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The much maligned Chrysanthemum gets a lot of bad press in the world of floristry, however with an increasing number of new varieties in an array of colours, there couldn’t be a better cut flower to have indoors durng the start of the winter months. 

Used imaginatively and simply the Chrsanthemum is the perfect cut flower for November.  Most Chrysanthemums are long lasting and tolerant of warm temperatures - an added advantage as we all start to turn on the central heating.  With the large, long-stem single-bloom varieties, such as limey green Shamrock, the autumnal Tom Pearce, or the crisp white Anastasia, it’s easy to create a stylish vase arrangement from a few simple blooms.   

Chrsanthemums have fairly woody, tough stems so it’s important to re-cut each stem before arranging the flowers in deep, tepid water. Even if you’ve only bought your flowers a few minutes earlier, you should always cut at least one inch off the base of each stem before placing in water as this will allow the flower stem to take up water efficiently.

For a daintier vase arrangement look out for the mini-spray varieties of Chrsanthemum, classified as Santini.  Especially pretty in a white daisy form or a rich yellow variety, Santini Chrysanthemums make pretty posy arrangements or are useful to cut up into more formal floral arrangements.

 It is important to keep changing the water in vases that have Chrysanthemums, as they can cloud the water if left for too long in the same water.  Also, make sure all leaves under the water line are removed as they will only cause bacteria growth in the water.