As our temperatures cooled, the dahlias in my cutting garden finally hit their stride. A lot of them ended up in vases this week.
To celebrate the arrival of my first Dahlia 'Magic Moment' bloom, my first arrangement utilized flowers selected to show it off.
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| Dahlias 'Enchantress' and 'Cafe au Lait Royal' joined 'Magic Moment' |
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| I tucked flowers from the Hong Kong orchid tree (Bauhinia x blakeana) and Scabiosa 'Flutter Rose Pink' in at the back of the vase to dress it up. Unlike true orchid, the Bauhinia's flowers will only last a couple of days. |
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| Top view |
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Top row: Angelonia 'Archangel White', Coleonema album (aka white breath of heaven), and Leptospermum 'Copper Glow'
Middle row: Dahlias 'Cafe au Lait Royal', 'Enchantress', and 'Magic Moment'
Bottom row: Bauhinia x blakeana and Scabiosa columbaria 'Flutter Rose Pink' |
I initially cut flowers of the dahlia masquerading as '
Penhill Dark Monarch' to include in the first arrangement but I pulled them out because I didn't care for the mix. The shape of the petals of the most recent blooms look more like
'Dark Monarch' than those of earlier blooms but they're still missing the dusty rose and peach tones many growers use to describe the plant.
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| I used the foliage of Centaurea 'Silver Feather' to echo the whitish undersides of the dahlia's petals but it doesn't show up very well against the kitchen island's countertop |
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| Back view |
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| Top view |
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Top row: Leucadendron salignum 'Chief' and Zinnias 'Benary's Giant Wine' and 'Profusion Pink'
Bottom row: Dahlia (Not) 'Penhill Dark Monarch' and Centaurea 'Silver Feather' |
Lastly, Dahlia 'Gitt's Crazy' is living up to its name, pumping out bloom after bloom.
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| The mix of gold and raspberry tones in 'Gitt's Crazy' are unusual and dramatic |
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| The back view was dressed up using Dahlia 'Waltzing Mathilda' and Eriocapitella hupehensis (aka Japanese anemone) |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', berries of Auranticarpa rhombifloium, Eriocapitella hupehensis, and Dahlias 'Gitt's Crazy' and 'Waltzing Mathilda' |
Only Dahlia 'Iceberg' has yet to produce its first bloom but it has buds! Dahlia 'Kogane Fubuki' produced its first couple of blooms last week but they were past their prime already by Sunday. Maybe I'll get more before the season comes to an end. I'm always a little sad when all the dahlias are gone but I know it's time to get my cool season plants, bulbs and seeds in the ground.
For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
All material © 2012-2021 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
I'm always impressed by how much use you get out of all the Leptospermum in your garden. It is just about a perfect addition to any vase. The Dahlias are superb this week, I have no favorites... I really like how 'silver Feather is echoed in the Dahlia (Not), and the added orange berries to the third vase.
ReplyDeleteI keep chopping away at Leptospermum 'Copper Glow' in what appears to be a vain effort to keep its height within bounds. The Leptospermum seems to respond by sending up new growth...
DeleteWhat an interesting selction of dahlias you have got! That centaurea foliage is most intriguing - does it bloom as well? Surprising for me, as I favour pinks, I like the third vase best today, especially the way way you have used the foliage. It just shows how important foliage can be in a vase
ReplyDeleteThat Centaurea does produce flowers, Cathy, although I had relatively few this year, perhaps because my remaining plant gets less sun than it wants or maybe due to this year's low rainfall.
DeleteGorgeous Dahlias, I am amazed at how well you do with these given your water diet. I love the Leptospermum as a filler and am going to look up the Silver Feather, though it seems that might be a Bachelors Buttons relative. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteI grow all but a couple of the dahlias in the raised planters of my cutting garden, which get more water than any other part of my garden. Neither the dahlias or the zinnias would do well in my borders - I've tried growing them there and they failed to thrive.
DeleteDahlia Love! 'Gitt's Crazy' has such a pretty color contrast and I like your use of Centaurea 'Silver Feather' as a foil for the deep pinks in #2. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteThanks Eliza! I'll definitely keep the 'Gitt's Crazy' tuber for a third year for flowers.
DeleteAll lovely. have grown Gitt's Crazy before but don't remember them being as nice as yours. Just returned from visiting my family so had to visit Butchart Gardens too. It's been two years since I have been back. Their dahlia border at this time of year is stunning. For me they really are the signature flower of Fall.
ReplyDeleteMildew generally starts to take hold here by October, spoiling cosmos, dahlias and zinnias. I've almost written off the cosmos and zinnias already but I'm hanging onto the dahlias.
DeleteKris, so impressed with your variety of dahlias. They're magical. I planted Penhill Dark Monarch and Penhill Watermelon (or something like that) but am just seeing a first reddish bud on one. I'm finding it interesting how often a plant produces flowers that don't seem to fit the description and then suddenly one pops out that matches. Have a great week.
ReplyDeleteI suspect that weather, particularly sharp shifts in temperature as blooms develop, alters their color but I've yet to find a photo of 'Dark Monarch' that matches any of the blooms I've gotten thus far from the tuber sold as such. As an aside, my most recent Dahlia 'Break Out' blooms are once again very pink!
DeleteSo many lovely dahlias! The Centaurea 'Silver Feather' make great angel wings.
ReplyDeleteCentaurea 'Silver Feather' is worth growing for its foliage alone, which is fortunate as mine produced almost no flowers this year ;)
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