It is 2:30 p.m. on a Friday afternoon in late September at Wylie Flower and Gift Shop – five hours before kickoff of the district opener against McKinney Boyd, but more importantly, it’s only seven days until homecoming.

On the football field, coaches and players have focus no further in advance than the next series of downs, but for florists across the area, homecoming season means months of preparation coming down to making the ultimate high school fashion accessory – the mum.

At Wylie Flower and Gift Shop, the preparation begins as early as June and owner Pam Wells leads her team into homecoming season with a game plan that is as executed about as flawlessly as Wylie High’s pass defense – honestly, they’re that good.

Starting small

Various florists in the area still remember the early roots of the mum where a petite flower would be pinned to a shirt with a ribbon displaying the graduation year of the respective student.

It was small, quiet and a way for current students and alumni to identify with one another at the big Friday night homecoming game.

However, over the years, the synthetic silk chrysanthemum adorned with flowing ribbons, trinkets and knick-knacks has grown into a type of high school spirit competition.

“It was my senior year in 1982 the first time a boy gave me a silk mum,” Wells said.

Bigger is better

Since the first years of the fake flower mum, the growth and accents of the dress decoration have grown exponentially.

“The size of mums developed over the years and I’m not sure whose fault it is – maybe ours – as to how they grew bigger,” said Deborah West, a florist at Love Blooms in Garland. “It’s almost like a competition among the kids to see who has the biggest and best on it.”

Today, a mum can run anywhere from $16 to upwards of $150, but sometimes a price cannot be put on making the perfect homecoming gift.

Teddy bears, cowbells, footballs, hearts, stickers, braided ribbon and flat ribbon all go into the process to enhance the personal touch with each creation.

“Anyone can get a huge one [mum], but usually the seniors do,” said Katie Allen, a WylieHigh School senior. “Seniors get the big white ones so that you can easily recognize your class.”

MAKING IT WORK

The process of getting a mum built from start to finish takes a few hours beginning with a young high school student walking into the shop trying to find the way to wow his sweetheart.

• Enter shop with a set budget.
• Determine the shape and style of the mum. The options range from small, medium or large flowers, to extravagant designs such as hearts.
• Pick out trinkets and accents. Popular designs this year include teddy bears made up like football players and cheerleaders.
• Determine additional ribbons.
• Figure out nicknames to put on the long bows.
• Return to the shop in a few hours and prepare to see how a bag of craft supplies can transform into a homecoming night gem.

Marcus Murphree is the Garland/Wylie/Sachse neighborsgo editor. He can be reached at 469-330-5638.