They flower in the shorter days of late summer and early fall. Their blooms can be yellow, rust, red or bronze like the leaves of a hardwood forest during autumn. White, pink and lavender colors are also available. Button, pompon, spoon, spider and daisy are only a few of the flower forms available, and they can be used in borders, as accent plants, or to replant containers that were filled with summer annuals. Their long-lasting cut flowers also are a welcome bonus to any room in your house.
Size differs among cultivars, but can be manipulated by the gardener.
If you would like extra-large blooms, remove all of the flower buds on the stem except for the large terminal bud in the center of the cluster. This will greatly reduce the total number of flowers, but the one that does open will be larger and more showy. This method, in combination with careful cultivar selection, is used to produce the large mums you see at football games. Many garden centers have a wide array of mums available in full bloom. These mums, grown in gallon containers, can easily be planted in a well-drained site in full sun to produce an instant show.