Local Botanist Creates New Genetically Modified Mums

by Ima Phibber

Fall is here! In my humble opinion, it’s the best time of the year. Football, cooler weather, pumpkin spice, and of course mums. Chrysanthemums or mums are a staple flower and decoration in the South and in The Valley during the fall. They are beautiful flowers, but there’s one major issue with mums. They only live for about 3 days. People with the greenest of thumbs have difficulties keeping mums alive. But, a Valley botanist has hopefully solved this issue.

The Verdant Valley Nursery has been a fixture in The Valley for years. People flock to their nursery on Hwy. 81 every spring and fall to buy flowers and plants. The Mumford family established the nursery in 1952, and at least one Mumford has ran it since day one. It is now owned and operated by Bud and Daisy Mumford. Their young daughter, Rose, also works in the business as a botanist. Rose graduated with a degree in botany from MSU 3 years ago.

Bud Mumford said, “We were so glad Rose decided to get a degree in botany and come back and work for us. She’s very sharp. Some say she’s like a mad scientist. She spends a lot of time after work hours working with flowers doing some crazy stuff. She’s been working with mums for months now, and she finally had a breakthrough. We’re so proud of her and what’s she’s accomplished.”

Rose said, “We love our mums in the South, but they just don’t live very long. I set out months ago to solve that problem. I’m not going to bore you with the details, but I’ve created some genetically modified mums that will live much longer than typical mums. My mums are hearty and should live at least 90 days with proper care and in normal conditions. So, if you water them too much, no worries. If you get them too much sun, don’t worry. They should still last at least 30 days with little to no water and/or sunlight.”

People are flocking to the Verdant Valley Nursery to buy Rose’s mums. They thought they would be big sellers, so Rose and the team was able to plant and grow a massive supply. They are also wholesaling the mums to other nurseries and retailers, and that business should boom in the coming years.

One shopper said, “I’ve bought mums for years, but I’d decided this year that I wasn’t going to buy them anymore. I swear they’d be dead by the time I got them home. But, I’m so glad Rose has created these mums, and I bought a slew of them. I’ll be able to enjoy them for at least a month.”

Rose’s mums have been a hit. Her hours of hard work in the lab have paid off for her and the Mumfords. Look for Verdant Valley Nursery to really grow and expand in the coming years because of Rose’s mums which is positive for jobs in The Valley.