KEWAUNEE COUNTY (WLUK) — It’s a sign of the season.
Fall decorations are starting to appear, including chrysanthemums, or “mums” for short.
At Hillside Apples near Casco, Carmine Nell is on the hunt for what she calls the perfect chrysanthemum.
“The strategy always is, don’t get them at full bloom. Get them just so you can tell what color they’re going to be, and what kind of decor do you got going on at home,” said Carmine Nell, Casco.
“Each year we grow 8,500 or so, mums for fall decorating,” said Bill Roethle, Hillside Apples Owner.
Hillside Apples Owner Bill Roethle says mums went on sale at the store last month.
“We have 50 different varieties. You got your pinks, whites, yellows, rust and orange. With the varieties, some of them show color a little earlier. Some of them show later. It’s a nice progression as the season goes on,” he said.
Roethle says he potted the chrysanthemums in the middle of June, and warm weather conditions coupled with plenty of water helped.
“This year’s mum crop is probably exceptional. We changed soils this year. The potting soils we use. We were very pleased with it. This is a better draining soil, and a more consistent soil. The mums did much better. They’re much bigger that what we’ve had roughly the last two or three years,” said Roethle.
Meanwhile Carmine Nell wrapped up her trip with five mums.
“It just kind of brings in the different seasons that we have in Wisconsin. Fall mums kind of go together. All the colors, the burgundies, and the oranges, and the burnt oranges. It’s beautiful color, and calming,” she said.
Hillside Apples officials say the chrysanthemum supply typically lasts a couple more weeks.
They say the mums are hardy, and have been known to survive outside through Thanksgiving.
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