The Mum's Curse

I totally feel like a victim of mass horticulture marketing when mum season
comes around.  Buy it, look at it a few days, it turns brown, and if you try
to plant it in the ground, it usually doesn't survive. Who needs that?
 If you want a throwaway fall plant that's a little different, you could try
those equally useless but prettier sheared asters that are
starting to show up here and there.  But basically it's all about
"last chance to blow your money  before we get out the plastic
Christmas trees!"  mentality at most garden centers.