Weyers Cave flower farm showcasing nationally recognized heirloom mums on Nov. 5

WEYERS CAVE, Va. (WHSV) - Harmony Harvest Farm in Weyers Cave grows hundreds of different kinds of flowers from March to Nov., but this time of year is special to head grower Jessica Hall because it is all about the chrysanthemums.

The flower farm is currently growing over 100 varieties of heirloom mums and is getting national recognition for it. The farm, growers, and, of course, the heirloom mums are featured in this month’s edition of Southern Living.

Each kind has its own unique name, like Royal Glamour, Prom Queen, and Hall’s favorite, St. Tropez.

“Southern Living was looking for someone that was growing these long lost heirloom mums. They spent two days with us cataloging the entire crop,” Hall said. “It wasn’t until the first magazines ended up in homes that we found out we made the current October issue.”

Hall said the mums they grow have lost popularity over the years. She said these mums have very large blooms, are much taller, have “iridescent” color qualities, and aren’t the types of mums people would use to decorate their yards.

“We’ve been able to curate a pretty remarkable crop,” Hall said. “In addition to that, we also work with large plant breeders who are trying to develop those types of flowers yet again and bring them to market. For the second year in a row, we are hosting the national cut flower chrysanthemum breeding trial.”

Hall said these trial mums are from large breeders that are trying to bring uniform crops to farmers to grow for the cut flower market. The plants were given to Harmony Harvest Farm to see if they will perform the way that large growers will need.

Hall said they take weekly photos of the trial flowers to watch the progression of growth and document when they water the crops and if they are monitoring pests or diseases. Based on the results, breeders will decide which varieties to offer to the cut flower world.

“That is what you might see in the next few years when you visit garden centers,” Hall said.

If you want to check out the Harmony Harvest Farm’s most important crop, it is hosting a Mum Showcase at the farm on Saturday, Nov. 5. You can check out the mum crop, learn about the growing process, watch a demonstration by celebrity floral designer TJ McGrath, and decorate the farm’s LOVE sign with mums.

You can buy tickets on the Harmony Harvest Farm website. There is also a Virtual Mum Summit happening on Friday, Nov. 4.

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