Mums

Midday today found me by chance at Allan Gardens in Toronto, with a chrysanthemum exhibition underway.

Mums remind me of Mom. I loved her garden, but wrinkled my nose at two of her favourite flowers, mums and petunias. They smelt acrid and featured garish colours that didn't appeal to me. I've grown to appreciate yellow and orange in contrast with their complementary colours, but Mom loved them for themselves. Chrysanthemums always ensured the fall garden was full of sunny vibrancy.

Now I like mums and petunias simply because they remind me of Mom. The contorted cultivars on display at Allan Garden were barely recognizable as relatives to the plain ones we grew at Poplar Bluff, but Mom would have enjoyed them anyway.

They also call to mind forms and colours of Dale Chihuly's glass art, which I saw with writer00 at Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh, August 2007.