In a Vase on Monday: No fussing this week

After a bright, sunny start to Sunday morning, the clouds moved in, the sky turned a dingy gray, and it got very muggy.  I usually spend a good amount of time just tidying up my garden while cutting flowers for "In a Vase on Monday"; however, this week I decided to make a quick job of it and get myself back indoors.  Historically, coastal Southern California has been known for its "dry heat" but higher humidity is becoming increasingly common.  It also didn't help that there's also a new wildfire fire burning in Northern Los Angeles County, contributing to both the gloom and the sharp decline in our air quality.

I picked one of my favorite dahlias, 'Labyrinth', as the centerpiece of this week's arrangement.

I paired the 'Labyrinth' dahlias with Lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) and Grevillea flowers in similar peachy tones.  These colors can lift anyone's spirits, even under the gloomiest conditions. 

The back view of the vase was taken over by splashy stems of Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder'

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left are: Dahlia 'Labyrinth', Eustoma grandflorum 'Apricot', Cuphea 'Honeybells', Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream', and Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder'

Finished arrangement in place

I'll tackle tidying the garden on another, hopefully cooler, day.  How much cooler weather we can reasonably expect this summer and fall with El Nino conditions forming in the Pacific are questionable, though.  While those conditions can mean drought and food shortages in many parts of the world, they can also mean deluges and floods here in California  I generally welcome rain but too much rain too fast can become a significant problem as well. 

For more IAVOM posts, 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: An imposter?

It warmed up here late last week, and the dahlias finally started getting into gear, which is not to say that all of my tubers are blooming yet. However, two of the largest "dinner plate" dahlias flowered and demanded notice. They were identified at time of purchase as 'Belle of Barmera', which I've grown before, and 'Omega', which is new to me. The flowers of both are huge, even by my standards.

The 'Belle of Barmera' is notably softer in color than the one I previously grew, which made me believe that the tubers were mislabeled by the seller.

The flowers of this 'Belle' are pale pink and yellow in color while online references describe it as a mix of coral, peach, and raspberry-pink.  My plants are pretty but I don't think they're 'Belle of Barmera'.  (You can see what those flowers should look like here.) 

Back view of the vase, showing off the single stem of 'Omega' I included. I couldn't have crammed in a second 'Omega' bloom in that vase if I'd tried. 

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana' (aka peppermint willow), Dahlia 'Belle of Barmera' (or its imposter), D. 'Omega', and Grevillea 'Superb'

The arrangement in place in our front entryway

It's looking likely that I can expect more dahlias in the weeks ahead.  I remain hopeful that I may get more lilies too, although that's not certain if it gets too hot too fast.  A stem of Lilium 'Zelmira' with just two flowers surprised me last Tuesday but I haven't seen any evidence of its sisters in the wings, nor the two other lily varieties I expected to see this season.

Lilium 'Zelmira'

For more IAVOM posts, visit our gracious host, Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

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