Quills, Spoons, and Spiders
An Outdoor Installation of Cultivated Chrysanthemums
The Williams Center Gallery and Lafayette’s Office of Plant Operations (Grounds) planted a sample of garden-hardy and exhibition chrysanthemums at the Williams Center. Modern ornamental mums are highly hybridized, and in this sense they are like the fancy pigeon breeds that Darwin studied. These flowering chrysanthemums have been created to exhibit a broad range of physical characteristics, often reflecting the preferences and styles of the period.