Nine of my dahlias are still in a holding pattern but five plants have produced blooms so I think I can officially declare dahlia season open. The majority of my dahlias didn't show up until September last year so at least the season looks brighter this year, even though I lost several tubers along the way.
Dahlia 'Calin' was the first of my plants to produce buds but, as they began to open in late June, I found that the flowers were malformed. After treating the ant and aphid infestation I discovered and discarding the distorted blooms, the plant has recovered.
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'Calin' is a bush-type dahlia with smaller blooms than most of those I grow but it's very floriferous
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Back view: I used Corokia stems to support the rest of the plant material
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Top view
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Clockwise from the upper left: Abelia grandiflora 'Kaleidoscope', Alstroemeria 'Claire', Antirrhinum majus 'Double Azalea Bronze', Corokia x virgata 'Sunsplash', Dahlia 'Calin', and Grevillea 'Poorinda Leane'
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'Enchantress' started blooming en masse at the end of last week, earning it a place in a second arrangement.
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In a stroke of luck, the 'Benary's Giant Purple' Zinnias I grew from seed bloomed on the heels of Dahlia 'Enchantress'
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I used a few short foxglove stems and 3 stems of the paler Daucus carota that self-seeded in my back border to dress up the back view
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Top view
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Clockwise from the upper left: Abelia grandiflora 'Edward Goucher', Daucus carota 'Dara' (aka wild carrot), Digitialis purpurea (foxglove), Dahlia 'Enchantress, and Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Giant Purple'
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Last week's Delphinium stems held up surprisingly well. The remnants of that arrangement ended up on our kitchen island.
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The Delphinium florets are now tinged a lavender-pink rather than their original vivid cobalt blue. The white Lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) is also a holdover from last week.
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For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
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material © 2012-2022
by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
Glad to know you were able to sort your infetation problem out, Kris. Your first vase looks gently summery, like apicnic on a warm rather than hot day, and I love the purples n the second. What a dense head of blooms your delphinium has had - lovely!
ReplyDeleteI came close to writing off Dahlia 'Calin', Cathy, but I'm glad I caught it early and persisted in treating the problem.
DeleteI find the kitchen island arrangement enchanting! The delphiniums evolution into pale blue is lovely; the vase really pulls it all together very nicely.
ReplyDeletechavli
Much as I liked last week's large Delphinium arrangement, I'm very fond of this week's miniaturized version too, Chavli. I think this may be the first time I've used the vase it's in, a Christmas gift from a good friend, and I'm very pleased at how well it plays off both the colors of the island counter and the faded colors of the Delphinium.
DeleteI still can't believe you can grow Delphiniums, so pretty. I think I remember Enchantress from you last year? Still gorgeous and I had not seen bush Dahlias before but I love that one too. Can't wait to see the rest.
ReplyDeleteI think this is the third year I've grown 'Enchantress' using the same tuber, or tuberous growths from the original tuber anyway. 'Enchantress' is tough! I'm not sure what the grower means by "bush dahlias" - it seems it refers to varieties that grow 3 feet or smaller and don't require structural support to stay upright.
DeleteYeah for dahlia season. Still popping mine into the garden. With our cool Spring and early summer they did better in pots in the greenhouse than if I had planted them earlier. Both bouquets are quite lovely. Each has a different mood.
ReplyDeleteI understand that dahlia tubers need warm soil to sprout so I think your strategy of starting them in a greenhouse is smart given your colder climate, Elaine. I've come to believe that trying to hurry the season along by planting my tubers early is counterproductive, causing too many to either rot or fail to root and sprout in soil that's still too cool.
DeleteGlad to hear that the dahlias have finally arrived at the party Kris. They are such colourful characters. 'Enchantress' is most aptly named. Do you leave the tubers in the ground over the winter?
ReplyDeleteWhile tubers can over-winter in the ground here (where we don't really have a "winter" in the sense you know it), I dig mine up because I use my cutting garden year-round and steady water during their dormant period is likely to cause the tubers to rot. I mistakenly failed to dig up 'Waltzing Matilda' last fall and, while it started to sprout, it died out when it was just a couple of inches tall.
DeleteI love dahlia season! Their blooms offer perfect symmetry in such a wide array of color and form, it is not hard to understand their popularity. My first white bloom opened two days ago and two red 'Voodoo' have followed suit today, so I share your enthusiasm for the opening of the season.
ReplyDeleteI'm loving your 'Enchantress' with the zinnias and 'Calin' pairs well with the abelia and corokia. Glad to see the delphinium is still going strong, gorgeous even when it fades to pastel. Eliza
Another Delphinium stem did a nosedive in my cutting garden this weekend, Eliza, so it appears that the plant needs better support than I gave it but it's beautiful and I'll grow it again (in a tomato cage perhaps).
DeleteThey are both lovely, but I especially love the purples in the green vase.
ReplyDelete'Enchantress' makes an impression, Barbara. The plant is well-named ;)
DeleteThat Enchantress is a nice one ! My fourth variety opened today (Breakout) with four more to go. Did it always take this long ??
ReplyDeleteIt's possible I'm imagining things along with you, Kathy, but it does feel that the period between planting the tuber and getting a bloom has become longer. Both last year and this year we've had cooler than usual spring seasons so that may be a factor but, in pushing for early blooms, I think I may be planting my tubers before the soil is warm enough to encourage germination. I've also lost more tubers to rot or had them just fail to do anything so I may delay my planting schedule next year. I'm growing 'Breakout' too from one of last year's tubers. It's still very tiny so I'm not sure it's going to make it but my fingers are crossed.
DeleteLots of beauty in your vases this week, Kris! Love the lemony sunset of the first dahlia and the second duo with all those rich purples is stunning. The abelia is a clever accent. The blue of your fading delphinium is exquisite - I loved it last week but I think it looks even better now!
ReplyDeleteI was pretty happy with the Delphinium arrangements reincarnation too, Horticat.
DeleteAll your flowers look so fresh and inviting Kris. Love how you pair the main flowers with such good companions. I am having the same issue as you with the dahlias. After your explanation the other day I discovered the very problem you'd described. Hope to get it treated asap (if I can find some time). Thanks for explaining it all.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes in reining in the ants and aphids, Susie!
DeleteLovely! I think I like the last arrangement the best; periwinkle blue just slays me, and Delphiniums have such a graceful form. You are definitely an artist with your combinations. :)
ReplyDeleteEveryone's in love with Delphiniums, Beth! Or maybe it's that the cool blue is especially compelling when half the earth seems to be scorching hot ;)
DeleteDahlia 'Calin' and the corokia stems are a perfect match!
ReplyDeleteI love that Corokia, Loree. It doesn't show up as well as I'd like in a vase but it provides great support for the other materials.
DeleteHooray for Dahlias!
ReplyDeleteYes, I'm yet another Delphinium lover, emphasis on the cool in cool blue. But the blue, too. 63 days and counting until the autumnal equinox.
I'll keep that countdown in mind, HB! I'm starting to create a project list for tasks to be tackled once we're into a cooling trend.
DeleteHi Kris. Really love the pink arrangement with that gorgeous Dahlia. It certainly has a fitting name! The Delphinium still looks very fresh too.
ReplyDeleteThanks Cathy. I selected the Dahlia 'Karma Prospero' tuber on a whim to fill out a bulb order but I like it too. The plant itself is very healthy.
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