The King of Mums
After a half-century of cultivating color smiles, Clements nursery selling stock
On the outskirts of town, where the lowlands of the Mokelumne give way to golden rolling hills, there is a secret that will soon be a fond memory.
King's Mums, a nursery on Liberty Road specializing in chrysanthemum flowers that was started in 1954, will be closing its doors to the public.
In 1945, Ted King finished his stint with the U.S. Navy and went to work for a pest control company in Castro Valley. In his spare time, King discovered the chrysanthemum, and the colorful puffy flower began to grow on him. Much more than a hobby was born.
The cheerful and amiable King started cultivating many different mums and opened a mail order business in 1954 that he operated when he wasn't plying the pest control trade. He sent out his first official catalog — a copy of which he still has — in 1967. Business began to blossom.
As the decades passed and '80s arrived, King says the California Department of Transportation approached him, saying they needed his Castro Valley property. The decision was made to move to Clements, where King and his little family bought 20 acres and began to build.
The Kings built their home and business, which included greenhouses for the mums. The year was 1982 when they opened their current doors.
These days, King's Mums welcomes all its visitors to come in and peruse their abundant inventory of white, yellow, pink and just about every color of mum available — except blue. King says he believes scientists are working to create a blue chrysanthemum.
"People come here and say, 'My Lord, what have I missed? Here's an entire group of mums I didn't know existed,'" King said. He admitted that it's easy to get hooked on the vibrant plant, because it's so simple to grow. Even if neglected by the gardener, King said they will still grow and sometimes thrive. And though they get customers stopping by to purchase their mums directly from the nursery, King says they also get tours of seniors from retirement homes from places such as Menlo Park coming in just to enjoy the scenery.
With 150 to 200 varieties of chrysanthemums, there's a lot to enjoy. King's daughter, Lanna King, who is an equal partner in the business with her father, said it can be hard to keep track of them sometimes.
And not only do the mums come in different colors, they also come in different sizes.
"They can be as big as a human head," Lanna King said.
King's Mums have been featured in Sunset magazine many times, have earned Ted King numerous trophies and have given him years of enjoyment. But time has a way of bringing all flourishing things to a close.
What's a chrysanthemum?
The name of the fragrant plant comes from the Greek language. It's broken into two parts: khrusos, meaning "gold," and anthemon, meaning "flower." However, the origins come from the Far East, specifically China and Japan.They were thought to be originally grown in China as an herb as far back as the 15th century B.C. Chrysanthemums come from the plant family asteraceae.
The Chinese considered the flower to be superior to all others, naming their royal thrones after the chrysanthemum. Peasants weren't allowed to grow the flower.
Mums come in all shapes and sizes, from "spiders," and "spoons" to buttons and ball-shaped.
The chrysanthemum is depicted on Japan's imperial weapon and flag. Japan also has a national festival devoted to the flower on Sept. 9.
Source: www.flowers.org.uk and Ted King
Ted and Lanna King have sold the business name and inventory to an Oregon-based company, who will taking up the remaining stock in December. Even though the bulk of business takes place in the spring, both partners agreed that people wanting to visit or buy mums would need to do so before their final day, Nov. 30.
It's obvious that King's will be missed.
"It's like being in a candy store — there's too much good stuff," said Tracey Poore, of Lodi. She said her god-son, a wholesale florist, is going to be upset to hear of the closing, as he got all his mums from King's. Poore said when she tells him the news "he's going to faint."
The lackluster economic times, plus Ted King's multiple hip surgeries, drove the father and daughter to sell the business and move on to other endeavors.
Lanna King, 50, who is an avid and svelte bodybuilding competitor, is looking for a line of work that will offer her retirement benefits, possibly something in the state correctional system. Her father will keep on doing what he does best.
"This has been my hobby for so many years, I just can't stop or sit around and watch TV," said Ted King, who will stay rooted in growing his favorite flower.
King's Mums is located at 20303 E. Liberty Road in Clements. To reach them, call 759-3571.
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