One Southeast Texas shop prepares for hundreds of orders while students at Silsbee High School take the tradition to a whole new level.

Signs of homecoming spirit are hard to miss across Southeast Texas.

From school signs hanging over bridges to businesses decorated in school colors, communities across the region are embracing a tradition that has become synonymous with Texas homecoming: the mum.

At Silsbee High School, that tradition is taking up an especially large amount of space.



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Student council members built a two-story homecoming mum that has become an annual tradition at the school. The project takes hours to assemble, with students spending about 10 hours working on it this year.

“Every homecoming week we get together and set up a humongous mum,” student council member Collin Weathington said.

The main part of the display has been reused for three years, with students adding new ribbons and other details each homecoming season.

“It’s one of the biggest things we do here at Silsbee,” student council member Braden Seal said.

The display has also become a way for students and staff to share in the tradition.

“When they see it, their faces just light up,” student council sponsor Angela Camden said. “And that’s what makes it all worthwhile.”

But the tradition is also creating a seasonal business boom for local florists and mum makers.

At Wildflower Floral Designs in Groves, owner Katie Zghaib said the shop makes about 500 mums during a typical homecoming season.

With an average mum costing about $100, that would amount to roughly $50,000 in potential gross sales based on that average price.

Zghaib said homecoming is one of the shop’s busiest times of the year. Preparation begins months in advance as employees sort ribbon, build mums and prepare for a rush of orders.

“We’re working around the clock,” Zghaib said. “People are calling, racks are emptying, last-minute orders.”

The economic impact extends far beyond one Southeast Texas business. A researcher estimates the homecoming mum industry has an annual economic impact of about $500 million across Texas.

But for Wildflower, homecoming is about more than sales.

Through its Gary’s Project, the shop makes sensory-friendly mums for children with special needs. The project was named after Zghaib’s youngest nephew.

“It’s named after my youngest nephew, who is special needs,” Zghaib said. “We wanted to make sure every kid could be part of the tradition, so we created sensory-friendly mums just for them.”

This year, the shop donated 125 sensory-friendly mums to Nederland ISD.

For students like Weathington, the tradition is ultimately about bringing people together.

“It brings the community together and creates new memories and friendships,” he said.

That spirit is keeping a decades-old Texas homecoming tradition alive, while also turning mums into big business across the state.