In a Vase on Monday: Going out with a bang

My efforts to clear my cutting garden are continuing in earnest now but, as I'd hoped, there were enough dahlia flowers left to put together two more arrangements.  In addition to missing the flowers themselves, composing arrangements in future weeks will require more foraging, at least until my cool season cutting garden switches into gear, which probably won't happen until sometime in early 2026.

As most of my dahlias began to fade away, Dahlia 'La Belle Epoque' stepped up, accompanied by Dahlia 'Bumble Rumble'.

'Bumble Rumble' (sold to me as 'Kelsey Annie Joy') upstaged 'La Belle Epoque', even though blooms of the latter were more abundant

Back view: I added stems of variegated Correa 'Wyn's Wonder' (aka Australian fuchsia) to fill out the vase.  All of my Correa shrubs are just beginning to bloom.

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Correa 'Wyn's Wonder', Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset', Dahlia 'Bumble Rumble' (probably), and D. 'La Belle Epoque'

Dahlia 'Fairway Spur' also stepped up production as my dahlia season rushed to its early end.  Unfortunately, I hadn't set up effective support for the lanky plant so the stems were anything but straight.

As I discovered in prior years, the flowers of 'Fairway Spur' can vary significantly in their form, some densely petaled with others bearing nearly single petals surrounding open eyes

Back view: I also cut the last 3 open flowers of Dahlia 'Summer's End'

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold', Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder', Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Giant Salmon Rose', Dahlia 'Fairway Spur', and D. 'Summer's End'

Most of my zinnias were already gone.  I'd originally thought I'd end the season by leaving more cut stems for the neighbors but there were too few to make a decent giveaway so I once again popped them into a small vase to sit on our kitchen Island.

The Zinnia elegans here are mostly 'Benary's Giant Lime' and 'Benary's Giant Coral' but none of these stragglers were really giant

Hopes are high that rain is in our near future.  There's a chance of it today but it currently looks like the prospect will improve overnight into Tuesday morning.  Both Weather Underground and AccuWeather currently put the prospect at ninety-five percent by Tuesday morning.  It doesn't appear it'll be much more than half an inch in total at best but that's good for us, especially this early in the season.  In any case, it's an incentive to make progress with the cutting garden cleanup today.  Dahlia 'Lady Darlene' has three blooms left, which I'm holding onto as a thank you gesture to deliver on Tuesday.

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