Each fall as colors fade outdoors, a riot of color erupts indoors in the Lyman Conservatory at the Botanic Garden of Smith College. While not as widely known as the Spring Bulb Show, this autumnal display is even more spectacular, with vibrant oversized blooms reaching 8 inches across, floral walls of color, and chrysanthemums overflowing the greenhouses.

The Fall Mum Show has been a popular college and community tradition since the early 1900s and has served as a showcase for the hybridizing experiments of the horticulture class. That tradition continues to this day: the Chrysanthemum Show shows off a variety of multicolor chrysanthemums that were hybridized by the previous year’s horticulture students. The public is then invited to vote for their favorites.

The Chrysanthemum Show at the Lyman Conservatory is open to the public from Saturday, November 54through Sunday, November 19,  from 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. Friday hours are 10:00 am – 8:00 pm. The Botanic Garden is open to the public and a donation of $5 or more is appreciated.  The site is wheelchair accessible. Parking is available on College Lane for the two weeks of the Mum Show. For more information on the show and other events, please contact the Botanic Garden at (413) 585-2740 or visit www.smith.edu/garden.