I’m not sure why, but chrysanthemums have never been high on my list of fall flowers. But in Texas, it’s hard to ignore them this time of year. They’re everywhere. In huge corsages given to high school girls by their boyfriends during Homecoming week. In every grocery and garden store. On display in front yards and local businesses.

They’ve been out for the last couple weeks, and until today, I was able to pass them by and go about my business. But the color got me. A beautiful collage of pinks and wines. “How pretty,” I thought. Not the typical autumn hues of golden yellow and brown that I was used to seeing in mums.

And that may explain why I wasn’t lured by fall mums. Those colors just aren’t what appeals to me when it comes to flowers. But these pink/wine-colored mums, they are breathtaking. And, I might add, pretty inexpensive for such a big plant.

So I bought my first mum, and now it adorns my front porch. It’s got a ton of new buds, which are wine-colored when they’re tiny, and appear to turn almost a bubblegum pink as the bloom opens and gets bigger. It already looks to be a favorite fall flower. I just might have to buy a few more.