While some of my dahlias are blooming one flower at a time and a handful still just have buds, there are others that are blooming faster than I can cut them even though I've given away several bouquets in the past week. In an effort to stay ahead of the grasshoppers that have a taste for dahlias, I cut those with the most abundant blooms.
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| Dahlias 'La Luna' and 'Summer's End' put on a sunny front |
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| I cut the first bloom of Dahlia 'Fairway Spur' to dress up the back view |
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| Overhead view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Abelia grandiflora 'Kaleidoscope', Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Dahlia 'Fairway Spur', D. 'La Luna', D. 'Summer's End', and Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Giant Lime' |
Dahlia 'Mikayla Miranda' seems to be one of the grasshoppers' favorite snacks so cutting those flowers for a second arrangement was a given.
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| Front view |
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| I dressed up the back view with a wider range of flowers, including foxglove and lisianthus stems |
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| Overhead view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Abelia grandiflora 'Hopley's Variegated', Eustoma grandiflorum, Digitalis purpurea, Dahlia 'Blue Bell', and D. 'Mikayla Miranda' |
Last week's heatwave held on through Sunday as predicted, although yesterday's temperature peaked a smidge lower at 92F (33C). At least we never hit the highs the inland valleys did but temperatures in the mid-90sF kept me out of the garden beyond the early morning hours. It looks as though our morning marine layer is expected to creep back into place for several days this week, which should deliver cooler temperatures. We can hope that anyway.
For more IAVOM creations, check in with Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
All material © 2012-2025 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
These are both so soft & pretty, feels like a breath of fresh air. Summer's End is especially nice. MM is a prolific bloomer. I hope something comes along and eats all the grasshoppers.
ReplyDeleteThere appear to be an incredible number of grasshoppers here this year, Tracy. The big brown adults are easy to spot but there are even more tiny green babies out there. The birds need to get to work!
DeleteOh, thanks for sharing your Dahlias again. <3 Both arrangements are simply lovely and cheery.
ReplyDeleteThanks Beth! The dahlias are likely to remain the mainstays of my IAVOM posts for the next month or two ;)
DeleteYou are certainly very successful at growing Dahlias, and keeping up with their demands for water etc. Thanks for sharing them so beautifully in those arrangements.
ReplyDeleteI can only grow dahlias in my cutting garden because it gets more water than any place else. I did try some in a border once but it was a major failure.
DeleteDarn grasshoppers! I love the overhead view of the first vase, gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteThat was my favorite photo this week too, Loree :)
DeleteFortunately grasshoppers are not a problem we have here, Kris! I love both your arrangements today, both classy and balanced and elegant, and in both cases the foliage complements the blooms perfectly
ReplyDeleteNo grasshoppers! While at least they're not like locusts, we can't avoid having them in significant numbers here every summer. I don't know why the birds don't cull their ranks to a greater extent.
DeleteMagnificent, especially the first one! Brava!
ReplyDeletePerhaps it is grasshoppers eating my Zinnias. Haven't seen what is eating them, but they are unquestionably eaten.
--hb
DeleteI haven't seen one on any of my Zinnias but I've caught a big guy on my dahlias. I send them flying away but haven't killed any (yet).
DeleteI love seeing your dahlias in bloom, Kris. 'Summer's End' and 'Blue Bell' are catching my eye.
ReplyDeleteThankfully, I seem to have only one grasshopper in my garden and it lives in my green bean patch. I say hi to him every morning. :D He doesn't seem to eat much so I leave him be. However, my dahlias are being munched by earwigs and cucumber beetle, which meet a quick end if I am fast enough to grab them! Eliza
Ugh! I hate earwigs, although the only things I've seen them go after were the artichokes on our back slope. I learned to carry a bucket of soaps water with me any time I wanted to cut a choke!
DeleteBeautiful arrangements as always Kris. My preference is for the cooling colours of the first vase. I wonder if 'La Luna' is available over here. I hope that the marine layer does creep back to keep you cooler.
ReplyDeleteThe marine layer was indeed back this morning. It's definitely cooler even if the humidity has increased. We can't get everything we want it seems ;)
DeleteWhat a beautiful arrangement! Love it so much. These flowers are gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jackie.
DeleteBeautiful Dahlia collection Kris. We have a small number of grasshoppers and lots of earwigs this year but last night for the first time ever in this area I could hear crickets very clearly. I knew we have a few but they were so clear - it was just lovely. Climate change.
ReplyDeletehttps://zonethreegardenlife.blog/2025/08/25/in-a-vase-on-monday-august-25-2025/
I thought I heard crickets myself last night, Jenny. Male grasshoppers make sounds as well but they're not melodic.
DeleteI love that peachy mix in your first vase Kris. Doesn't the zinnia go nicely with them. I had no idea grasshoppers nibbled plants! I sometimes see them sitting on my bean plants, but assumed they were harmelss, simply seeking shade! Enjoy all those dahlias while you can!
ReplyDeleteGrasshoppers are herbivores and will chomp on all kinds of plants, Cathy. We have no lawn grass so I guess they go for what's available ;)
DeleteBeautiful dahlias and beautiful arrangements. Summer's End is very nice.
ReplyDelete'Summer's End' is a winner. I planted 2 division this year and gave away 2 more.
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