Our water pipe replacement project was up and running with last minute notice from the plumber late Tuesday afternoon. Another of the plumber's projects was delayed so he was able to fit us in and we scrambled to be ready with our final preparations before the crew arrived early Wednesday morning. The good news is that they finished in two days instead of the three days projected to complete the job. The bad news is that, among the usual collateral damage that comes with a project of that scope, the connection that controls sixty percent of our irrigation system was damaged in the process, which we didn't discover until yesterday morning when the system ran for the first time on the water provider's prescribed schedule. After a couple of hours work, my husband decided that the problem was going to require more physical effort than he was up for so we'll be placing a follow-up call to the plumber's office when it opens this morning. He was able to identify the nature of the problem and has already sent an email message - with photos - to pinpoint the damage.
My cutting garden (and the other areas) got beat up during the plumbing project but there are still dahlias suitable for inclusion in a vase. I'd hoped that the big, fat buds of Dahlia 'Fairway Spur' would be ready for inclusion in a vase this week but they need more time. A few others came through, however.
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Dahlias 'Enchantress' and 'Karma Prospero' combined forces to fill a vase, along with a few Zinnia stems
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Clockwise from the upper left: Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Alstromeria 'Inca Vienna' (left over from last week), noID Angelonia, Dahlia 'Enchantress', D. 'Karma Prospero', Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata', and Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Giant Purple'
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I put together a smaller arrangement for the kitchen island.
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While most dahlias seem to produce smaller and smaller flowers as the season rolls on, Dahlia 'Summer's End' apparently wishes to go out with a splash with what may be its largest bloom yet
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Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Dahlia 'Summer's End', Leonotis leonurus, and Zinnia elegans 'Queen Lime Orange'
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A slimmed-down collection of leftovers from one of last week's vases was shoved into a small vase for the front entry.
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I cut a fresh bloom of Dahlia 'Catching Fire' but the other elements are last week's cuttings. The flowers of the Australian fuchsia (Correa 'Wyn's Wonder') show up better in this trimmed-down arrangement. The first time I cut stems of Caladium 'Tapestry', they lasted more than 3 weeks.
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We'd made major inroads in putting portions of the garden back together on Friday and Saturday before that activity came to a halt with the new plumbing issue. I'm focusing on hand-watering now. It's always something...At least the heatwave is over.
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
The saturated color of Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt' in the first vase is a wonderful addition; it quite surprised me... I love it.
ReplyDeleteThe gentle, dreamy Dahlia 'Summer's End' is framed so well with the robust orange of the smaller elements.
chavli
'Cousin Itt' is an all-round great plant, Chavli :) As to Dahlia 'Summer's End', it isn't the most floriferous plant in the genus but it's pretty wonderful and definitely one I hope to use again next year.
DeleteSorry about your plumbing woes. Hope everything gets straightened out soon. Meanwhile the dahlias look beautifully healthy. I really love your Summer's End arrangement.
ReplyDeleteA junior plumber - who my husband claimed looked like he was 20 - came by and made a repair this afternoon. The glue has to cure several hours before we'll know for certain if its fixed. Fingers crossed!
DeleteThe locum at our doctor had to 'wear his stethoscope' to convince his patients that he shouldn't have been in school. 20 something maybe
DeleteI keep telling my husband that it's harder for him to detect the age of younger people now that he's gotten older as his point of reference is his perception of himself ;)
DeleteOoh, I do like the shade of pink of Karma Prospero, Kris, and it works very nicely with the zinnias. I also like the focal point of the single dahlia in the second vase, and the elgonated shape the foliage gives the vase
ReplyDeleteThanks Cathy. After producing only a trio of blooms, one at a time, 'Karma Prospero' has redeemed itself with a small flurry of flowers.
DeleteSecond on Cousin Itt being a surprise star in a vase...would love to hear how it holds up. Congratulations on making it through a tough month water-wise with minimal loss! No doubt down to your wise and conscious choices about drought-tolerance :).
ReplyDeleteI've occasionally used 'Cousin Itt' in vases, although not this year as I can recall. My recollection is that it lasts much longer than most other plant materials in a vase. September was a "difficult" month in terms of plant stressors but I'm hoping this is the last issue. (I just knocked wood so as not to jinx myself.)
DeleteDahlias are so enchanting in their perfection. You have some lovely hybrids, I particularly like 'Summer's End.' Glad your temps are approaching normal... now hopefully, the rainy season will be fruitful! Eliza
ReplyDeleteThe new "water year," which started on October 1st, has been proclaimed as our 3rd La Nina year in a row. La Nina conditions generally mean low rainfall for us in SoCal (and too much rain in Australia) but I keep reminding myself that some weather experts say "it's not necessarily so."
DeleteLove the Dahlia and Zinnia combos. I feel your pain with the hand watering, our well died this summer and my garden is transitioning into less lawn and more drought tolerance..I give up on Leonitis, mine fried in the summer heat again. Amelia
ReplyDeleteI didn't know you had a well, Amelia! That loss must be a huge change for you. Maybe you could use a rain collection tank or 2. My Leonotis survive but I can't claim they thrive. I've seen much more vigorous specimens in other local gardens so I'm guessing they may not like the sandy soil here.
DeleteOh I'm sorry to learn that the plumbing works have not gone to plan Kris and hope that everything is soon sorted to your satisfaction. Beautiful dahlias especially 'Summer's End'.
ReplyDeleteWell, a repair was made this afternoon but we can't test whether it's done the job until the glue the plumber used is fully cured. I'm hoping this is the last hurdle we face with the irrigation system this year, Anna!
DeleteYour pink dahlias are all gorgeous. Glad they survived the plumbing work. The orange zinnia is also an eye-catcher. None of my zinnias did any good this year - I will definitely have to have a separate 'cutting garden' one day with an automatic watering system!
ReplyDeleteLike the dahlias, my zinnias didn't do all that well this year either, Cathy. Three varieties I sowed did fairly well but the others were major disappointments.
DeleteOh no! I just read your post about the work, now to come over here and learn there were more problems! Fingers crossed it was a non-disruptive fix and they jumped on it. I LOVE that arrangement with Dahlia 'Summer's End', it's gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteMy husband discovered yet another problem this morning with water running after the irrigation system should have turned itself off so we're looking into that now. It never ends it seems. I'm beginning to think I'd like a house and garden on a smaller plot of land I can water by hand...
DeleteThe Acacia brings the same luxurious, sumptuous, opulent green to the arrangement as it does to your garden.
ReplyDelete--Hoov--comment was stuck in Anonymous for some reason
DeleteAcacia 'Cousin Itt' is one of the saving graces of my garden.
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