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'.
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| 'Bumble Rumble' (sold to me as 'Kelsey Annie Joy') upstaged 'La Belle Epoque', even though blooms of the latter were more abundant |
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| 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. |
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| Overhead view |
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| 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.
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| 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 |
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| Back view: I also cut the last 3 open flowers of Dahlia 'Summer's End' |
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| Overhead view |
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| 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.
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| 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
Beautiful last collection of Dahlias, and the dark 'Copper Glow' & 'Safari Sunset' sets it all off so well! I was excited about .5", now that's been downgraded to .25" starting this afternoon. I guess we just have to wait and see.
ReplyDeleteThe TV forecasters keep mentioning "significant" rain for the LA area but one never knows what'll happen here. The foothill areas and even the valleys usually get more rain than we do on the peninsula. Weather Underground is still holding on half an inch plus for our immediate area, though.
DeleteYour dahlias have been delightful this year. Dahlia 'Fairway Spur' is one of my favorites. Hope you get a nice rain. It makes the garden and the gardener so happy.
ReplyDeleteI'll be ecstatic is we actually get the "significant" rain the forecasters keep mentioning, Susie!
DeleteIt has been so intriguing to read how these changes in season are different for all of us, depending where we are. To me, you still have such abundance and yet I suspect your dahlia season is not as long as ours in the UK will have been. You have some lovely ones, and pretty zinnias too
ReplyDeleteThe last of the Dahlias in a starring role in your bouquets this year? They exit in splendor.
ReplyDeleteAny rain is "significant", no? Looking forward to whatever we might get! Better than a sharp stick in the eye, the doorknob hitting the backside, etc etc.
Any dent in Fire Season (and the water bill) is a good dent.