I'm impatiently awaiting the arrival of my dahlias and zinnias, which seem to be off to a slow start again this year. In 2019, I had my first dahlia blooms by mid-June and they peaked in August. In 2020, I had my first blooms by mid-August and the plants peaked in September. I seem to be tracking to the 2020 schedule despite the fact that I started my tubers earlier in temporary pots this year. Apparently, Mother Nature operates according to her own schedule regardless of my intent.
Luckily, the other Orienpet lilies I planted as bulbs last fall, 'Purple Prince', bloomed late last week. As the 'Pretty Woman' lilies I cut last Sunday held up in a vase as long as they did in my garden, I went ahead and cut a single stem of 'Purple Prince' for one of this week's arrangements, leaving two stems in the garden.
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| 'Purple Prince' looks more mauve-pink than purple to my eye |
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| Back view: Yes, I'm using Daucus carota 'Dara' again this week. The blooms are unstoppable and among the most prolific flowers in my garden at the moment. |
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| Top view: I'm assuming the lily bud will open even after the stem has been cut |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Abelia grandiflora 'Hopley's Variegated', Daucus carota 'Dara', Leucanthemum x superbum, Cuphea hybrid 'Starfire Pink', and Lilium 'Purple Prince' |
A lily of another sort made its debut in my back garden late last week as well. Unlike the dahlias, it's arriving right on time, although given our low rainfall it remains to be seen whether I'll get as many blooms as I had last year. Amaryllis belladonna (aka as Jersey lily or naked lady, as it blooms after its leaves have died back) isn't a true lily but it is a true Amaryllis, unlike the Hippeastrum commonly referred to as Amaryllis.
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| This ornamental teapot wasn't the ideal vessel for the tall, thick Amaryllis bloom stalk. I had to cut the stem very short to make it work. The green Lisianthus is a holdover from one of last week's arrangements but everything else was cut fresh yesterday morning. |
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| I used a stem of a noID Pelargonium to dress up the back view |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Eustoma grandiflorum (aka Lisianthus) in shades of green, pink, and white; Amaryllis belladonna; Leptospermum 'Copper Glow' (without flowers this week); Myrtus communis 'Compacta'; and noID Pelargonium |
To find more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
All material © 2012-2021 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
Your lilies and other pink florals are fantastic Kris. I adore your Lisianthus.
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to see the Lisianthus again myself, Susie. They seem to be rather late in showing up this year but perhaps my memory is slipping.
DeleteLots of beauties from your garden again Kris! It must be a picture with these luscious lilies to hand! Lovely! Amanda
ReplyDeleteThe number of true lilies is low, Amanda, but I hope to remedy that by planting more bulbs this fall. Amaryllis belladonna put on a good show last year but it's just getting started now. Its leaf-less stalks makes it look gawky in the landscape so I'm not at all hesitant about cutting it for arrangements.
DeleteOh, yes, this is special. Those Orienpet lilies are lovely. Some of my lilies (various types) are having a great year; others are barely blooming or not blooming at all. Every season is unique.
ReplyDeleteThe hybrid Japanese lilies appear less likely to survive in our climate but the Orienpet lilies and Chinese trumpet hybrids are somewhat better suited to conditions here and certainly worth further experimentation. A worsening drought could upend things, of course.
DeleteGorgeous lilies, Kris, mine are only bought and planted in 5s, so not enough to cut if I want to enjoy them outside too. It's loevly to see yours though and I like the addition of cuphea in that first vase. But that green lisianthus ...gorgeous!!
ReplyDeleteI really have very few true lilies in my garden at this point, Cathy. If the weather was cooler, I probably wouldn't cut any at this stage but they're fading fast in the garden so bringing some of them inside to share the air conditioning with me was an acceptable trade-off.
DeleteThese are both lovely, and I think perfect for their vases!
ReplyDeleteThanks Loree. I'm very fond of vases with round basins, although I need to add more chicken wire inside the ornamental teapot to prevent stems from flopping due to its wider "mouth."
DeleteWell, we seem to be able to do lilies! I might get a few more bulbs for containers next year and leave the ones in the ground to see if they return. I can't figure out dahlias at all -- supposedly they start blooming in June yet we wait and wait, and with all this warmth and sunshine to offer them! Without a cutting garden, I'm just going to steer clear of dahlias for now. Beautiful vases.
ReplyDeleteMy working theory with respect to my own dahlia tubers is that I planted them too deeply inside their temporary pots and watered too little in the absence of rain. The generally cooler spring weather may have also been a contributing factor. I note that some prominent UK gardeners seem to plop the tubers nearly atop soil in smaller pots than I used, transplanting them once they've sprouted.
DeleteAs always your bouquets show off your floral artistry. I am always amazed at the variety of plants you think to use in your arrangements. The lily bud will definitely open for you giving you a nice long bloom life.
ReplyDeleteThe lily bud is already fully open, Elaine. I had vague recollections of seeing lilies for sale in bud so I assumed that it would open but, having limited personal experience with lilies, I was just a little nervous on that point ;)
DeleteDa moltissimo tempo non vedevo una Cuphea! Grazie per avermi fatto viaggiare nei ricordi! Complimenti per il mazzo!
ReplyDeleteTi auguro una buona estate :)
Thanks Gabriel! I love Cuphea. It blooms year-round here.
DeleteMy goodness, the lilies are glorious!! well done..
ReplyDeleteThanks Amelia. I was very excited they made an appearance this year. Now the question is: will they come back next year?
DeleteBeautiful displays as always and so thoughtfully put together Kris. My first two dahlias - both new to me varieties opened about a week ago but of course I can't compare. Others still to come.
ReplyDeleteI purchased a single-petaled dahlia plant this past weekend and recently acquired another by mail order as a plant (as opposed to a tuber) so those will probably produce the first dahlia flowers you see from me this year, Anna. Some of those I'm growing from tubers have already reached a good size but I've yet to see a single bud from any of them :(
DeletePerhaps that is the nearest the lilies can get to purple, like the 'blue' ish roses?
ReplyDeleteMy belladonna have finally remembered how to leaf, maybe I will get my flowers again next March ...
Yes, I suspect that's true, Diana. Plant breeders like to say their plants are blue or purple even if a flower's color doesn't come close when lined up against a color wheel.
DeletePretty pinks this week, Kris. Both the belladonna lilies and 'Purple Prince' are exquisite, I can only imagine how fragrant they are!
ReplyDeleteI can't detect the scent of the Amaryllis belladonna until I stick my nose right into the flower, Eliza, but then the fragrance of the lilies may be too strong to allow the subtler scent come through.
DeleteI'd like to offer a warning, if you don't know this already - true lilies are extremely toxic to cats. They can cause kidney failure from one chew of a leaf or a sniff of pollen.
ReplyDelete-- a friendly cat- and plant-loving veterinarian
Thanks for the warning, Elinor. My cat, Pipig, appears to be steering clear of all my floral arrangements this year. Such was not the case when she was much younger.
DeleteMy first Dahlia bloom opened today, so now the war with the cucumber beetles can begin.. but it goes seem late. They can be such a struggle but I just can't resist having a few.
ReplyDeleteDahlias, and to a lesser extent zinnias, made a huge difference to my overall perception of summer when I started growing them. I plant most of mine in my cutting garden, which I give more water (and fertilizer) than any other area. However, their delay in leaving the starting block has me fearing a crop failure! I'm checking for buds a couple times a week now.
DeleteYour vases are fab, bravo. You are so good at combining flowers and foliage. My lilies have finished a while ago but then I don't have many because of lily beetle. As for the dahlias, the slugs thrive with all the rain and of course haven damaged the dahlias badly. My imperialis had the main stem eaten and I doubt there'll be a flower at all. Thanks for your thoughtful comment on my blog, Kris. You and your friends are right in staying away from MSM and their propaganda. How lucky we are to have our gardens! Take care
ReplyDeleteThanks and best wishes, Annette!
DeleteYou are pretty in pink this week Kris. I love your lilies and the amaryllis. My dahlias are just starting to bloom now. But even here I have to water them when its hot. Don't forget to take seeds from your single one. They grow and bloom remarkably quickly from an early spring sowing.
ReplyDeleteYes, I must remember to follow your example and try growing some dahlias from seed! I've got 2 single-petaled dahlia plants now, as well as 2 semi-double flowered plants grown from tubers. All 4 have dark foliage.
DeleteTwo perfect pink creations, to to think you can grown all these beauties in your climate, and have room too. These are the culmination of all your planning and gardening, Chris. The pink amaryllis is so attractive in your teapot vase.
ReplyDeleteThanks Noelle. Those Amaryllis were sent to me by east coast blogger friend years ago. They took such a long time to get established, I'd almost given up on them.
DeleteSome pretty shades of pink this week. The lily looks gorgeous and I love the overhead photo of the arrangement. A great choice of vase too. And the second vase has a romantic feel to it. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Cathy. I see more lilies in my future.
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