A great many new chrysanthemums are produced every year, mainly to be grown as cut flowers, so Martyn Flint of Chrysanthemums Direct has to choose carefully exactly which ones to introduce for home gardeners. At Chelsea he had the yellow, anemone-centred ‘Tim Wonnacott', and here at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show he has another, Chrysanthemum ‘Husky'.
‘Husky' is a single white spray chrysanthemum with the prodigious flower production of modern chrysanthemums but with more style and character than many. The white rays have are slightly uneven, slightly cottagey look which means it will fit into informal flower arrangements more naturally than single varieties which are completely even. And each flower features a distinctive green eye.
The way to grow ‘Husky' is in a pot which is kept outside in the summer and then moved into a greenhouse - or, better still, a sheltered place like a porch, to bloom in November. At 75cm/30in it's shorter than many which makes it more adaptable. You can either enjoy the flowers as you pass them by or cut them for the house.
Chrysanthemums Direct get a good chance to try out new varieties as they're also big growers of cut flower chrysanthemums so they can assess the new varieties from breeders around the world. They're the only major supplier of incurved varieties as cut flowers, producing one and a half million cut stems every year, and have recently started to supply Marks and Spencer.
You can buy Chrysanthemum ‘Husky' here at the Show, or order it online from the Chrysanthemums Direct website.
Chrysanthemums Direct won a Gold Medal for their superb exhibit. And that was all the more impressive as on the way to their show their van had a puncture and rolled over. Martyn Flint, who staged the exhibit, was taken to hospital - and they had to send down a whole new crop of flowers which Martyn staged at the Show as soon s the hospital released him!