I disposed of all but one of my dahlias about two weeks ago, the majority because they showed signs of the mosaic virus, and a few others simply because they hadn't performed well. The one I left in place was purchased on a whim from my local garden center in April, labeled as
'Caproz Pizzazz'. The photo attached to the tuber's package showed a flower with deep magenta petals touched with pinkish-white. I planted it in a half-barrel in May and it grew well but stubbornly refused to produce any buds. I was ready to toss it with the rest of my tubers when it surprised me with a single bud a few weeks ago. That bud finally opened late last week, revealing the fact that it is most definitely not
'Caproz Pizzazz' (which you can see
here.) As pickings to fill vases are very limited now, I cut that bloom for the first of this week's vases.
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| I asked Google AI to identify white dahlias with lavender petal tips. It offered 6 possibilities, one of which was 'Ferncliff Illusion', which is the one that most resembled the dahlia shown above. In addition to its color, both flowers are dinnerplate varieties. The dahlia has unexpectedly developed a few more buds so I've left it in place for now. |
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| Back view: Vitex trifolia has an annoying habit of drooping after being cut but it's still pretty and it usually straightens up eventually |
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| Overhead view: Among other things, I added 2 stems of Medinilla myrinatha (aka the Malaysian or grape orchid) to the mix. It's not as flashy as Medinilla magnifica but it's survived in my garden for years and gets points for that. |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Correa 'Ivory Bells', Cosmos bipinnatus, Cuphea 'Starfire Pink', Dahlia 'Ferncliff Illusion' (maybe), Medinilla myriantha, and Vitex trifolia |
I considered Camellia sasanqua flowers for a second arrangement as they've just begun to bloom but the flowers of Senna bicapsularis have reached their peak so I decided to make use of them. Although I featured a couple of stems in a vase two weeks ago, they were still in bud at that point. They're making a bolder statement now.
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| I filled in with stems of 2 of the ever-blooming Grevilleas. The addition of a single Rudbeckia up front was due to accidentally cutting its stem as I was tidying up the plant. |
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| Back view |
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| Overhead view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream', G. 'Superb', Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder', Rudbeckia 'Juliana', and Senna bicapsularis |
The green Lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) I cut last week are still looking good so I stuck them in the small vase on my kitchen island to accompany the Leucadendron 'Jester' stems I cut two weeks ago.
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| The Lisianthus haven't been prolific this year but at least they have a long vase life |
Following a moderate heatwave last week with temperatures in the low 90sF/32C), temperatures have dropped over the last couple of days, courtesy of dense morning marine layers. Current expectations are that our temperatures will remain in the 60s to low-70sF throughout most of November. However,
Weather West predicts that Southern California (if not necessarily the northern part of the state) will remain dry for the "foreseeable future."
All material © 2012-2025 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
