Those of you who happened to read my recent Six on Saturday post will have been aware of the ‘spoiler alert’ and guessed I was going to use a fantasy chrysanthemum in today’s vase, a vase which took mere minutes to put together. Joining the elegant Chrysanthemum ‘Salhouse Joy’ in a deep smoky purple slim vase is a sprig of Pittosporum ‘Tom Thumb’, now in its attractive dark winter overcoat, accompanied by a teeny articulated figure. Sadly, now that Tom Thumb has encountered this very elegant lady he appears very self-conscious, and is just standing around woodenly, unable to further the acquaintance.

Flowers on my two late-flowering greenhouse chrysanthemums are likely to be very sparse this year but will be very welcome, maybe justifying the plants’ existence. Having enjoyed seeing other bloggers’ hardy chrysanthemums recently I have decided to grow some myself next year but in pots, so I can…