My Favorite Perennial Mum ‘Autumn Red’ will be introduced in August 2001 by My Favorite Company, LLC. This company is a joint venture of Ball Horticultural Company & Anthony Tesselaar International. My Favorite Perennial Mum ‘Autumn Red’ has deep red petals with a vivid yellow centre marked by a snappy dark bull’s eye. The flowers fade over time to a pleasing terra cotta. There will be other colours introduced in 2002.
My Favorite Perennial Mums are unlike any mum ever seen. They bring a whole new dimension to the fall bloom season. My Favorite Perennial Mums are mounded masses of flowers that ultimately grow up to 30+ inches high and 48+ inches across!
Bred to be exceptionally cold hardy, they thrive in climate zones as cold as U.S.D.A. Zone 3b & Canadian equivalents. Their cold hardiness has been proved in sustained winter poundings of -30 degress F. in central Minnesota. They can be grown successfully in warm climates up to U.S.D.A. Zone 9.
With their compact, mounded shape and durable branching, My Favorite Perennial Mums will hold their shape, while flaunting an even canopy of up to 5,000 blooms by year three, during a four to five week fall bloom season.

Nuts & Bolts - The Details
Hardiness: U.S.D.A. Zones 9 through Zone 3b & Canadian equivalents. In areas subject to alternating thaws & freezes, routine mulching will help protect from ground heaves.
Light: For peak performance, full sun is best (6 hours or more per day). In areas of intense dry heat , such as Phoenix, filtered mid-day sun may be appropriate.
Water: Plant in well-drained soil, water as needed.

Spacing: Plant 2 - 3 feet apart to create a continuous hedge-like effect. Plant 4 feet apart to maintain the outlines of the individual bush.

Flowering: My Favorite Perennial Mums will bloom for four to five weeks each fall, depending on local weather conditions.
Flower Size: 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 inches in diameter.
Number of Flowers:
One year after initaila fall planting: up to 1,000 flowers. Three years after planting: up to 5,000 flowers. By actual count! All within 4 to 5 weeks!

Technical Notes

Special Attributes of My Favorite Perennial Mums:

•  classy, colourful daisy-form flowers,
•  easy to grow,
• a mature size unparalleled in the mum world,
• true perennial performance and durability,
•  hardiness in hot and cold climates,
• attracts beautiful Monarch butterflies!
• attracts beautiful Monarch butterflies!
• magnificent mounded form, providing breadth plus a heightened centre,
•  long fall bloom season,
•  blossoms so dense that they present a virtual mound of colour, with no gaps in colour from the ground up,
•  richly saturated colours complementing fall landscape & garden colour schemes,
• no pinching to maintain shape or bloom - ever! Just cut back once a year in winter or early spring