used.
and mid-west of North America from the north to the deep south. For
the middle of September, Mila™
will fl ower before or after
Red is more tolerant of the heat when under the
naturally shorter day lengths in the south. The end of September
fi nishes with Wanda™
Red and then Ashley™
Scarlet and Kathleen™
Dark Red
Red. Although Wanda™
Red has more purple in the background of the color than some other
reds, it is an incredibly long-lasting color for the landscape. Consider
fi nishing off the season with Cynthia™
fl owering in early to mid-October.
The joy of natural season mum production is the simplicity of planting
all the varieties in late June and early July and then shipping as they
come into color in late August through mid-October. As you choose
varieties for your program, be sure to consider which varieties will not
only be the best in your mum fi eld, but also the ones that will provide
consumer satisfaction for continued garden mums sales in future years.
Refer to our Fresh-All-Fall Tables to Schedule
All of Your Natural Season Garden Mums
syngentafl owers-us.com/mums
NEW FOR 2022
Samantha™
Red
Josephine™
Red
Mila™
Red
Selena™
Red
Wanda™
Red
Ashley™
Red
Cynthia™
Red
Kathleen™
Red
Late
Early
August
September
Mid
September
LateMid
September
All photos are either the property of Syngenta or are used with permission.
© 2022 Syngenta. Some or all of the varieties may be protected under one or more of the following: Plant Variety Protection, United States Plant Patents and/or Utility Patents
and may not be propagated or reproduced without authorization. The trademarks or service marks displayed or otherwise used herein are the property of a Syngenta Group Company. All
other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Early
October
Mid
October

http://www.syngentaflowers-us.com/mums

August 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of August 2022