Mum’s the word: It’s no secret that homecoming florals are bigger in Texas

Megan Martinka’s living room in Granite Shoals explodes with ribbon every summer in preparation for local high school homecoming football games in the fall.

The frenzy of building homecoming mums from silk flowers and decorating them with ribbons, glitter, cutouts, toys, and trinkets began earlier than ever this year because homecoming games were earlier than ever. Marble Falls’ homecoming was Sept. 5; Burnet’s was Sept. 12; Faith Academy’s was Sept 19; and Llano’s is on a more traditional fall date of Oct. 3.

Homecoming mums are a (literally) growing Texas tradition that became popular in the 1950s and blew up in the state with the opening of the first Michaels craft store in 1973 in Dallas. Mum moms became empowered by easy and affordable access to the materials, moving mum-making from