Clara, Dorothy and Phyllis Come to Tea

I am sure I have brought other lovelies to tea on a previous Monday morning, but today it is the turn of Dahlia ‘Dorothy Rose’, Chrysanthemum ‘Clara Curtis’ and Salvia ‘Phyllis Fancy’, nipped at their heels by Antirrhinum ‘Liberty Classic Rose Pink’.

I picked a sprig of Clara’s cousin, ‘Jessie Cooper’, to include in a posy for a friend last week and was surprised and delighted to find it had a fragrance when brought inside, a fragrance one could perhaps describe as ‘honey’, and Clara appears to have the same. Outside, this fragrance is undetectable, warmth presumably being the necessary trigger. Incidentally, the stems of Jessie Cooper included in the vase of zinnias a fortnight ago are still blooming and looking fresh – having only introduced them to the garden in the last couple of years, it is not surprising that my admiration for these hardy chrysanthemums is growing!

Today’s…