Fantasy Chrysanthemums

As promised in the chrysanthemum blog in October, I just wanted to share some pictures of a few of my ‘Fantasy Chrysanthemums’ that are just coming into blissful bloom.  They have been on my ‘exquisite flower growing list’ for three or four years now. They are so beautiful they make my stomach go all soft and satisfied when I look at them.  They are also the perfect flower for November to reflect 'the month of fireworks'.  

This is the only flower I grow indoors for a bit of self-indulgence. I leave them in pots outside from late spring and through the summer, taking a few new fresh cuttings each year, then bring them into the house in October and let them do their thang! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

In the serious business of competitive showing of ‘Fantasy Chrysanthemums’, apparently the shape of the central floret at the top of the bloom is very important and is judged to be either saucer shaped or the shape of a traditional bamboo whisk used for mixing matcha green tea in Japan.

And then just a little fun with a bright light and shadows ... like a natural wall stencil.

The Beauty of Decay

Respecting the process of decay in cut flowers is another reason why I love to see cut flowers in the home.  It's not everyone’s cup of tea to see flowers decaying and most of my customers would, understandably, throw flowers away as soon as they are past their peak.  However, the reason I love running my own seasonal cut flower garden is to see flowers through from ‘cradle to grave‘ or, more literally, from ‘seed to compost’. Every part of this process interests me which makes it so hard when running a business solo.  Many friends and family ask, why don’t I choose just one part of the business to make life a little more manageable when the season is in full swing: just be a grower, just be a seller, just be a florist .... But I have to say if I chose just one of these elements I would miss all the others. It is lots of hard work (both physically and mentally demanding, the garden takes up body energy and the flowers fill head space with infinite aesthetic combinations) and it can all be for very little ‘monetary profit’ but full on ‘satisfaction profit’ when the passion is already there.  So watching flowers slowly go through their process of decay like an extremely slow motion clip of time lapse photography is a joy to me.  After a week away, I have returned to see how the final vases of this year's dahlias have managed through this process without me.

Here they are looking beautiful and like they belong in Miss Havisham’s bridal room, which incidentally, is a room I would love to spend time in, especially if I get to borrow her antique lace frock!


The Decay of Miss Havisham

The Decay of Dahlias

Plan 'B'

After the sad cancellation of a much longed for holiday here...

because of this...

an alternative 'Plan 'B' holiday' was put into action and it looked a little like this...






1.  The search for the perfect chocolate mousse recipe.  After many 'experiments' and testing, this Rachel Khoo recipe was my absolute favourite.  It was intensely rich and scrumptious with a heavenly velvety texture so rich in fact that one of these dishes alone could have fed four people, but hey I was on holiday! My only regret, I forgot to pick some deep purple pansies for the top.

2. A Day Trip to North Norfolk.

3. A Great Gatsby retrospective.  Re-reading the book and then watching the 1970s film for comparison, with replays of my favourite scene, the reunion in the cottage with the evil Daisy Buchanan and Gatsby with all those heavenly flowers he has ordered just for afternoon tea!!  Next year's version with Leonardo has a lot to live up to for me.

3.  A trip away to Wiltshire and Somerset.