September is the start of fall in the garden.

Many gardeners buy chrysanthemums.

Most of them are "cushion" types.

There are other interesting options for variety.

About 40 wild chrysanthemum species exist.

Breeders made hundreds of thousands of varieties.

The National Chrysanthemum Society puts them in 13 groups.

The groups are by flower shape.

Many of these are too delicate for outdoor gardens.

So they are not sold widely.

Perennial mums come back each year.

They need to be planted early.

Then they can grow roots before frost.

Gardeners should not buy "florist mums" in foil pots.

Those plants live for one season only.

Check the plant tag for your zone.

Cushion mums are small and round.

They bloom for four to six weeks.

They are usually hardy in zones 5-9.

Daisy mums look like daisies.

They have a flat center and petals.

They are also good for zones 5-9.

Fuji mums are also called spider mums.

They have long, curved petals.

They bloom from early November.

They are mostly hardy to zone 5.

Homecoming mums are also called Football mums.

They are the largest and showiest.

They have huge, dense flowers.

They grow as perennials in zones 5-9.

These last two types are often at specialty nurseries.

You can also find them in catalogs.