Woody I like the way you think with your "mum trials", I tend to try a couple of varieties at a time and pick my favorites too.... But then never have the heart to get rid of the less-favored.
I think I also have red and dark bronze next to each other and if you're not looking for the differences there's not much of a color distinction between the two. Plus the rusty reds are not favorites of mine, so I won't add any opinion on the color.
I picked up a variety of mum cuttings this spring, the mammoths are just coming into their own now and I'm surprised that they don't appeal to me as much as I thought they would. They're impressive lumps of color, but I like to appreciate the individual blooms and shape of the plant a little more so maybe they're not for me. They would make excellent big tubs of color alongside an entry or in a display though.
I'll see if I can get some pictures and names together, I did like quite a few! :)

Mine are not blooming yet. I just bought a couple the other day for two containers out front and they are just starting to open. Nice big plants that each fill a 20 inch container for $5.99. I was very happy with that.

I thought I'd posted photos of mine in past seasons, but I can't find the thread. Most of mine I bought at Bluestone. I thought they had a pretty good selection of hardy mums. I especially like one called 'Amber Morning' that was a yellow gold with a button center that the bees really love. Some of mine have been plants I've bought locally in the Fall and they have wintered over for me.

edit: Unfortunately, I don't see many on the Bluestone website right now. In the spring, they usually have a very good selection.

This post was edited by prairiemoon2 on Sat, Sep 13, 14 at 12:51

The first is their potential size - they seem to be listed as both quite tall and quite wide-spreading,

They attain a very large size...even in their first year. I planted one the size of my fist in early June or so and it is now over 3 feet wide and 2 feet tall. I bound it up to keep it more upright. Next year I will chop it back sometime in July to see how that limits the height.

Here it is as of today ("Dark Pink Daisy").

Here are a couple of the mammoths planted all together (altogether too close!)
From left to right, bronze, pink, coral, red, yellow quill. The bronze and red are nearly identical in color although the red grows as a much tighter plant for me. the pink and yellow quill are my two favorites, they're all in full sun.
I do prefer the daisy shapes over the doubles, but I also like flowers that have a little variation in color throughout the bloom. These might be better for a more formal bedding type garden (which mine is not). Next year I might mix them all up and contaminate my mother in laws bare mulch beds with a sea of mammoth mum cuttings. That would be quite the show.
Oh and I make no apologies for the obscene, overly colorful mix of flowers and foliage in my picture! I don't think I've ever made any claims on good taste :)

This is an October bloomer from last year (no name), but it's more of the mix of darker and faded blooms all on the same plant. I think it looks a little more interesting than the all over one color look.
This spot is so dry even the weeds died off, but the mums shrugged it all off (even if they look a little sparse).

Woody- is "matchstick" close to your "tigertail"? I like it so far, but will have to see how it does next year with a little more room. It's hard to justify all that space in May for a little cutting which won't bloom till September (I'm far too ADD for that much foresight)

Most of my favorites fall under the "novelty" category or daisy form, not so many doubles. Here's "centerpiece".
These are the early bloomers, I'm still looking forward to a few later ones which are only now starting to make buds.

Kato - I agree re preferring variation in color and thinking the theMammoths might work best in a bedding scheme similar to one based on annuals. I think the dark pink Mammoth one is the best-looking of the ones I'm trying. It's the only one in the ground at the moment. It's rather aster-like and is planted where an aster used to be so it will likely stay there. I think the red and bronze are destined to a life in pots at this point:-)

My Tigertail is opening very slowly so I'm still not sure what it's final appearance will be, but it has some of the same colors of the Matchsticks one.

Great pictures 'kato'.

With often nothing else blooming around them and with such density of flowers in often very bold colors I can see how someone might think that a healthy mum in full bloom doesn't look....real.

Here is the Tigertail mum today - some buds are still just thinking about opening.... What is interesting (to me!) about this one is that each bud seems to have the potential to be a different color, ranging from yellow to a deep rust. I like it so far....!
{{gwi:272632}}

Woody I really like the "pass along pink" Mum and the way it echoes the colors of the hibiscus in the background. It reminds me of an article in Fine Gardening this summer about design and using a "big sister plant little sister plant" to tie things together. I have not heard of Mammoth Mums and went back to Kevin's old post and read about them. Now I have plant lust. :(

A nice little bonus of "TigerTail (for some of us) is its Canadian heritage...developed in the wilds of Manitoba.

This post was edited by rouge21 on Sun, Sep 21, 14 at 10:32

Aww, I've kept my eye out for Mammoth Mums all summer at our garden center. They only had them once and I didn't jump on them. Now I'm left with plant lust too.

Are what you all are calling mammoth mums the same as belgium mums?

They appear to not be the same 'flowergirl'.

I have included a link which I think provides a good description of the origins of the "Mammoth Mums".

Here is a link that might be useful: Mammoth Mums

Rouge 21 ,
I may live in NY but I am a Thunder Bay Ontario native, just a hop, skip, and jump from " the wilds of Manitoba" !!! Now even more reason to want the TigerTail , Victoria

Victoria - maybe then you!d be interested in more of the 'Firecracker' series of mums from Jefferies Nursery in Portage la Prairie, That's who bred Tigertail, I also got their Dreamweaver, which is just starting to show a little color on the buds now.

Here is a link that might be useful: Firecracker mums

Woody, thank you I will look for these. Anything that was developed northwest of Thunder Bay has to be hardy, Lol

"Jefferies" or "Morden" are both rated extra hardy at zone 3 (= zone 2 USA?).

So Victoria either choice would be just fine in terms of survival in any part of NY State.

This post was edited by rouge21 on Mon, Sep 22, 14 at 10:51