In a Vase on Monday: Rain!

I'm celebrating the fact that we had rain on Sunday, which is something of a minor miracle for us at this time of time of the year.  It's usually dry here from early April until sometime in October.  Yes, we do occasionally have a tropical storm move through but it's not common.  Although forecasters said we could get rain over the Labor Day holiday weekend, the predictions were on the order of a twenty-five percent shot for our area.  But a thunderstorm did indeed come through Sunday morning, delivering over half an inch or rain.  Luckily, we didn't experience any of the flooding some nearby areas did.

As the possibility of rain increased on Saturday, I decided to pick flowers late that afternoon just in case.  That worked out well as I suspect the downpour would've wreaked havoc on many of the dahlias I still had in bloom.  I was able to put together two arrangements again this week, the first of which included Dahlia 'Snowball', which I hadn't had many opportunities to use previously this season.

I did have to gather a scattering of other dahlias to flesh out the arrangement, though

Back view: I used several of the white zinnias as filler material too

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left, the vase contains: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Tanacetum parthenium 'Aureum', Dahlia 'Enchantress', D. 'Mikayla Miranda', D. 'Snowball', and D. 'Table Dancer'.  I note that 'Enchantress' and 'Mikayla Miranda' are still not pulling their expected weight this year.

The second arrangement is also heavy on dahlias but I squeezed in some sunflowers too.  Last week, I identified the sunflowers I used as Helianthus 'Astra Rose'; however, I think that was incorrect and that the sunflowers I used this week actually fit the description of that plant.  I haven't found the seed packet for the other sunflower.

The sunflower adds a nice note to the arrangement but the real stars are the 'Omega' dahlias

 

I tucked a single stem of Dahlia 'Break Out' into the back of the arrangement.  'Break Out' was the most vigorous of all my dahlias at the start of the season but it has effectively burned itself out more recently.

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left, this vase contains: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Dahlia 'Break Out', D. 'Omega', Helianthus 'Astra Rose', Zinnia 'Benary's Giant Salmon Rose', and Z. 'Queeny Lemon Peach'

The dahlias are still fading fast but I hope I'll be able to pull together a couple more bouquets before I call an end to my summer season.  Be sure to check in with Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see what she and other IAVOM contributors have to share this week.

All material © 2012-2026 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: Dashing to the finish line?

The persistent heat has a taken toll on both the garden and the gardener.  According to climatologists, the problem at present here isn't so much the daytime peaks in our temperatures as the fact that we're not seeing the drops in the evening and nighttime temperatures we're used to, and which we rely on to provide relief.  We finally got a break in the daytime highs on Sunday with temperatures falling from the mid-90s (35C) to upper 80s (30C) along the coast but it remains to be seen whether the nighttime temperatures will show a similar decline.

There are still dahlias in my cutting garden but there are fewer varieties making an appearance. Nonetheless, I was able to cobble together two arrangements this week.  The first was headlined by another flush of Dahlia 'Labyrinth' with a few assists from some bit players.

One large, multi-branched sunflower finally bloomed recently and I was looking forward to featuring it this week with just a few dahlias as accents.  But the majority of the sunflowers were looking sad after last week's blistering heat so the sunflowers slipped into the background and the dahlias stepped forward once again. 

Back view: One Dahlia 'Honeymoon' stem also showed up after a long wait so I included it too.  Pretty as that dahlia is, it's been a disappointment overall.  I think it's given me only 4 flowers in total thus far.

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left, the vase contains: Dahlia 'Labyrinth', D. 'Honeymoon', Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Helianthus 'Astra Rose', Tanacetum parthenium 'Aureum', and Zinnias 'Benary's Salmon Rose' and 'Queeny Lemon Peach'.  The sunflower doesn't look anywhere near as pink as it looked in the seed catalog.

Arrangement in place in the front entry

The second arrangement was comprised of a group of dahlias I've largely ignored this season.

Dahlia 'Mystery Day' is the focal point of this arrangement.  I was looking for a red and white dahlia last year to replace the 'Catching Fire' variety I lost to the dreaded dahlia virus but this one hasn't made the grade with me.  I'll be scouting around for a replacement again when I shop for next year's tubers.

Back view: I threw in 3 other dahlias to fill out the arrangement

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left, this vase contains: Abelia grandiflora 'Hopley's Variegated', more Digitalis purpurea (!), Dahlia 'Admiral Rawlings', D. 'Mystery Day', D. 'Snowball', and D. 'Table Dancer' 

As our dining table has been taken over with various therapy materials these days, secondary floral arrangements have been consigned to the kitchen island

I've cleaned up the plants in my cutting garden that have suffered most from the combination of heat and mildew but it's not at all certain that will give them the boost they require to carry on through September.  There's little in the way of new floral content on the horizon at the moment.  I may have to turn to succulents soon, although even those plants are also looking battle weary at this point.

To find more IAVOM contributions, be sure to check in with Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

All material © 2012-2026 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: Plonked in Place

After an all too brief period of temperatures in the mid-80sF (29C), they soared into the mid-90s (35C) last week and appear to be stuck there.  I made half-hearted attempts at cleaning up a couple areas of my garden but the heat sent me back into the air-conditioned comfort of the house all too quickly.  I did my best just to keep my cutting garden watered on a periodic basis.  Still, I managed to fill two vases with flowers that hadn't withered in place.

The first vase contains two dahlia varieties that have been stingy with with their blooms so far this year.

I didn't do much of anything in terms of arranging the flowers here beyond plonking them in this mug I've always used as a vase.  I let Dahlias 'Enchantress' and 'Mikayla Miranda' carry the show with an assist from Zinnia 'Benary's Giant Purple'.

Back view: what was most incredible was that I'm still getting new stems of foxgloves in this heat! 

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left are: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Dahlia 'Enchantress', D. Mikayla Miranda', Digitalis purpurea in white and purple, and Zinnia 'Benary's Giant Purple'  

The arrangement sitting on the front entry table

The second arrangement features Dahlia 'Nicholas'.  I fell in love with its waterlily-like flowers at first sight but the plant's foliage has presented problems from the outset.  Mildew has gradually become an issue for many of my dahlias this year but none are as sad as 'Nicholas'.  However, although it hasn't produced a lot of flowers, the mildew hasn't tarnished the flowers themselves.

The Dahlia's color mellows as its flower ages.  I paired it with stems of Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder' and Tanacetum parthenium 'Aureum'.

While many of the dahlias appear to be in retreat, the zinnias continue to pop up here and there in small numbers (without any sign of mildew from them as yet!), and one sunflower stalk is now in bloom, awaiting its turn in the limelight.

For more IAVOM creations, check in with Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see what she and other contributors have to share this week.

All material © 2012-2026 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: 'Omega' has got a glow about it

My current inventory of dahlias is somewhat depleted at the moment. As I've been cutting so many flowers to give away of course I've fewer available when it comes to prepare my weekly "In a Vase on Monday" post. While I don't regret the giveaways, I do regret my failure to photograph them before I pass them along, especially when I've yet to feature them on my blog. One that's previously received little more than a nod is 'Omega', another one in the "dinner plate" category. However, I managed to come up with four of the flowers this week to include in my own vase.

'Omega' has been described online as a "sunset blend of peach, coral, apricot, rose and yellow" and it really does glow in an arrangement

Rear view of the vase featuring 'Benary's Giant Salmon Rose' Zinnias

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left care: Dahlia 'Omega', Zinnia 'Benary's Giant Salmon Rose', Lotus berthelotii (aka parrot-beak), Leucadendron 'Jester', and Tanacetum parthenium 'Aureum'.  The latter has been very useful as a filler this year.

Arrangement in place accompanied by my prop, a mouse flying a butterfly

'Omega' wasn't my first choice for today's arrangement.  I'd wanted to feature Dahlia 'Snowball' paired with Dahlia 'Honeymoon' but I had only two of the former currently in bloom and I discovered that 'Honeymoon' only had buds left after my last giveaway, so that combination will have to wait awhile yet.  However, I did cut a couple 'Snowballs' for a small vase in the kitchen.

Front view of that vase showing Dahlia 'Snowball' and the back view showing Tanacetum 'Aureum' and Zinnia 'Oklahoma White'

For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see what she and other devotees of this meme found to share this week.

All material © 2012-2026 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

The stars of my August garden

I had to work harder this month to identify flowers worth crowing about in my garden.  August is generally tough to get excited about as it's commonly among the hottest and driest months for us, if not at the top of that list.  Our lead into summer started out on the cooler end of the spectrum but late July and August seem to be making up for that slow start by delivering soaring temperatures combined with heightened humidity.  But all was not lost as I did find some beauties worth taking about.

At the top of the list are a few surprises.

Protea 'Claire' unexpectedly produced 3 new flowers long after its earlier flush was gone

Metrosideros collina 'Springfire' is also suddenly flowering again

I'd thought that the Agapanthus were all done for the year when these 2 flowered out of the blue (pun intended)

Other standouts were less surprising but nonetheless appreciated.

The Amaryllis belladonna normally bloom around this time of year but somehow always manage to surprise me

Catharanthus 'Blueberry Kisses' continues to impress me.  The hotter it gets, the more vigorously it flowers. 

Daucus carota 'Dara' (aka wild carrot) seems to have no intention of dying back

Grevillea 'Superb' literally NEVER stops blooming in any season.  It's the best shrub I've ever grown.

Hesperaloe parviflora 'Coral Glow' looked like a goner earlier this year but came back after what had appeared to be predation by hungry gophers

The dahlias have slowed down a bit over the past week but I can't say they've thrown in the towel yet.  Although many are battling mildew because I failed to spray for that earlier, I think I can expect another flush of blooms from at least some.

Dahlia 'Admiral Rawlings' is narrow but very, very tall by comparison to all my other dahlias - and unfortunately prone to falling over even with supports

Sold to me as tubers of 'Belle of Barmera', the 2 I received proved to be 'Break Out'.  It was very prolific at the start of the season but it may be close to finishing up now.  It's also lost the pink tinge to its petals over time.

'Enchantress' has always been one of my favorites but the tuber I planted this year been slow to flower this year

'Good Day' is a winner!

Although demure in size, 'Karma Caroline' is elegant in form and color.  It also seems to hold up better than many of the large "dinner plate" varieties.

'Labyrinth' remains another of my favorites.  As the weather has gotten hotter, I've noted that its petals became somewhat smaller but also more buttery in color. 

I still haven't warmed to 'Mystery Day'.  I find myself comparing to 'Catching Fire', which I grew in previous years, and feel it lacking.  The latter was clear red and white in color as opposed to the muddy purple of 'Mystery Day'.

'Omega' is another dinner plate variety, and new to me this year

'Snowball' is pure white and very pretty but also a relatively slow at getting its blooms on

I've had mixed feelings about ''Table Dancer'.  It was slow to bloom but, since it got going, it's been prolific; however, it usually starts out with dingy white petals.  They later take in a lavender hue but seem to dry out and develop brownish petals all too quickly.

I picked up 'XXL Veracruz' on the fly at my local garden center rather than growing it from a tuber as I did with the rest.  Its flowers are smaller than most I've grown this year but it's a nice addition to my collection.

My zinnia seeds were sown even later than my dahlia tubers were planted so I probably shouldn't be surprised that they've been even later than the dahlias to make an appearance but I've been even more disappointed by the relatively small number that germinated.  Still, I'm pleased that I've begun to see a few here and there at last this month.

These are probably 'Illumination', Oklahoma White', and Salmon Rose' but I can't be sure any more.  Only a tiny fraction of the seeds I sowed have bloomed.

I'll close as I usually do with several plants worthy of honorable mentions.

These are Polygala myrtifolia (aka sweet pea bush, left) and Vitex trifolia 'Purpurea' (right)

Clockwise from the upper left are: Crassula pubescens, Lantana camara 'Irene', Leucadedron 'Safari Sunset', Rudbeckia 'Juliana', Salvia canariensis, and Tanacetum parthenium 'Aureum'

That's it for the floral contingent worth sharing this August!

All material © 2012-2026 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party