Chrysanthemums…….or Chrymanthesums?

Every time I hear the word Chrysanthemum I think of the Monty Python sketch, Flower arranging, with DP Gumby.  When I went to my friend Lila das Gupta’s allotment yesterday, to photograph a few varieties of  Chrysanthemum, the picture of Michael Palin standing in front of a table with a knotted handkerchief on his head was never far away. Chrysanth’s have had bad press over the years, which has not been helped by the cliched petrol station flower. I don’t hate them. I might even be persuaded there are some nice ones. Some.

Lila’s plants were willing subjects for portraits. They didn’t make it difficult for me. Most were fairly bright, which helped as it was an overcast day, and they were not so delicate that they danced around every time a  breeze hit them. Perhaps that was it – they were just a bit bit stiff and couldn’t decide if they were artificial or not. So, should I have them in my garden…..?