A bad case of mildew and the spread of the dahlia mosaic virus have made a mess of the foliage in my cutting garden. I've cut a lot of it back, which helps improve airflow, but that doesn't make it look all that much better overall. As the dahlia season winds down, flower production had declined but it hasn't yet stopped entirely. I cobbled together two arrangements once again this week but I may throw up my hands and pull everything out of my raised planters within the next couple of weeks just to rid myself of that hideous foliage. I've already come to the conclusion that most, if not all, of my dahlia tubers will have to be tossed when this season comes to an end so as to avoid more issues with the mosaic virus next year.
'Fairway Spur' is one of my favorite dahlias. It's a late bloomer and I've just had a handful of flowers from it thus far. It doesn't help that it the heavy blooms sit atop weak stems that struggle to support them, causing them to snap at inconvenient times. This week, I was able to cut two of those flowers in reasonably good shape and combined them with flowers cut from the more prolific 'Summer's End' Dahlias, another of my favorites.
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| I took advantage of some of the more recent Zinnia blooms to fill out the vase |
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| Back view |
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| Overhead view |
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| Top row: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana' and Leucadendron salignum 'Winter Red' Middle: Dahlias 'Summer's End' and 'Fairway Spur' Bottom: Zinnias 'Benary's Giant Coral', 'Benary's Giant Salmon Rose', and 'Queeny Red Lime' |
Dahlia 'Cafe au Lait' ('Rose' or 'Royal', I'm no longer sure which) is still pumping out new blooms at a steady rate so I used them for my second arrangement. I cut stems of the Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid' that produced another flush of flowers last week too. The color mix was a little off with the Callistemon having a peachy cast missing in the dahlias but that was the best I could do.
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| I got another single stem of the collarette dahlia with a larger bloom than those it'd previously sported. The dahlia, sold to me as 'Kelsey Ann Joy' is probably actually 'Bumble Rumble' as identified by a social media commentator. |
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| Back view, showing off the Callestemon and Lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) |
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| Overhead view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlia 'Bumble Rumble', D. 'Cafe au Lait Rose/Royal', Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid', Eustoma grandiflorum 'Light Apricot', and Leptospermum 'Copper Glow' |
We had a speck of rain last week, gaining 0.07/inch over a two-day period. That puts us just over the seven inch total for the 2025 "water year," which ends on September 30th. That's less than half our average annual rainfall. The rain was nevertheless appreciated as my rain barrels caught some of what flowed off the house and garage roofs. I can only hope that the 2026 water year will be better. Temperatures have fallen, for which I'm also grateful.
For more IAVOM arrangements, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
All material © 2012-2025 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
If these are "cobbled together," all I can say is "wow"! The vases, themselves, are lovely, and then the beautiful Dahlias and foliage--gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteThanks Beth! I'm surprised that the dahlias are making such an early exit this year, following on the heels of the zinnias taken out by high winds.
DeleteI love those colors!
ReplyDeleteThanks Phillip. Dahlias tend to be flashy!
DeleteBeautiful blooms Kris, I'm so sorry you're dealing with the virus and mildew issues.
ReplyDeleteThe dahlia mosaic virus is a concern. If it lingers in the soil after the removal of the tubers, it doesn't bode well for future summer dahlia "crops."
DeleteA good year for your Dahlias though, despite all. So many gorgeous arrangements of them. I think the peachy is there in the 2nd Dahlia group--they are "warm" pinks.
ReplyDeletePerhaps I'll start over with new Dahlias next year also. This year was such a dud.
I've already pre-ordered some dahlia bulbs for shipment in the spring but, once I've pulled out the current tubers, I need to step back and consider what mix I'd like to see next year. I have at least 2 dahlia plants that appear completely unaffected by the virus but both are duds for other reasons and I'm not going to take up valuable space replanting them next year.
DeleteBeautiful arrangements, I love those shades of color together. Sorry about the mildew, I guess it was the marine layer? Better than scorched I guess.
ReplyDeleteI think the mildew gets bad here because of the combination of the damp marine layer in the morning following by afternoon heat. It's an issue every year but especially bad this year, possibly because we had a more persistent marine layer. I've avoided chemical fungicides but I may try natural ones next year. Apparently neem oil, baking soda in water, and diluted apple cider vinegar can be applied as a safer preventative.
DeleteAs always, your choice of foliage complements your blooms perfectly. You still have a lovely selection of dahlias but I know what you mean about removing unattractive dahlia foliage, as here too there comes a time when I would rather just not see the plants than hold on for a another flower or two. I have already cut down half of my dozen dahlias, but haven't lifted the tubers yet. I liked seeing more eustoma n your second vase, as well as the callistemon. Thanks for sharing, as always
ReplyDeleteLovely displays Kris despite what the weather gods have thrown against them đą I do like that pink callistemon. I always think that dahlias and tulips are often let down by their foliage. Here the darker leaved dahlias usually fare better especially when it comes to mollusc damage.
ReplyDelete