Monday, October 28, 2024

In a Vase on Monday: Last call for dahlias?

I spent a good portion of the weekend working in my garden, focusing half my time on taking apart the cutting garden on the northwest side of the house.  I've dug up thirteen of the fifteen dahlia tubers in the raised planters.  The two remaining dahlias and the zinnias will come out this week so I can prepare the planters for the seeds, bulbs, and plugs I grow there during our cool season (late fall through early spring).  There are four other dahlias in containers elsewhere but I can take my time about pulling them out.  I still need to prepare the tubers I plan to store in the garage during their dormant period but I can give myself a little time before tackling that chore too.

I'd hoped to have 'Mikayla Miranda' Dahlias to end the season but they withered away too soon.  I took advantage of a single bloom of Dahlia 'Vancouver', embellishing it with zinnias and other plant material. 

'Vancouver' was a bit beyond its prime but I elected to use it anyway


Back view: I used two of the same varieties of zinnias I used in last week's second arrangement.  I've been using floral food in my arrangements regularly now and last week's arrangement still looks good, only slightly faded.

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: noID Alternanthera, Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', Hypoestes phyllostachya, Dahlia 'Vancouver', Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Giant Wine', noID ZinniaZ.e. 'Zinfandel Lilac', and Cuphea 'Starfire Pink'


I had three more blooms from my late-blooming Dahlia 'Belle of Barmera' this week.  The plant is growing in a barrel and I'll keep it there for awhile to see if I can get additional flowers, hence the question mark in this post's title.  One Dahlia 'Catching Fire', also in a barrel, currently has a single bloom but its foliage is developing mildew and I don't see a single bud so the likelihood of further flowers there is low.

The 'Belle of Barmera' Dahlias are out of proportion with the other flowers in this arrangement but I went with them anyway as it's possible I won't see any more this year.  The heavy flowers up front actually fell over after a few hours in the vase, forcing me to cut the stems shorter and photograph them again.

Back view

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Tanacetum parthenium, Rudbeckia hirta 'Sahara', Dahlia 'Belle of Barmera', Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Giant Coral', Z. e. 'Golden Hour', and Z. e. 'Zinfandel Peach'


I dug up the very tall 'Summer's End' Dahlia on Friday and threw the last presentable blooms into the small vase I had on the kitchen island, along with the last 'La Luna' Dahlia, which I couldn't bring myself to put out on the street for neighbors with the other surviving flowers.

Dahlia 'Summer's End' was as prolific this year as it was last year but I can't say the same for 'La Luna'


Although I'm not sorry to put summer's hot, dry weather behind us, I always feel a little sad when I clear my cutting garden of the last of the season's colorful blooms.  It'll be months before the cool season cutting garden jumps into gear, especially if it remains dry and warmer temperatures persist.  Much as I appreciate the trivial amounts of precipitation we periodically get from our morning marine layer, we haven't had any real rain here for nearly six months.  The current forecast says there's a forty-five percent chance of light rain next weekend but that could quite literally evaporate over the course of the week.


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



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

26 comments:

  1. I know you've been very busy--you're incredible! I love your Dahlias, and I'm making a note to purchase more next year because they're such great cut flowers. Of course, I'll always love Zinnias, and I'm amazed that I can have Zinnia blooms from June through October. They're so easy to grow from seed. I will miss them. I'll be visiting your blog with envy from November through March. Thanks for sharing your beautiful garden and arrangements. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think you get better plants growing zinnias from seeds too, Beth. All those I try as plugs fail, while those grown from seed go on and on.

      Delete
  2. You are full of energy, such a firecracker! That is a lot of tuber digging, but the dahlias are worth the time - you had so many blooms. This week your zinnias are really standing out. Here's hoping you get a nice rain shower!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Our state as a whole could use some rain but I expect you've received much more than we have. It's time to perform a rain dance here!

      Delete
    2. We had our first rain yesterday, as a matter of fact! But it barely amounted to anything.

      Delete
    3. I'm still envious. Maybe the rain forecast to arrive here on Saturday will move through your area first. The good news is that the probability is still inching higher, although the amount expected has decreased since yesterday :(

      Delete
  3. Once again fabulous vases...so much color. And that Dahlia 'Vancouver' is a real standout.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was glad that 'Vancouver' made a final appearance before the curtain closed, Donna.

      Delete
  4. Beautiful arrangements. Your color combinations are stunning. I only have a few scattered blooms left as I clear out dead branches, etc.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I spent the hours this morning into early afternoon clearing my cutting garden of its summer flowers, TLL. My arrangements will be fewer and thinner in the coming weeks as well.

      Delete
  5. Beautiful creations as always Kris. Your dahlia 'Vancouver' is a stunning colour. Not one I've come across here but I must investigate. I do hope that you have some rain soon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gray skies teased us throughout the morning but we didn't even get any drizzle, Anna. Still, the forecasters continue to say the biggest chance of rain (now 60%) is the coming weekend and the amount of rain expected is greater too :)

      Delete
  6. I hope there will be a few more dahlias before the show is over for the year. Though they have been blooming for a couple months, I guess one can't complain, ha!
    I hope rain shows up for you this weekend. I can't imagine 6 months without rain. Your garden doesn't reflect that stat. It looks always looks primo to me. Eliza

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, we're still allowed to run irrigation 2x a week, Eliza. That helps a lot. A 6-month stretch of dry weather isn't unusual for our Mediterranean climate but getting real rain during the cool season is imperative.

      Delete
  7. Making room for next stages in the garden! Looking forward to your next season. Your summer-fall dahlias and zinnias have been wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It'll be awhile until I see anything from the cutting garden, Susie. IAVOM will require more creative thinking ;)

      Delete
  8. I am so impressed by your cutting garden Kris and have often wondered how I would cope with having a 'growing' season all year round…. I am actually quite pleased to put my garden to bed for a few months and relax! LOL! I hope you manage to find enough flowers for vases to cheer you until the new plants get going. Dahlia Vancouver is spectacular, especially viewed from above. The intricate curly petals are as lovely as the colour. And the foliage you used with it is perfect. Fingers crossed you get a drop of rain to help things along.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I could use a break in the garden for a month or maybe two, Cathy! Autumn is actually a more intense season for us than spring.

      Delete
  9. I recently saw a FB post detailing the work done to dig and store that person's dahlia tubers, there's no way I would go to those lengths. Then again, you know what I do for my plants! We all have our chores, just focused a little differently.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha! I read your first sentence and immediately asked myself how you could say that, Loree. In comparison to your annual transition, mine is relatively trivial.

      Delete
  10. There's that pretty little vase again full of still perfect blooms. I have to admit I too enjoy a rest from the constant upkeep but my body is so used to that rhythm always living at similar latitudes. I often wonder if we are programmed for the climate we were born into! We too are still in a drought but hoping the snow will help us out. Meanwhile Vancover's gardens are being washed away. All your arrangements are lovely.
    https://zonethreegardenlife.blog/2024/10/28/in-a-vase-monday-october-28/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm always wishing Mother Nature were a little more even-handed with precipitation, Jenny. I hope you get some rain - and the wished-for snow.

      Delete
  11. Love the pink shade of Vancouver, Kris! With such bounty from your dahlias and zinnias, it's not surprising you harbour some reluctance to clear them, but at least you and those of us on IAVOM can enjoy the benefits of their last hurrah in your vases today

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 'Belle of Barmera' still offers some promise but the rest are done, even the 'Catching Fire' Dahlia in a barrel I'd hoped would hang on longer, Cathy. Work on my cool season garden is well underway!

      Delete
  12. A fitting celebration to the end of ? Dahlia season. Hoping for a few more. Amelia

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. At this point, it looks like I'll see just one more Dahlia 'Belle of Barmera'. So much for my dithering about when to let the dahlias go!

      Delete

I enjoy receiving your comments and suggestions! Google has turned on reCAPTCHA affecting some commentator IDs so, if you wish to identify yourself, please add your name to your comment.