Out of fashion

A beautiful incurved chrysanthemum.
I have a vase of these in the kitchen window.

Grown by Tom. ( the tomato man)
I felt quite sad after visiting the nursery on Friday.
I found him in one of the small greenhouses, where he grows his cyclamen, trying to keep warm.

His large greenhouse, which was full of tomatoes in summer, is now full of cream, yellow, and bronze chrysanthemums.
Usually by this time of year most of them have been cut and sold, with only a few left for Christmas orders.
However fashions change, and these large blooms are no longer popular.
We buy imported flowers from all over the world, so we now have summer flowers all the year round.
I bought 5 of these blooms for £1.50. They will last about two weeks.
I buy vegetables in season, and try to buy flowers in season as well when I can.

Tom is too old to change his ways now.
He has always grown tomatoes in summer as well as dahlias, and chrysants. in autumn/winter just as his father did before him.
I just wonder how long he will continue to do so. ( Now in his mid 80s)

We hope for a lot longer, and I for one will be buying more flowers next week.