Home » Plants & Animals » Australian Gardening » Chrysanthemums and Tomatoes

Chrysanthemums and Tomatoes

© John Bottomley

Many years ago - and no, it's not a fairy story - my father loved growing chrysanthemums and tomatoes. We lived in the North of England and believe me the season for growing anything was very short.

I have still no idea why father loved to grow chrysanthemums. I don't suppose we knew then that they originated in Asia, or did we? The plant belongs to the family called Asteraceae (or Compositae). I believe there are about 100 species that have been classified into the genus Chrysanthemum.

In those days maybe we -the gardeners - did not know that the Chinese and the Japanese had been breeding the plants for over 2000 years. Nevertheless, my father entered many of his plants in local growers competitions and won quite a few first prizes. Then, suddenly he stopped tending the plants and moved into the cultivation of tomatoes.

Maybe we did not know at that time that the tomato is an herbaceous of the nightshade family. It originally came from the Andean region of South America. The fruit of the plant is grown very widely and commercially today. In the North of England we had to grow these plants in the greenhouse. Where I now live they grow outside and are very prolific in the sunnier parts of Western Australia. We eat our homegrown tomatoes for most of the year, and they are good.

I can still remember that wonderful aroma one gets from the fresh, home grown tomato. I used to help my father in the greenhouse in the summer months. I remember breaking a few windows in the greenhouse - the reason being that we had a smallish garden - and as I loved to play cricket in the summer, often the ball would find its way through the glass and into the greenhouse. I don't suppose the plants minded, but my father certainly did.

Other memories of gardens and plants in my childhood revolve around journeys into the countryside and visits to a commercial gardener. I can remember to this day how fond he was of his garden and all the plants he cultivated there. He would ask my mother if she would like to take away a rose or two. She would.He was proud that she did.

I have often wondered what makes gardeners so fond of the plants they grow? I suppose it is because when we plant and garden we become close to the soil and to the land.