What happened to those Mayowood chrysanthemums?
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Jul. 18—Dear Answer Man: We recently purchased Faribault chrysanthemums from Lehman Gardens as part of an effort to
save the Lehman Mums through a GoFundMe effort.
I'm hoping you can help me with a couple of things. First, do you know who I could contact at the Mayowood Mansions to get cuttings of the chrysanthemums that are on the grounds? Second, I'd also like to see if they have any photos I might be able to use on our website or in a blog post? — Mitchell Haller.
Dear Mum Lover,
Saving a special flower is a worthy goal, though you'd be wise to keep Answer Man's brown thumb away from any actual horticultural efforts.
Who didn't have a brown thumb is Dr. Charles Horace Mayo, one of the founders of the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Charlie planted chrysanthemums at the Mayowood mansion that he shared with his wife, Edith. He would hold flower shows for Edith, showing the flowers he developed in the old greenhouse at the site.
Dan Nowakowski, Mayowood Historical Site manager for the Olmsted County Historical Society, said when the OCHS took over the property in 1965 after Charlie and Edith's son, Dr. Chuck Mayo, gave the property to the historical society, the historical society conducted tours and tried to keep up with the plants that were developed there. And even after Mayo Clinic bought the property in 2013, chrysanthemum shows were held for several years.
But when COVID ended tours for a few years, and bigger projects topped the priority list, keeping up with the mums was not one of those priorities. After all, restoration efforts on the house and grounds, which were damaged in a flood in 1978, were more important.
Not that the gardens were abandoned. Nowakowski said Mayo Clinic has still brought in plants. But they don't allow any to be cut or transplanted. Besides, at the current time there are no chrysanthemums at the Mayowood Historic Home.
Today, the Mayowood mansion and associated buildings are owned by Mayo Clinic, but the historical society maintains all the artifacts within the home.
In the meantime, I hope those Lehman Mums from Faribault can be saved.
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