In an effort to satisfy your desire for Fall color, many nurserys will tell you that all Fall Mums (Chrysanthemum) are hardy, when most really aren't. They want you to buy and they're willing to sacrifice the truth about many plants, shrubs and trees in order to make the sale. We aren't and we don't. Yes Virginia, there is truth in advertising. Always has been in ours. Of the 160-plus species native to China, Japan and Europe, only a few species are grown in the US; most are annuals and only a very few are perennial. Mums were used in Chinese gardens long before 550BC, and are still popular today. Of the 3,000-plus varieties once grown in the US, most have been discarded because of lack of hardiness, and dozens of new, non-hardy varieties are introduced each year. The first mistake that these other nurserys have made is that they buy Florist's Mums which, truth be told, are not hardy. Never were, never will be. When the Florist's Mums that you planted (because they told you they were hardy) don't come back the following year, these nurserys blame it on something you did or didn't do. When in fact, the Florist's Mums were never meant to come back: they're annuals, not perennials. And York County, as well as northern Maryland is full of un-knowing nurserys who still buy these cheap, annual-grade Mums. Mums, whether annual or perennial, should be cut or pinched back several times before July 15th, when flower buds are initiated. Never let them get taller than 6-8". Because Mums have very shallow root systems, they need copious amounts of fertilizer after planting, before and during blooming. It also pays big dividends to move the plant(s) every 3-4 years. They start to die (leaves a nasty bare spot in the middle) from the center of the plant outward, and should be dug, divided and transplanted on a regular basis. Commercial growers shade their plants from sun in mid-afternoon to induce early blooming and invert the light vs dark periods; gardeners can achieve the same effect using tarps or sheets. It's a lot of work, but if you live in an early frost area (as we do this year), then it might be worth the effort to have early blooming Mums before the frost takes them out prematurely. There are 15 basic categories -- single, semidouble, regular anemone, irregular anemone, pompon, Chinese incurve, Japanese incurve, reflexed pompon, aster-flowered reflex, Chinese reflex, Japanese reflex, spoon, quill, threads, spider -- that all Mums everywhere, fit into. Even the venerable Shasta Daisy (Chrysanthemum superbum) and the perennial herb Feverfew (Chrysanthemum parthenium) are included, to name but a few. The Florist's Chrysanthemum ( Chrysanthemum x morifolium) category is supposed to be hardy to USDA Zone 5, and it is. The problem? This species also contains hundreds of varieties, most of which are greenhouse-grown for cut flowers and are not hardy. However, many growers sell these as hardy Mums, which we now know to be false. Beware of these imitations; you will be sorely disappointed in the Spring when they don't come back, as a quality perennial should. Ask the nursery which species and variety of Mums they are selling. If they don't know, but claim they're hardy, walk away and come visit us. Our selection of truly-hardy Mums is exceptional; unmatched anywhere in the East. And check out the outstanding selection of rare, unusual and hard-to-find Fall and Spring bulbs we have. No one else in the region has anything even close to these gems! In addition to carrying the finest, hardy Fall Mums, we feature over 900 varieties of perennials, 200 varieties of annuals and herbs, over 100 varieties of ornamental grasses and bamboos, and more than 1600 cultivars of nursery stock, ranging from the common to the very rare, unusual and hard-to-find. Our Collector's Rare Plant Nursery has been supplying gardening enthusiasts for over seven years, and is a must for connoisseurs and serious collectors. Our Nursery Division can supply any request from the common to very rare and unusual material. And if you need a tree or shrub moved, we feature a special team capable of easily moving anything from 1-inch to 10-inch diameter trees. Call us for a free consultation and estimate. Our Warranty: is unmatched by anyone, anywhere, and is one (1) year from date of purchase if you install the plant material; it is five (5) years if we install the material. Call, write or email us for a complete copy of The Warranty. It's also online right here. Drop by our Website on The InterNet for a tour of the Garden Center & Nursery. It's located at www.gdnctr.com for those digerati among you out there who are connected on-line.