Last week I abruptly switched gears on the dahlias I intended to use in my floral arrangements. As it turns out, that was a good decision as my original selections were even bigger and more numerous this week. The first of these was Dahlia 'Fairway Spur'. Its blooms grew larger and fuller as the week went by, reaching their pinnacle by Sunday when I cut two stems.
 |
| The 2 'Fairway Spur' blooms I used in this arrangement were 9 inches in diameter |
 |
| Back view: I added 2 smaller blooms of Dahlia 'Creme de Cognac' to provide a little contrast but they got shoved to the side |
 |
| Top view |
 |
| Clockwise from the upper left: Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', Plectranthus scutellarioides 'Indian Summer' (aka coleus), Rudbeckia hirta 'Sahara', Dahlia 'Creme de Cognac', and D. 'Fairway Spur' |
Dahlia 'Break Out' produced more flowers in the span of a week and, with my Amaryllis belladonna on the decline, I wanted to pair the two flowers while I had the opportunity.
 |
| With the drooping stems of both Acacia 'Cousin Itt' and Amaryllis belladonna hanging down, this arrangement looks as though its wearing a frothy skirt |
 |
| Back view |
 |
| Top view |
 |
| Clockwise from the upper left: Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Zinnia elegans 'Raspberry Limeade', Z. e. Zinderella Lilac', Amaryllis belladonna, Cuphea 'Honeybells', Dahlia 'Break Out', and Tanacetum parthenium |
I'd intended to squeeze one stem of
Dahlia 'Labyrinth' into the first arrangement but the vase was too tight so it ended up in a tiny vase sitting next to the kitchen sink.
 |
| 'Labyrinth' is an exceptionally pretty dahlia with ruffled peach and pink petals and I couldn't bring myself to toss it. I paired it with other leftovers: a couple of Tanacetum stems and a Zinnia. |
My recently adopted six-month old cat, Meeko, has begun to show untoward interest in my cut flowers. So far, she hasn't done anything more than giving them a sniff and I'm hoping things stay that way. She's already developed into an impressive climber and no surface seems to be beyond her reach, or outside her interest.
 |
| Meeko in the built-in bookcase above my office desk |
The return of our morning marine layer late last week helped to bring our temperatures down into the cooler end of the summer spectrum through the weekend but they're expected to creep up into the mid-80sF (29C) and possibly higher by mid-week when the marine layer deserts us once more. For those of you in the US, best wishes for a happy Labor Day, considered the unofficial end of summer but more important as a recognition of the achievements of the labor movement in improving the lives of so many American workers. For everyone interested in more floral creations based on elements in our own gardens, check in with Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
Happy Labor Day! I love Meeko pictures, am happy to hear she's enjoying her kittenhood. Labyrinth is a stunner, wow.
ReplyDelete'Labyrinth' is pretty and I hope to give it its own show before the dahlia show is done but it's all a matter of timing!
DeleteFingers crossed Meeko stays away from the cut flowers! (other than to smell them, which is very sweet)
ReplyDeleteDahlias and zinnias don't smell much (at least to my nose) so hopefully Meeko will steer clear of them. She really is the most athletic feline climber I've ever had and she's very curious about everything. I need more cat toys but she rejects the majority of those ;)
DeleteYou may have to have some discussions with Meeko. But fingers crossed. I adore the darker first vase top view but both are stunning. Wow!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Donna. Discussions with Meeko don't seem to be sinking in but squirt bottles do appear to have an impact, provided I catch her in the act at the right moment!
DeleteWonderful colours!
ReplyDeleteDon't know why it it anonymous - Sandra from Wild. Daffodil xx
DeleteThanks Sandra. I think the Blogspot-Wordpress connection has been adjusted, making IDs of commentators more difficult - I now have to add my URL link to each comment even though I established an account on Wordpress last year.
DeleteI am glad I am seeing your vase virtually and not in real life Kris as a recent garden visit has conformed that extra large dahlias just don't appeal to me - so seeing your vase like this I can pretend I haven't read the bit about that one bloom being about 9" across!! 🤣 Your vase really does look lovely, and the leptospermum is such a great shade to pick out the colours of the blooms - and the cuphea does the same in the second vase. Thanks for sharing, as always
ReplyDeleteI actually have fewer "dinner plate" dahlias this year than I've had in prior years, Cathy ;) There was a smaller dahlia in the arrangement with 'Fairway Spur' - in retrospect, I should've taken a photo of the arrangement from its side.
DeleteMeeko looks bigger already. Hopefully she just looks at the flowers. Magnificent dahlias again, Kris! The first container is wonderful.
ReplyDeleteHappy Labor Day! Amelia
Happy Labor Day to you too, Amelia. I think Meeko is slowly putting on weight but she's picky about what she'll eat and she gets a LOT of exercise!
DeleteThose Dahlias are lush and lovely, and your arrangements are fabulous as always! Our weather is a roller coaster ride lately, too--from 90s a few days ago to perfect 70s and 80s for about a week, down to the 60s next weekend, and then back up in the 80s after that for at least a week. Do I need a jacket or a swimsuit. LOL. Enjoy your amazing garden. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm dressing for cool weather most mornings lately, which generally means I'm sweating in the afternoon even when our temperatures are in the 80s, Beth. I'm looking forward to fall but, regardless of what the calendar says, I don't think we'll experience fall conditions until sometime in October.
Delete'Labyrinth' is lovely. You certainly have some exceptional dahlias and quite the variety. I planted 'Fairway Spur' several years ago but it doesn't mature in time to bloom. I've had maybe one bloom from it. Yours is so gorgeous.
ReplyDelete'Fairway Spur' is fast to sprout here but I understand it's considered a "late blooming" variety. As our summer is seemingly endless, that's not a problem.
DeleteWell done using large dahlias (9"!) and it still looking beautifully balanced, Kris. I find their size daunting in arrangements!
ReplyDeleteI love the colors in the second vase and from the back, it reminds me of a hula dancer with a grass skirt! 😁 'Cousin Itt' is such attractive foliage. Eliza
The Acacia does tend to create that "skirt" effect and the Amaryllis, with their heavy heads, doubled down on that.
DeleteThe size of 'Fairway Spur' had to have been challenging when creating the first vase (it turned out beautiful and balance!). What a magnificent flower!!! I expect you had to stake this dahlia in the cutting garden.
ReplyDeleteThe second vase is an unexpected, tropical, 'hula skirt'-fun! Bring on the Mai Tai.
Baby Meeko is gorgeous. I love her triangular face with the white marking around the mouth and almost a goatee... like she has finished drinking from her milk bowl!
Chavli
I use tomato cages to support any dahlia reported to grow taller than 3 feet plus the ones that produce huge flowers. According to the growers I got my original tuber from, 'Fairway Spur' can grow up to 6 feet tall (although other growers say 4 feet) so it gets a really big cage, as do 'La Luna' and 'Lady Darlene'!
DeleteHave you tried some cat grass in the catio? It's super easy from seed if you would rather recycle containers than buy new from the pet store. She's adorable and your dahlias are stupendous!
ReplyDeleteI've given my prior cats cat grass with mixed reactions. I may try it with Meeko, although I've been careful of her digestive system since I discovered that she wasn't ready to handle most adult cat food yet. (One online source recommended kitten food until she's a year old.)
DeleteIt's been a long time since I've had a kitten! She's still that in many respects even though the shelter had labeled her a "young adult."
Hi Kris. What a wonderful dahlia! 9 inches across is incredible! I have just disposed of three of mine that simply didn't thrive… insects/earwigs nibbled the buds and made holes in the leaves and they looked deformed and sick, so they have gone down to the compost heap. Perhaps one will surprise me next year and flower down there! LOL! I also love the Amaryllis belladonna - the way it dangles daintily below the other flowers like little bells is very pretty.
ReplyDeleteYuck, earwigs! They're possibly the ugliest bugs I've ever seen. I've had them crawl out of artichokes but I've never seen them anywhere near my dahlias and, knock wood, I hope I never do!
DeleteThe first one is particularly gorgeous. Looks like a great year for you where Dahlias are concerned.
ReplyDeleteMeeko settling in and taking charge!
It'll be interesting to see what damage the heat does to the dahlias - when the wind kicked up in the early evening yesterday, some of my taller dahlias took nosedives even though they were well-watered before the heatwave started :(
DeleteAs to Meeko, I'm beginning to think she's not taking charge so much as taking over!