Another very warm weekend with bouts of wind caused more dahlias to keel over, and the prospects for seeing dahlias through the end of the month have grown dimmer. There were plenty to fill vases this week, though.
My first arrangement was put together on Thursday. My appointment with a tree service was set for 8am that morning and a pretty pink Lycoris was directly below one of the trees to be trimmed. I cut it to keep it out of harm's way and decided to combine it with some dahlias in a vase.
 |
| Lycoris springeri was accompanied by the cheerful blooms of Dahlia 'Breakout' |
 |
| I filled in the back view with stems of Dahlia 'Romantique' |
 |
| Top view |
 |
| Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlia 'Breakout', D. 'Romantique', Lycoris springeri, Prunus ilicifoilia, pale pink variety of Zinnia elegans 'Candy Mix', and another noID pink Zinnia |
The rest of my flowers were cut on Sunday. I've ignored Dahlia 'Belle of Barmera' for awhile so I focused my attention on those flowers. The choices were thinner than I'd expected as the wind had taken out many of the taller flowers and others are now showing signs of the same deformities that have afflicted many of my 'Fairway Spur' Dahlias. I ended up with a shorter, squatter arrangement than I'd envisioned.
 |
| I used a clear rectangular vase to hold the short-stemmed dahlias |
 |
| Although I designated the other side of the vase (shown above) as the front, I think I like this one a little better. I placed it on our dining room table where it's visible from both sides so it doesn't much matter. |
 |
| Top view |
 |
| Clockwise from the upper left: Cuphea 'Honeybells', Dahlia 'Belle of Barmera', 2 mutant flowers of D. 'Fairway Spur', Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Giant Salmon Rose', and Z. e. 'Queen Lime Orange' |
At long last Dahlia 'Iceberg' made an appearance last week so I wanted to use its flowers this week. I'd originally planned to pair it with Dahlia 'Enchantress', which hasn't received the attention it deserves this season; however, only one flower proved to be suitable for inclusion in a vase so Dahlias 'Lavender Ruffles' and 'Mikayla Miranda' were called upon as substitutes.
 |
| I lost 2 buds when I cut the stems containing 2 'Iceberg' Dahlia blooms for this arrangement and I'm not sure I'll get any more before it comes time to pull up my tubers to make way for the bulbs, plugs, and seeds I plan to grow during our cool season. The mildew on the dahlias' foliage also gets worse with every passing day. |
 |
| I'd originally tucked one 'Enchantress' Dahlia bloom below the flowers of 'Lavender Ruffles' but it looked crowded so I removed it. It's in a tiny vase in the kitchen window (not shown). |
 |
| Top view |
 |
| Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlia 'Iceberg', D. 'Lavender Ruffles', D. 'Mikayla Miranda', noID vine, Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata', and Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Giant Purple'. The noID vine resembles the foliage of the Pandorea jasminoides several feel away so it may be a seedling. |
Dahlia 'Lady Darlene' had three flowers in full bloom so I cut those for a small vase to fill the spot on the kitchen island.
 |
| The blooms were just too pretty to allow to wither in the heat. The Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder' foliage was recycled from one of last week's vases. |
Our forecast shows an ongoing warm trend until the coming weekend when temperatures should drop back down into the more comfortable mid-to-low 70sF (23C) again. Hopefully, they'll stay there. Whether cooler temperatures will give the dahlias a late season boost or hurry their decline along remains to be seen.
For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
All material © 2012-2023 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
Totally spectacular Dahlias... I've gone back and forth trying to decide on a favorite but it's too difficult today. In the end, I Leaned toward the same Dahlia I favored in the GBBD: the stunning 'Lady Darlene. Can't take my eyes off it.
ReplyDeleteChavli
I like 'Lady Darlene' much more than I expected to, Chavli. The photos of the flowers I'd seen online emphasized the yellow colors of the petals but, as they open, they appear more and more red. Their shape is also unusual, at least by comparison to the other varieties I've grown.
DeleteDelle belle composizioni! Bellissimo il Lycoris! Qui sia loro che le Nerine mi producono solo moltissime foglie. Ho provato di tutto ma non ne vogliono sapere!
ReplyDeleteBuona giornata :D
I have not had much luck with Lycoris either, Gabriel, which is why I was intent on protecting that bloom. According to my records, I planted 5 Lycoris bulbs but, so far, I have had just the one bloom stalk. I am having slightly better luck with the Amarines, which are a cross between Amaryllis and Nerine.
DeleteI adore the pink on pink on pink! But the Lady Darlene takes the cake. Gorgeous.
ReplyDelete'Lady Darlene' is a beauty! I hope I'll get a few more blooms from her before I call it quits on dahlia season but the mildew is HIDEOUS and it's spreading...
DeleteOh what abundance, Kris, and curious that you are anticipating having to dig out your dahlias soon too, but not for the same reason as those of us in the UK! You have some lovely varieties and some pretty zinnias too
ReplyDeleteDigging up the tubers in the fall allows me to make full use of the cutting garden space year round without the risk of rotting the dahlia tubers while they're dormant, Cathy. We don't have a real winter like you do so I can grow flowers year round in that area.
DeleteBeen chilly here but I would love to see 70s again. Once again your flowers just fill my heart. Pinks, oranges, and purples. All perfectly arranged. Thanks for another week of flowers to bring us all joy.
ReplyDeleteThanks Donna! I'm glad you enjoy them.
DeleteHi Donna, your vases look utterly delicious (yes indeed!) and delightful. Love dahlias but they don't do all that well here, never mind that they're from Mexico initially. Think I ought to give the species dahlias a go. Our summer seems to go on and on which is nice in a way but challenging for the garden and nature in general. Wishing you happy autumn days x
ReplyDeleteI'm a lot closer to Mexico than you are, Annette ;) In fact, I've read that our climate in Los Angeles may resemble that of Baja California (coastal Mexico) within 50 years. sometimes it feels like we're already there!
DeleteI'm not sure whether my dahlias will last until the end of the month either Kris but here it could be frost that sees them off 😂 You have some beauties in your vases. I've not heard of lycoris which looks most attractive and wonder if they are related to nerines. I must find out more!
ReplyDeleteAs I was watering my cutting garden late this afternoon, I thought that, if I squinted, my mildewed leaves took on the look of frost, Anna. It's gotten really bad really fast :(
DeleteWonderful array of dahlias again, Kris. I love the Iceburg and purples. I think your purples have been my favorite for weeks! Amelia
ReplyDeleteDahlia 'Iceberg' has been one of my favorites in prior years, Amelia. It's late arrival was disappointing. I may hunt down a replacement tuber next year, although I think the plant may have just been buried too deeply under the long arms of Dahlia 'Lavender Ruffles'. Dahlia 'Mikayla Miranda' (the white and lavender one) has become a favorite this year, even though it didn't do much last year.
DeleteMmmm...these arrangements really brightened my day. Thank you. I especially enjoy the blooms and arrangements with the mixes of oranges and pinks...so warm and welcoming!
ReplyDelete'Belle of Barmera' is a very splashy dahlia with its mix of rosy pink and peach tones. The flowers are enormous too.
DeleteWell they took a while but worth the wait! Delicious fruity Popsicle colors--refreshing on this too-hot day! Zinnias and Dahlias are so similar in certain respects--both native to Mexico so I guess that makes sense.
ReplyDeleteMine did best in the ground--the pots were not so good this year. I thought they would rot in the ground from all the rain, but...nope.
Forgot--how did your tree trim do? Hopefully not too destructive.
DeleteWhat we think of as a tremendous amount of rain may be just right from the perspective of the dahlias, HB ;) I left Dahlia 'La Luna' in one of my raised planters last year by accident and despite the extra water it received along with the foxgloves and Nigella I had growing above, it did great! However, I've rotted several dahlia tubers by giving them too much water prior to germination so I'm wary of leaving them in place while planting my cool season flowers on top of them.
DeleteThe tree trimming itself was fine (it took ALL day) but there was collateral damage. Some of it was the little stuff I was expecting but there was one major fiasco. I'm preparing a post and hope to have it up on Wednesday.
Oh so pretty. Enjoy them while you can.
ReplyDeleteI started cutting out some of the worst of the mildewed dahlia foliage late yesterday afternoon, Elaine. I won't be able to stand it for much longer :(
DeleteWhat a gorgeous selection of dahlia arrangements again Kris! I love that big white one, but am drawn to the peachy pinks and oranges… 'Lady Darlene' is my favourite this week!
ReplyDelete'Lady Darlene' is one flashy plant, Cathy! I was disappointed by 'Iceberg' this year but, if the tuber looks good when I dig it up, I may save it to plant next year. I'll also look into purchasing a new tuber to provide a back-up.
DeleteWhat a beautiful variety of pinks. I always call the very soft pink 'Leona Pink', my grandmother loved the color and always wore blouses in that shade under dove grey jumpers. Beautiful memories stirred by the colors you used.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad they evoked memories for you!
DeleteBeautiful arrangements, Kris. Those dahlias are scrumptious!! Eliza
ReplyDeleteIt's always sad to see them go but they're barreling down the road now ;)
DeleteIt would be impossible to choose a favorite. You've had a good dahlia run, Kris, and have arranged them creatively with other materials.
ReplyDeleteWe're just about at the end of that run now, Susie. Only 3 or 4 of my 15 varieties are still producing new flowers and even those are fading faster than they were.
DeleteSo many beautiful dahlias, I can't even decide which I like the most this time. I was also delighted by the unabashed pinkness in the first two vases. Cooler temps seemed to push our dahlias to try to get in another flush, though most of them never got to finish it. That'd make your already spectacular run pretty much legendary!
ReplyDeleteI hope you get at least a few more blooms before cold temperatures take the dahlias out, Angelea. The Santa Ana winds came on like banshees here yesterday and today so I don't expect there to be much of anything other than perhaps Rudbeckias to cut tomorrow. This week's heat had flattened even most of the most recent dahlia blooms before the wind struck. I was gone today (Saturday) so I turned a blind eye to the cutting garden - I'll wait and face the music tomorrow.
Delete