I faced a time crunch in putting together this week's vases so I zipped through my garden more quickly than I usually do on Sunday morning. The only dahlias blooming in my cutting garden are still those of the
'Otto's Thrill' cultivar I purchased in early June already in bud. While I'm frustrated by the slow progress of the varieties I planted as tubers, I was pleased to see that
'Otto' had two perfect blooms just waiting to be cut. As it turned out, they matched up prettily with the pale yellow Lisianthus (
Eustoma grandiflorum) the wind had blown flat against the ground in my front garden. A few other additions and voil
à, an arrangement!
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| The yellow Lisianthus blooms are tinged with pink and the dahlia has yellow accents so the two seemed made for one another |
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| Leucadendron 'Pisa's' heavy cones have been weighing down several of the shrub's branches, begging to be cut, so this was a perfect opportunity use a few |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left, the vase contains: Dahlia 'Otto's Thrill', Crassula pubescens ssp radicans, Fatsia japonica 'Camouflage', Eustoma grandiflorum, and Leucadendron 'Pisa' |
The second vase didn't come together as well in my estimation. I took my inclination to blend flowers too far, creating an arrangement in which the individual blooms had little opportunity to distinguish themselves.
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| Lots of red tones here but nothing to set them off, either in texture or color |
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| Although the Grevilleas shown in the prior view were mean to be the stars of the arrangement, I think the Lotus berthelotii shown here in the back view makes a stronger statement |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left, the vase contains: Grevillea 'Ned Kelly', Eustoma grandiflorum 'Mint Cocoa' (which fades from a purplish shade to a brownish mauve color), Leucadendron salignum 'Chief', Lobelia laxiflora, and Lotus berthelotii 'Amazon Sunset' |
After staring at the arrangement for awhile on my dining room table, I gave it a quick tweak and left it at that.
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| The tweaked version of the original arrangement is shown on the right. The addition of the Shasta daisies (Leucanthemum x superbum) adds contrast but now the Lisianthus are lost in the mix. |
The first vase sits in the front entry.
For more Monday vases, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
All material © 2012-2018 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
Lovely to have dahlias to cut, my first ones are starting now. I love the second arrangement too, it looks like a firework.
ReplyDeleteI guess I should have mixed blue Agapanthus into the second arrangement and called it my 4th of July centerpiece!
DeleteHow beautiful. So exotic and dramatic. I love all those colours and shapes. My dahlias are only just starting to come into flower. The white ones are first. Can’t wait for the dark red and almost black ones to flower. All the best. Karen
ReplyDeleteThanks Karen! Most of my dahlias are slow to get going this year but I still have high hopes for them.
DeleteWow these are wonderful....Otto to the cones to the fabulous Fatsia.....love it. The second vase is very open and wild...add a bit of blue and you have fireworks for the 4th!
ReplyDeleteYes, as mentioned in response to Chloris, I should have thrown some blue Agapanthus into that second arrangement!
DeleteThe vase ypu used for your first arangment is pretty awesome. Our dahlias were a disappointment this year and are slated to be pulled before our 4th if July picnic.
ReplyDeleteOh, it's too bad your dahlias failed you! I tried starting many of mine in small pots this year (until space opened up in the raised planters in my cutting garden) and I managed to over-water them, causing a few tubers to rot. Lesson learned there!
DeleteGorgeous as always, and to think it's a result of a quick dash around to make it!
ReplyDeleteYes, sometimes it's best to just go on instinct and not over-think things (as I'm often inclined to do)!
DeleteThis shows that often just grabbing a few things works (but sometimes not) and I'm sure anything looks good in that vase. The dahlias really are stars. Your other vase is subtle but still lovely. The daisies give a bit of pop.
ReplyDeleteThat first vase, a birthday gift from my husband in 2017 (although I picked it out during my b-day outing to The Huntington), is definitely a winner. I think it showed off both the dahlias and the Fatsia well.
DeleteI enjoyed reading about the creation of your vases, what works and what doesn't. Am I right in thinking these dahlia blooms are HUGE?
ReplyDelete'Otto's Thrill' is one of the so-called dinnerplate dahlias, Cathy, and yes, the blooms are huge!
DeleteVery nice indeed, especially for being products of a fast dash out to your garden! The firework explosion of the second one is perfect for this week.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'll add a couple of blue Agapanthus to the second arrangement before Wednesday to enhance the 4th of July firework imagery, Peter.
DeleteI actually liked the fine texture of the second vase, the color scheme is quite appealing. A wind-blown grassy meadow comes to mind or dancing flames in a fire. (I find myself pausing to use the word 'fire' in your comments, is it impolite/bad juju to mention it, given your location? ;) )
ReplyDeleteThe color in your first is lovely as well - the Dahlias are big and bold and I love the Fatsia!
We ARE sensitive to the fire risk, especially during the 2-month period surrounding the 4th of July holiday when people ignore the prohibition on personal firework displays and set off rockets throughout the area.
DeleteKris, I always enjoy seeing your flowers. The dahlias are amazing and I really love the yellow Lisianthus.
ReplyDeleteI love the yellow Lisianthus too, Susie. The cluster of them I had last year didn't hold up well enough to bloom again this year. Those I cut this week were part of a mix I planted in an area where, unfortunately, the wind pummels them. I need to pay attention to the wind problem when I place them in the future.
DeleteOh! I think Otto is one of my very favorites of all that you’ve done! And I agree, the Lotus berthelotii makes a stellar focal point.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, even with those beautiful dahlia blooms, I thought that first vase might be ho-hum but I was pleased with how it turned out too.
DeleteOtto is thrilling me,Dahlias here came up grew to 3" and stopped. No idea why. I like your tweak to the second arrangement.
ReplyDeleteSomething similar happened with one of my dahlias this year, Amelia. When I removed it from its temporary pot to plant it in a raised planter, I discovered that the tuber was rotting, apparently from too much water. With all the rain you've had, that may be your problem too. In my case, it was just that I got sloppy and started watering all my tubers on the same schedule once the first ones had sprouted.
DeleteYes Otto is rather special...and I love the large leaf: fatsia? You have some wonderful specimen and top quality material to choose from each week..must be loads of time spent to achieve this I am sure. Well done.
ReplyDeleteThe Fatsia 'Camouflage' is currently in a large pot in my shade house. It already wants more room to grow but I don't know if I have any place to put it where it'll receive sufficient shade. It'll be taking over the shade house soon!
DeleteMy summer flowers are SO BEHIND. Here in Minnesota our winter lasted into May so everything is behind. I normally top my dahlias (pinch them) but this year I am thinking of not doing it and instead see how they go because there are buds that will go to waste if I do. We will see. Otto's Thrill is beautiful.
ReplyDelete