The dahlias in my garden haven't exactly mounted a stampede yet but they're definitely gearing up to put on a good show. The zinnias are picking up their pace too. I didn't have to think long about what I was going to cut for today's vases.
Dahlia 'Labyrinth' was a late bloomer last year and wasn't especially prolific but this year it appears to be making up for lost time.
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| I didn't divide the 'Labyrinth' tuber as much as I probably should have, which may account for its output this year |
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| Back view: I've had 3 more varieties of zinnias make an appearance |
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| Overhead view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Cuphea 'Honeybells', Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Salmon Rose, Z. e. 'Queeny Lemon Peach', Z. e. 'Queeny Orange Lime', Z. e. 'Queeny Red Lime', and Dahlia 'Labyrinth' |
Dahlia 'Creme de Cognac' was a star last year and it seems prepared to follow up that performance with another great display this year.
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| I stuffed this vase more densely than I'd intended and, in the process, didn't quite manage to achieve symmetry |
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| Back view |
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| Overhead view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Abelia grandiflora 'Kaleidoscope', Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder', Zinnia elegans 'Queeny Red Lime', Z. e. 'Benary's Giant Lime', and Dahlia 'Creme de Cognac' |
Dahlia 'Mikayla Miranda' didn't appreciate the joint onslaught by heat and air conditioning last week and was fading fast by Friday. I hope the dahlias hold up better this week. By comparison, last week's second arrangement held up relatively well. Two Agapanthus stems were worthy of another round and I popped them into a smaller vase to sit on the kitchen island.
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| The stems of both Agapanthus 'Elaine' and Abelia grandiflora 'Hopley's Variegated' are holdovers but I added a new stem of white Eustoma grandiflorum (aka Lisianthus) to the mix |
After two days of fairly moderate summer temperatures in the mid-80sF (29C), we're expecting another heatwave to kick off today. I hope it's milder than the previous one as I went stir-crazy last week. Our air quality is nominally better as Cal Fire has gained ground on the active fires in Southern California - the Gifford Fire is now over thirty percent contained and the Canyon Fire that prompted evacuations in Los Angeles County is over sixty percent contained.
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Labyrinth is such a gorgeous dahlia. Love the mix of colours. Creme de Cognac is also a beautiful one. I'm growing it this year as well. Glad the fires are starting to become under control. Our summer has been cool and wet and relatively smoke free this year. A real treat.
ReplyDeleteFabulous Dahlias and Zinnias, the stars of this week!
ReplyDeleteHere too Dahlias under perform their first year, and improve after that.
I love the colors that run through your first two vase arrangements!
ReplyDeleteWhat a shame to hear that fires are threatening much of the state again - is it only in recent years that they have become more widespread? It was the green and (sort of) burnt orange vase that jumped out at me today - you captured the colours of the two-tone zinnia beautifully. I m pleased your dahlias are beginning to perform for you and look forward to seeing the in lots of your vases in the coming weeks
ReplyDelete