Looking for something to do on a chilly November day?  The Botanic Garden of Smith College in Northampton, MA hosts an annual Fall Chrysanthemum Blooming Show.  This indoor event begins on the first Saturday of November and runs for two weeks, including the third weekend.  The Blooming Show features chrysanthemums, commonly known as mums, beautifully displayed in different shapes and sizes that are not found naturally.  This year, flowers were cascading like waterfalls and some grew along the wall in a fan-like shape.  Another surprising and delightful display of mums is in the form of bonsai, which is a Japanese art form using plants to create miniature trees in a pot.  Both cascade and bonsai forms are created by special techniques applied by the growers to help shape the ways the mums are growing. 

The show also exhibits hybrid mums created by students of horticulture at Smith College.  Unique-looking mums, by way of petal colors or shapes, are formed via cross-breeding of two genetically different plants.  Visitors can vote for their favorite hybrid creation.  The winner each year is inducted into the “Mum Hall of Fame”. 

Take a look at some of the awesome displays: