Chrysanthemums and flowers for All Saints' Day

In Spain, families take flowers to the cemetery on 1 November, All Saints’ Day. The chrysanthemum is the All Saints’ flower. It flowers naturally in autumn, as the days get shorter, and copes well with the cool weather at this time of year. Alongside it, cyclamen and heather are the other plants of the season.

Potted chrysanthemums

When you buy one, choose a plant with lots of buds just starting to open. If it’s already in full flower, it won’t last as long.

• Light. Outdoors, in sun or partial shade. Indoors, by a bright window and away from the heating.
• Watering. Keep the soil moist but not waterlogged. A small pot dries out fast: feel the soil every two or three days and water when the top is dry. Water the soil, not the flowers.
• Dead flowers. Pick them off as soon as they fade. The plant looks better and lasts longer.

At the cemetery

A pot left at a burial niche gets sun and wind, and nobody waters it between visits. Water it thoroughly the day before you take it, and if you can, choose a slightly bigger pot: it holds more water.

After All Saints’

The chrysanthemum is a perennial. When it finishes flowering, cut the stems back to about 10 or 15 cm above the soil and plant it in the garden or in a bigger pot. With a little feed in spring, it will flower again next autumn.

Cut chrysanthemums

• Cut the stems at an angle before putting them in water.
• Remove any leaves that would sit below the waterline in the vase.
• Change the water every two or three days and trim the stems a little each time.

Cyclamen

Cyclamen flowers from autumn to spring if it’s kept cool. Heat is its worst enemy.

• Light. Plenty of light, but no direct sun in the hottest hours. Indoors, in the coolest room, never next to a radiator.
• Water from below. Pour water into the saucer, leave it for 15 or 20 minutes and tip away what’s left. That way the tuber doesn’t get wet, as it rots easily.
• Tidying. Remove dead flowers and leaves by twisting and pulling them from the base of the stem.

Heather

Flowering heather is very decorative, but it’s fussy about two things: it can’t stand lime and it won’t forgive you for letting it dry out.

• Lime-free water. Tap water around here is hard. If you want it to last, water it with rainwater or low-lime water.
• Always moist. If the soil dries out completely, the plant dries up and won’t recover.

If you have dogs or cats

Chrysanthemums and cyclamen are toxic to dogs and cats if they chew them (ASPCA, chrysanthemum; ASPCA, cyclamen). Put them where pets can’t reach.