Every year, Smith College’s Lyman Plant House holds a Chrysanthemum Show for two weeks starting on the first Saturday in November. Two glass houses are packed with blooms of all shapes, colors and sizes, with one house showcasing student’s own hybrids, upon which visitors can vote for their favorite.
The curators paired art prints illustrating mums from famous artists like Renoir, Monet and other Impressionists, adding another dimension of interest to the show. Colors or forms were matched in pleasing combinations.
Every class of Chrysanthemum from incurve (aka ‘football’), single, semi-double, anemone, quill, spider, spoon, decorative to novelty were well-represented. I loved the wall of trained daisy mums cascading over a white picket fence. Below is just a sampling:
While it may not be as popular as their spring bulb show, the fall mum show has become an annual favorite for me, a cheerful thing to do on a dreary November afternoon.
Dried poppy seed pods make a simple arrangement along with a mini-pumpkin brushed in gold as a prop. Thursday is Thanksgiving Day here in the US, with pumpkin pie an essential part of the feast. Best wishes and gratitude to all who will be celebrating.
This week is the fourth anniversary for Cathy at 
The props, a skeletonized sea fan, small shell and piece of sponge coral, were also beach finds. The wooden puzzle of a tropical fish was purchased on a different trip to Jamaica.
Wander over to Cathy’s to see what innovative arrangements gardeners all over the world have created this week.
I gathered the makings of this arrangement while walking along our trail by the river. As you can see in the background, most of the foliage has fallen from the trees and the garden is heading towards dormancy. Though the stalwart lamb’s ears and blood grass are still going strong.
Invasive Asian bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) and European privet (Ligustrum vulgare) berries abound and continue to be spread in bird droppings, so I may as well enjoy their beauty before they get tossed for incineration. Red oak (Quercus rubra), Crocosmia foliage and Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) fronds were added to the mix placed in my Art Deco style tripod glass vase.
Thanks to Cathy at 
Just in time for Halloween, this gal built an elaborate nest in a small maple sapling. When I saw her she was just inches away from my face, causing me to jump back in surprise. “Oh! Hello there!” She didn’t seem bothered by my curiosity and photo-taking.
Eliza Waters 