Dahlia 'Diva' lived up to her name, keeping me waiting for her first blooms well after the other dahlias in my cutting garden flowered.
'Enchantress' was the first to bloom in mid-June.
'Labyrinth' was blooming by late June.
'Citron du Cap', 'Terracotta', 'Hollyhill Karen Lee', 'Bluetiful' and
'Otto's Thrill' came through in July. Even
'Punkin Spice', planted much later than any of the other dahlias, produced her first bloom by the end of July.
'Diva' didn't make an appearance until last week, nearly 11 weeks later than
'Enchantress'. So was she worth the wait?
 |
| What do you think? |
She is pretty, with a deep, rich red-tinged purple color that suggests velvet. Whether she'll exhibit other qualities to recommend her has yet to be determined, however.
 |
| 'Enchantress' is by far the most prolific |
 |
| 'Hollyhill Karen Lee' has the longest stems |
 |
| And 'Labyrinth' and 'Otto's Thrill' vie for the prize on largest blooms |
We'll have to wait and see if
'Diva' can make up for lost time.
 |
| She doesn't look worried |
For more Wednesday vignettes,
visit Anna at Flutter & Hum.
All material © 2012-2019 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
It's a fantastic color, so yes! I think it's well worth waiting for. I have a rose with that kind of intense purple, called 'Twilight Zone'. It's alive but not quite thriving in the light I have to offer it, so I doubt 'Diva' would do well either. If I thought it would, I would totally grow it - it's fabulous!
ReplyDeleteDahlias do prefer full sun, Anna. I have one in a pot in partial shade this year (a second 'Punkin Spice') and I think I've had all of 3 flowers from it since late July.
DeleteA resounding yes! The wait was well worth it. I change my palette of dahlias every year from pinks and pastels to fiery oranges and reds. The great thing about purple is it goes with everyone. Love all of your dahlias but Otto's Thrill is my all time favourite.
ReplyDelete'Otto's Thrill' is also a relatively prolific bloomer and the flowers are huge. The only issue I have with it, Elaine, is that its foliage never looks very good - that's been true all 3 years I've grown it. The problem there may be on my end but it's markedly different from my other dahlia plants.
DeleteHmm....I think I need a little more info before I decide if she's worth the wait. What does the rest of the plant look like? Is she tall and lanky or short and stumpy? Is she producing lots of other healthy growth? Will she keep your production of flower stems for IVoM bouquets going longer into the fall? That deep purple/red is probably my favorite Dahlia color.
ReplyDelete'Diva' is taller than she is wide, Alison, but she's not at all lanky and her foliage is pristine thus far. However, how productive she'll be over the remainder of the season is the key question.
DeleteMost Divas are worth the wait. Your collection of dahlias are all worth the effort. It makes me want to grow some dahlias after seeing these.
ReplyDeleteI tell you, Lisa, dahlias are the bright spot in my late summer/fall garden.
DeleteShe is lovely and I'd say worth the wait - such a rich, dark color!
ReplyDeleteI was lacking purple among last year's dahlia collection, Eliza. With the addition of 'Hollyhock Karen Lee', 'Enchantress' and 'Diva', I may have been overcompensating for last year's omission. 'Diva' has the deepest color among those cultivars, however.
DeleteOh, yes, I'd say she's definitely worth waiting for. They're all awesome! I'm not usually a magenta/burgundy fan, but in this case, wowza! Is that golden color in the center? What an interesting, beautiful bloom!
ReplyDeleteThere's a prominent greenish-gold accent as the flower unfurls from its center. It's a very attractive flower, at least in the early stages. We'll see how it ages. As with humans, that's a test!
DeleteShe's pretty spectacular. She waited for the others to make an entrance and really shine. Star power?
ReplyDeleteThat's one way to look at it, Barbara!
DeleteThey are all beautiful. Summers are better (not so bad) when there are Dahlias in the garden.
ReplyDeleteHope you are okay in this terrible heat.
I'm hoping the worst of the heat is now behind us, HB - or that the HVAC guys show up tomorrow and finish their installation of our new AC unit so we can properly cool at least the portion of the house we're living in. Although it hasn't been a bad summer overall, this kind of heat gets old fast. I hope you (and the pups!) are staying cool too.
Delete