Tuesday 29 October 2013

Big, Blousy And Beautiful

 
I love this time of year, I often open my back door to find a carefully placed bunch of chrysanthemums laid on the garden table. I don't grow many flowers myself at the allotment, but Mick's uncle grows chrysanthemums and gladioli for cut flowers. He visits his plot very early in the morning and on his way home, he creeps round the back of our house and leaves these wonderful gifts for me to discover when I venture outside.


These big, blousy, beautiful blooms cheer me up no end. They smell delicious, the perfume fills the house. There were enough in this bundle to fill two vases.


My absolute favourites are the yellow ones. The colour here isn't true, they're actually much, much brighter, they really zing. I love the way the petals form, they're like little individual scoops.

Chrysanthemums last in water for ages so this lot will be around for a while yet.

32 comments:

  1. Hi Jo

    You can't beat having fresh cut flowers around the house. I love them and one of my positives for this year (I don;t make resolutions because I know I won't keep them) was to always have cut flowers around the cottage. I'm pleased to announce we are now nearly in November and I have managed to keep to it. I bet they have really cheered up your day. I don't get flowers left on my doorstep to find, I'm really quite jealous.

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    1. I agree with you. One of my challenges last year was to have fresh cut flowers in the house continually throughout the year. I managed to source some very reasonable ones, bunches which were marked down in the supermarket, from the market or ones which were just very reasonable and it ended up costing me £48.69, less than a pound a week, which I think is quite good going. Having flowers around the house really cheers me up so it's money well spent, though I should really try harder to get a cutting patch going at the allotment so that it didn't cost me anything at all.

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  2. I love these great big crysanths that you get at this time of year, they just sing out autumn to me, and they are so beautiful. What a lovely gift! xx

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    1. They're gorgeous, aren't they? Real show offs of the gardening world. I love this time of year coming around so that my gifts start appearing on the garden table again.

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  3. I like chrysanthemums. Few people seem to grow them nowadays, and prefer dahlias. Flighty xx

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    1. They're such lovely flowers. I do like dahlias too, though I'm always reluctant to bring dahlias indoors because of the earwig problem.

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  4. They're beautiful! That's so nice of him. I would love to open my door to flowers like those, what a lovely treat.

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    1. It's a real treat, opening my door to find such beauty laid out on the table for me. We're very lucky.

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  5. Chrysanthemums were my dad's favourites and I buy them every October.
    Love from Mum
    xx

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    1. Flowers can bring about lots of memories. They're such seasonal blooms, your dad had great taste, I love them too.

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  6. What a lovely gesture and he must be quite a wonderful uncle. I also love flowers in the house as you already know from my blog, but I've not grown chrysanthemums for years. Take care.

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    1. Mick's auntie and uncle are both wonderful, they're very special to us. I love having flowers in the house, they really cheer me up.

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  7. what a lovely thing to open your door to, how thoughtful. It's always so nice to have fresh flowers around the house :) xx

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    1. It happens quite often at this time of year but it still thrills me when I see the beautiful flowers waiting for me on the garden table.

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  8. "Big, blousy and beautiful" describes your chrysanths perfectly, Jo. They look amazing! :o)

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    1. They're fabulous, aren't they? Gorgeous colours too.

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  9. They look wonderful, lucky you. I have a couple in the garden & would like to try a couple more next year. Perhaps the big fluffy type.

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    1. I've never grown this type of chrysanthemum before but I'm always kept well supplied, I'm very lucky.

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  10. Replies
    1. I think chrysanthemums and dahlias are traditional allotment flowers. There's always plenty being shown at the annual allotment show, some real beauties.

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  11. Oh how lovely! I never grew flowers for cutting, but I should have as I love to have them in the house but always felt too guilty for taking them from the garden. I do occasionally get fresias, daffs, carnations, tulips and sweet williams from the market when the season permits. It always makes the house feel that much homelier to have a vase here and there :)

    Best wishes,
    Tash from vintagepretty.org

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    1. I keep saying that I'm going to make a cutting patch at the allotment but then time runs away with me and I don't get round to it. I'm like you, I won't cut flowers from the garden, I prefer to enjoy them out there, but it's a bit different from an allotment. I love flowers in the house and as you say, markets are great places to buy seasonal bunches from.

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  12. I love them too Jo. My mum does also and she says she remembers her dad growing them in the 1930's and 40's. They were always cut for the house.

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    1. I think they've been a popular cut flower for many years, though like the dahlia, they seemed to go out of fashion. I think they're lovely.

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  13. How incredibly kind of Mick's uncle and what a pretty treat they are.
    Lisa x

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    1. Mick's uncle does like to share what he grows, we're very lucky. Such gorgeous blooms.

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  14. How wonderful to be surprised with such beautiful blooms :)

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    1. It's such a treat opening the door to discover another little gift waiting there. We're so lucky.

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  15. How lovely to come out of your house and find such wonderful things. My local flower shop is gorgeous, and when they cannot sell flowers any longer they leave them out for anyone to take. I have brought the most wonderful flowers home in the past and it always brightens my day when there's flowers around :)
    http://myfroley.blogspot.com

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    1. Thank you for visiting and leaving a comment. It happens many times that we open the door to find a gift waiting there, but it still surprises me now, it's really lovely. How very generous of your flower shop to leave flowers they can't sell outside for people to take. I love having flowers around the house too, it really cheers me up.

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  16. What a great uncle! Lovely to have fresh flowers left by a thoughtful fellow.

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    1. It is. I'm sure my next bunch will be appearing any day now, I'm so lucky.

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