I haven't featured the flowers of
Dahlia 'Otto's Thrill' in over a month now. That's not because the dahlia hasn't flowered but rather because I haven't been inspired by any possible combinations to show it off. However, this week I took my inspiration from one of the colorful
Caladiums in my lath (shade) house.
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| The pink and white colors of Caladium 'Candyland' set things in motion |
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| I also cut the foliage of a coleus growing in the lath house |
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| and filled in with Sweet Autumn Clematis and stems of Abelia 'Edward Goucher' |
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| Clockwise from the upper left, the vase contains: Dahlia 'Otto's Thrill', Abelia x grandiflora 'Edward Goucher', Caladium 'Candyland', Clematis terniflora (aka C. paniculata), and Plectranthus scutellarioides 'Special Effects' (coleus) |
It was a busy weekend and, between joining two blogger friends on a tour of gardens in Orange County on Saturday and popping in at a local orchid show on Sunday, I didn't have time to prepare more than one new vase.
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| The new arrangement landed on the dining room table |
Luckily, two of
last week's vases were still in half-good shape so, with a little bit of clean-up and the addition of a few new blooms, I spiffed them up to serve another week in other spots.
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| The vase on the left, now in the front entry, lost the dahlia and the clematis and got fresh stems of zinnias and abelia. The vase on the right, now in the master bedroom, is a simplified version of last week's arrangement without either the dahlias or the zinnias. |
Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see what she and other participating bloggers have put together this week using what they have at hand.
All material © 2012-2018 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
Only one vase!? Well it's a beauty, and you know... I think a Eustoma grandiflorum 'Mint Cocoa' bloom or two would look lovely in there.
ReplyDeleteYes, one vase. I thought of titling the post "Surprise!" in recognition of this but decided against that ;)
DeleteLovely vase and dahlia both - the caladium is a perfect 'pink echo' for the dahlia. Your vases last a long time, don't they. Mine perish quickly and I've been blaming the heat. But I'm sure it's hotter with you. Do you have air-conditioning. Or is it something you do to condition the flowers themselves?
ReplyDeleteSome of the materials I use have shorter vase lives than others. The dahlias, even when picked at just the right time and conditioned with a brief dunk of the stems in near-boiling water, seldom last more than 4 days. Leucadendron stems on the other hand can last for weeks. So the difference is probably mainly in what we use in our vases, Cathy. I used to condition everything I put in my vases (it does help some) but that became tedious so I do that only with blooms like dahlias and materials with hollow stems now. We do have air conditioning on when the heat is at its worst outside but I'm not sure that doesn't do more harm than good when it comes to what's in my vases.
DeleteBeautiful and so clever of you to combine the pink-hued leaves with the glorious dahlia. I love dahlias but have yet to attempt to grow them. You've inspired me, thank you.
ReplyDeleteDahlias are surprisingly rewarding to grow and not difficult as long as one doesn't over-water the tubers before they sprout, as I did in a few cases this year, causing the tubers to rot.
DeleteThe outlying clematis and abelia make for a great shaped for the vase, Kris - love the caladium leaves too
ReplyDeleteI can't tell you how much I wish I'd planted more Caladium tubers, Cathy! The leaves are wonderful.
DeleteKris, your Caladiums are beautiful with the dahlias. The orchid show sounds fun.
ReplyDeleteThe orchid show and sale was thinner than in prior years, at least on day #2 of the event. I still managed to find 2 orchids to bring home, though ;)
DeleteI'm so glad you came through Hurricane Florence without a problem!
Beautifully co-ordinating material in your vase. I have my eye on that Clematis. I like the way it weaves around. Love those grasses in last weeks vase.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it amazing how well those grasses look a full week after they were cut? I'm thrilled with the Clematis too. I had a vine of the same species in my former tiny garden and was initially disappointed that the plant wasn't as vigorous in this one but it seems it just needed more time to become established.
DeleteOtto is a handsome dude. Amazing he is still blooming. All of your vases are filled with pretties. Happy IAVOM.
ReplyDeleteOtto is very pink but still handsome indeed!
DeleteThat vase and the table runner were made for this bouquet!
ReplyDeleteIt's surprised me how versatile that table runner is, Linda. The vase, a gift from my husband, is one of my favorites.
DeleteOh you have picked the perfect companions for dashing Otto and the perfect vase to showcase them all in Kris. Simply beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThanks Anna!
DeleteYou have shown mastery in the use of color once again, Kris. Love this combo of pink and green and use of one of my favorite vases of yours as well. Lovely!
ReplyDeleteEverything looks great in that vase I think, Eliza.
DeleteOh yes, that first one is something special--great combo with the Coleus, the Abelia, the Caladium, and the Clematis. Those are some of my favorite color shades, too. Yum.
ReplyDeleteThanks Beth!
DeleteThese last few weeks, even more than in other years I'm aware of how many absolutely stunning Dahlias there are, yours is no exception to this. Your new vase is lovely and the two revamped vases look as fresh as if you had just picked them, my flowers rarely last the week let alone go into a second.
ReplyDeleteCredit for the longevity of my vases goes to the materials I used, not the arranger. If only the dahlias had a longer vase life!
DeleteWow, the pink in those caladium leaves is stunning and pulls the whole arrangement together very well. Glad to see Otto making another appearance and he seems quite happy with the other members of the cast.
ReplyDeleteI think Otto's more willing to share the stage than Loverboy, Peter.
DeletePerfect pink and green combo to match the Ginkgo vase. Edward Goucher makes a great background plant. Guess he and Otto get along really well.
ReplyDeleteEdward pals around with a lot of plants - he's an easy, go-with-the-flow(er) sort.
DeleteBeautiful combination. Otto's Thrill is on my list for next year.
ReplyDelete'Otto's Thrill' has been a good-looking and prolific dahlia for me, Angie. I'm sorry that I've been unable to post comments on your blog - I was able to do so until last week when all my attempts began disappearing into the ether. Maybe my comments are ending up in your spam folder for some reason?
DeleteLovely and so pretty in your green vase. The Caladium is a perfect match.
ReplyDeleteI do love Caladiums. I'd like to grow them in my borders too but they require too much water.
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