The Pushiness of Chrysanthemums-Part 2

By Fran Sorin – Posted in: Miscellaneous

After all of the discussion about my post on chrysanthemums, I told the bloggers on InTheGardenOnline.com that I would take photographs of places with chrysanthemums and then let all of you decide which photos you like and dislike. I am also going to give you descriptions of the people who live in these homes and you decide which home goes with which family (there are 3 of them) along with a photo of chrysanthemums in a park, for your pleasure.


1.The first home belongs to a family whom I have NEVER seen in their yard, let along working in their yard. They have gardeners do all of the plantings. A lot of time and money is spent on their back yard where they seem to continually be renovating the area around their swimming pool.

2.This is a family with 4 young children, 3 of whom are triplets. Their mother, who used to be a practicing lawyer, has found meaning, solace and a respite in gardening. She is enthused, continually striving to improve her skills and tends to her plants when she has a few spare moments. If she maintains her enthusiasm, she is going to evolve into quite a good gardener.

3.A seasoned couple (over 65) has lived in this home for several years. They make an appearance in the garden perhaps two times a season, weed and plant a few things here and there. Meanwhile, they don’t tend to dying trees or bare patches on their lawn.


OK….so which photo belongs to which description? And which of the photos do you like or dislike?

Fran Sorin

Fran Sorin

Fran is the author of the highly-acclaimed book, Digging Deep: Unearthing Your Creative Roots Through Gardening, which Andrew Weil, M.D., recommends as "a profound and inspiring book."  

A graduate of the University of Chicago with Honors in Psychology, she is also a gardening and creativity expert, coach, inspirational speaker, CBS radio news gardening correspondent, and Huffington Post Contributor.

Learn more about Fran and get free resources that will help you improve your life at www.fransorin.com.

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Colleen October 5, 2007, 7:30 am

Okay, I’ll take a guess. The first photo belongs to the mom with triplets. The second belongs to the family with the landscaper, and the last one belongs to the retired couple.

My least favorite is photo number three, but it has nothing to do with the mums. I don’t like great big, oddly-shaped evergreens. The one that I’m calling the “landscaper house” looks too precise and stiff, not the way most home gardeners would do it. And I think the first photo is the mom with triplets because even though the plantings are still small, you can see that there is the beginning of what can be a very pretty garden. And are those mums I see on the porch and lining the walk?

So, how did I do?

fsorin October 5, 2007, 11:45 am

Colleen-

Good guessing! Am not going to tell you yet until I see if more people respond. If they don’t over the weekend, I’ll shoot you a note on Monday.

I agree with you about those tall evergreens.
I also don’t like them unless they are placed judiciously in a garden and also kept pruned!

thanks to you, I can’s stop checking out homes with mums!! Fran

Lisa at Greenbow October 5, 2007, 11:20 pm

I think house #1 looks as though a retired couple might get out there now and then and the lawn has brown spaces. House #2 looks awfully formal. It looks professionally done. House #3 looks to me like a mother decorated the light with what the children might like to see.

I can’t wait to see how it turns out.

Lisa at Greenbow

Kim October 7, 2007, 3:34 pm

Darn it… Colleen stole my answers! I would make the same guesses, actually.

House #1 has what looks like two minivans in the garage–perfect for triplets plus one. House #2 looks like a corporate/contract gardening job to me. At House #3, those evergreens that Colleen dislikes would help ensure that the elderly couple don’t have to get out in the garden more than two or three times per year.

The only one I like, by the way, is #1. Because the color is concentrated by the doorway and by the pathway leading up to the doorway… not all over randomly like in #2, or around the light post (why would you want to call attention to the light post when you have such a nice entrance door?) in #3. That’s just personal preference, of course.

Mr. McGregor's Daughter October 7, 2007, 4:23 pm

My guesses are #1 mom w/ kids, #2 the pro-maintained yard, #3 the retired couple. I dislike #2 & #3 equally. #2 is just too much; #3 is bad color mix in a bad design – perfectly square tiny bed around a lampost- yuck.

Gloria October 7, 2007, 10:57 pm

I agree with Lisa. Number 1 looks very little ongoing work involved. The middle picture has a designed look and the third picture has the look of someone out there often with a sense of fun.
I like the middle one best although none are my style of gardening.

fsorin October 8, 2007, 11:37 am

Good guesses on everyone’s part.

#1 is the elderly couple who come out a few times a year

#2 is the mother with triplets

#3 are the folks who have a landscaper doing everything

I don’t know if anyone got the correct matches but if you didn’t I think it may be because of two things:

1. my photography was unable to show close ups so that you could see actual beds (i.e. retired couple)

2. I didn’t add what a perfectionist the mother of the triplets is. Although I too agree that her style is not to my liking, it is her attempt at getting out there and ‘doing it’ that I admire.

Thanks for playing the game. I enjoyed seeing your responses!!

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