Mums at Brookside Gardens

The conservatory at Brookside Gardens is filled with mums – the flower of fall. I always enjoy photographing the vivid colors and curves of the petals. I try to go early in November because I know they’ll be setting up the model train in the same conservatory later in the month.

The spider mums are some of my favorite. Sometimes the petals remind me of fiddleheads (of ferns) because they unfurl from a compressed spiral. I like the space between the petals as much as the density of the center.

Sometimes the colors are so bright they are almost blinding.

The shape of these petals is rolled at the center – an open flared at the tips. It could serve as a design for a vase or a neckline.

Some of the very large mums seem to have petals that will unfurl for a long time. One of the great things about mums is the length of time the flowers last – looking great the whole time.

I always think the curly petals on the outer edge are the most interesting.