A Trip to Janet’s Flower Farm
September 18, 2014
I took advantage of the lingering sunny summer weather to take a drive south to J Foss Garden Flowers of Chehalis. I met Janet a couple of years ago and had dreamed of someday wandering her flower fields with camera in hand. This has been an unusually dry summer, and that presented challenges this year for flower growers. But farming is like that. I saw much beauty in the flower beds on Janet’s farm. I think you will agree.
Zen Thoughts about Chrysanthemums
October 21, 2012
“For his morning tea
a monk sits down in utter silence
confronted by chrysanthemums.”
— Basho
“When the winter chrysanthemums go
there’s nothing to write about
but radishes.”
— Basho
Chrysanthemums are signature fall flowers. In high school, the corsages for the fall homecoming dance were specially ordered giant chrysanthemums. My mother always planted mums in the narrow flower beds on the west side of the house. When I saw these chrysanthemums at the Gordon Skagit Farms, they reminded me of her.
Yellow Leaves — Red Leaves
by David Budbill, from While We’ve Still Got Feet
Yellow leaves,
red leaves,
brown leaves,
chrysanthemums,
and day and night
geese
pointing south
and crying:
Good bye!
Chrysanthemums at the Volunteeer Park Conservatory
October 9, 2011
The Seasonal Room at the Volunteer Park Conservatory currently features chrysanthemums. Mums were one of my mother’s favorite flowers. She planted them in beds around the farmhouse where I grew up, so they hold a special place in my heart.