In Australia, chrysanthemums are synonymous with Mother's Day. In the week leading up to this date, they are everywhere; brightly coloured bunches appear at pop-up roadside stalls and potted 'mums' are placed strategically near the counter of every supermarket, garden centre and hardware store.  I grow a few of these plants in my garden, including a pale pink variety which belonged to my Nana, who grew loads of them and sold excess blooms to local florists. This week's IAVOM arrangement was created and given to my Mother-in-law for Mother's Day.  As my Nana's pink chysanthemums are not quite fully opened yet, I will admit that the pale pink 'mums' in this bunch were purchased to bulk out the arrangement. All of the additional flowers and foliage, including the gold chysanthemums, are from my garden.    I hope all Mums had a happy day on Sunday. Flowers: shrimp plant Justicia brandegeeana, Hydrangea macrophylla (unknown cultivar), Chysanthemum (gold, unk...

Until recently, an average day for me began with an early morning stroll through my garden, cup of tea in hand and Cosmo the cat weaving in and around my legs as we conduct our morning garden inspections together. Then I’d head out to garden for clients, or up to the nursery where I work part time. On days off, I’d usually be found pottering around my own garden.  Cosmo keeps an eye on the Agastache foeniculum Then I broke my ankle and all garden activities came to a grinding halt. The injury was a silly one; I inelegantly tripped on a door snake in our hallway, twisting and falling awkwardly. X-rays revealed the need for surgery and the installation of some gnarly metal hardware with a long period of recovery downtime. This was not the news this gardener wanted to hear! Ankle surgery and gardening don't mix   Not being able to garden has been interesting. My immediate thought, when the accident first happened was... ‘how on earth am I going to water my (600+) pot plants*!?’...