In a Vase on Monday: Hustling to the exit

My dahlias are clearly on their way out the door now.  It's possible that I may be able to cobble together another arrangement including a few stems next week but I'm not counting on that.  I've pulled the majority of the zinnias already and more of the dahlias will go this week.  There are promising buds here and there but, if temperatures soar later this week as predicted, they may end up in a green bin rather than a vase.

My first arrangement was created using bits and pieces of four different dahlias.

Dahlia 'Fairway Spur', shown front and center here, got a very late start on the season and has only recently picked up its pace

I dressed up the back of the arrangement with stems of Dahlias 'Brown Sugar' and 'Creme de Cognac'.  The latter was badly afflicted by the mosaic virus and had only just produced another flush of flowers.

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Zinnia 'Benary's Giant Salmon Rose', Dahlia 'Fairway Spur', D. 'Summer's End', D. 'Creme de Cognac', and D. 'Brown Sugar'

Stems of three other dahlias ended up in the second arrangement with a few leftover zinnias.

Dahlias 'Lady Darlene' and 'Miss Brandy' were also late bloomers.  They're similar in color but not in form.

Back view

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder', Zinnia elegans 'Queeny Red Lime', Z. e. 'Benary's Giant Lime', Dahlia 'La Luna', D. 'Lady Darlene', and D. 'Miss Brandy'

Preparing the raised beds in my cutting garden for cool season plants is always time consuming.  The fact that I'll probably toss all of the dahlia tubers this year so as to avoid another round with dahlia mosaic virus next year will actually simplify the process as I won't be spending hours cleaning, dividing, and storing tubers as I usually do.  However, removing all remnants of the tubers before refreshing the soil for replanting will require more effort this year.  I'll approach the process in stages, leaving the plants with the most promising buds to the end.  I'll receive some assistance.  The raccoons and/or possums are paying me almost nightly visits at present so I expect they'll be "helping" me clear the beds of grubs - yesterday, I saw the first evidence they they'd already been digging in the raised planters.

For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

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