Monday, September 30, 2024

In a Vase on Monday: Flashy Lady

I still haven't run out of dahlias for In a Vase on Monday!  Some have grown ridiculously tall and two of those have either twisted their stems around their neighbors to catch the sun or collapsed on stems too weak to support the flowers.  However, my first arrangement features Dahlia 'Lady Darlene' which has blooms that stand tall and stately straight.  This 'Lady's' flowers are also on the flashy end of the dahlia spectrum, hence the title of this post.

When the temperatures were trending higher, the flowers of 'Lady Darlene' tended to be pinky-red and cream but she's showing more of her true colors, red and yellow, now that it's cooler

Back view: I wasn't sure what to pair with the dahlia's flowers other than feverfew until I realized that the red bracts of Leucadendron 'Blush' would make a nice complement

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlia 'Lady Darlene', Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', Leucadendron salignum 'Blush', noID red Pelargonium peltatum, Tanacetum parthenium, and Zinnia elegans 'Raspberry Limeade'

My second arrangement features Dahlia 'Summer's End'.  The plant is the most prolific bloomer of all my dahlias.  

'Summer's End' has the tallest stems of any of my dahlias and most of them are twisted, which made arranging them a bit challenging

Back view

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlia 'Summer's End', Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', Rudbeckia hirta 'Sahara', Tanacetum parthenium, Zinnia elegans 'Golden Hour', and a noID Zinnia


I've been filling a small vase on my kitchen island with stems of Dahlia 'La Luna' most weeks because those stems flop over under their own weight but this week both Dahlia 'Excentric' and Zinnia 'Benary's Giant Wine' are flowering heavily so they won the spot.

Top: views of the vase in place and from the top
Bottom: Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Giant Wine', Plectranthus scutellarioides 'Stained Glassworks Velvet', and Dahlia 'Excentric'  (with my go-to Leptospermum foliage thrown in)


A ridge of high pressure is expected to push temperatures back up again in our area this week.  While temperatures could zip back up to 100F (37C) in the inland valleys, it looks as though our area will stay in the low 80sF (28C) thanks to the persistence of the morning marine layer.  I hope that's right!


For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

 



All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party


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22 comments:

  1. AnonymousSeptember 30, 2024 at 8:09 AM

    'Lady Darlene' is indeed flashy and fabulous, deserving of a spotlight. I love that Dahlia. Leucadendron 'Blush' accentuates her beautifully.
    The vase with 'Summer's End' and Leptospermum 'Copper Glow' say Autumn in a big way for me.
    The kitchen vase is an exercise in riotous colors. That Coleus is amazing: put on your sun glasses!
    Chavli

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    1. Kris PetersonSeptember 30, 2024 at 11:58 AM

      'Lady Darlene's' flowers are much more interesting than they were last year, Chavli. I think it bloomed as the season was coming to an end last year and I probably didn't give the flowers enough time to fully develop. That coleus is my new favorite - I hope I can baby it through what passes for winter here.

      Delete
  2. DonnaSeptember 30, 2024 at 9:09 AM

    I love the beautiful foliage you put in with all these dahlias. I wish I had more room as I would plant loads of dahlias and zinnias all over...with a few more sunflowers!

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    1. Kris PetersonSeptember 30, 2024 at 12:02 PM

      Thanks Donna. I really screwed up on sunflowers this year. I had the seeds and I just didn't get them sowed when the weather still favored germination. Lesson learned! I did pick up a Helianthus plant at a garden center last week but it's not an unusual one.

      Delete
  3. danger gardenSeptember 30, 2024 at 9:19 AM

    You are certainly making the most of your beautiful dahlias! I broke down and bought a $10 (bargain!) bouquet at the local market over the weekend. It included six stems of the largest yellow/peach spidery blooms, worth every penny.

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    1. Kris PetersonSeptember 30, 2024 at 12:03 PM

      I do love dahlias, Loree. they make summer conditions more tolerable here ;)

      Delete
  4. tz_gardenSeptember 30, 2024 at 9:20 AM

    Flashy Lady indeed, that's a great one! The coleus is the perfect addition, the icing on the cake.

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    1. Kris PetersonSeptember 30, 2024 at 12:26 PM

      I had to stop myself from cutting more of that coleus, Tracy - it's a winner!

      Delete
  5. CathySeptember 30, 2024 at 12:00 PM

    The overhead views are especially lovely, really showing off the contents - you have such an eye for colour!. The coleus in the second vase is so curious with its coloured edge -isn't nature amazing!

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    1. Kris PetersonSeptember 30, 2024 at 12:27 PM

      You've got to respect the plant breeders too, Cathy. That coleus is certainly a work of art.

      Delete
  6. AnonymousSeptember 30, 2024 at 2:37 PM

    Here's hoping the marine layer stays around. Those are some flashy Dahlias, another beautiful set of vases...Amelia.

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    1. Kris PetersonSeptember 30, 2024 at 2:50 PM

      Thanks Amelia. It looks as though we can expect the marine layer to hang in until Sunday.

      Delete
  7. Beth at PlantPostingsSeptember 30, 2024 at 4:25 PM

    Oh my goodness: Those peachy/yellow Dahlias are truly special. <3 Those vases are both gorgeous. Sorry about the heat. We are having perfect weather (70s and 80s) much longer into fall than usual. I'll be jealous of you, though, from November through February. ;-)

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    1. Kris PetersonSeptember 30, 2024 at 8:34 PM

      If only my 'Summer's End' Dahlias really signified the end of the summer season, Beth ;)

      Delete
  8. AnonymousSeptember 30, 2024 at 4:49 PM

    Stunning dahlias, Kris. I love all three arrangements, each artfully color-coordinated. The coleus 'Stained Glassworks Velvet' is exceptional!
    Hope that marine layer keeps filtering out those hot sun rays for you. Crazy that the heat continues. :(
    Eliza

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    1. Kris PetersonSeptember 30, 2024 at 8:33 PM

      We only got up to 82F here today, which wasn't bad. Hopefully, the rest of the week won't get any hotter here; however, the same can't be expected in the inland valleys.

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  9. margiOctober 1, 2024 at 1:18 PM

    These dahlias are amazing! I love all the arrangements.

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    1. Kris PetersonOctober 1, 2024 at 2:28 PM

      Thank you, Margi! Dahlias (and zinnias) make our long, hot, dry summers a little more tolerable.

      Delete
  10. CathyOctober 3, 2024 at 12:27 AM

    All of those dahlia arrangements are wonderful, especially the first one which really is autumnal. How long do you expect the dahlias to continue flowering? I always like to see the Leucadendron in a vase!

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    1. Kris PetersonOctober 3, 2024 at 6:33 PM

      I'm hoping for at least another month of dahlia blooms, Cathy. As I recall, I pulled the dahlias out in late October last year and starting my cool season cutting garden but, except that many stems are top heavy, the dahlias are still looking pretty good at the moment (no mildew on the foliage!) so I may get a little more mileage out of them this year. Two dahlia plants have only just now produced their first buds!

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  11. Susie @ pbmGardenOctober 3, 2024 at 6:14 PM

    Your dahlias are excellent this year, Kris. 'Summer's End' is a bit more demure than 'Lady Darlene'. Both are so pretty.

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    1. Kris PetersonOctober 3, 2024 at 6:34 PM

      Thanks Susie. The dahlias got off to a slowish start but they've made up for it since.

      Delete

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