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.
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| I did have to gather a scattering of other dahlias to flesh out the arrangement, though |
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| Back view: I used several of the white zinnias as filler material too |
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| Overhead view |
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| 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.
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| The sunflower adds a nice note to the arrangement but the real stars are the 'Omega' dahlias |
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| 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. |
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| Overhead view |
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| 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
I love 'Snowball', the fluffiness of the petals is really nice. The rain, so welcome after all the heat. We've been mild, but we're getting scorched this week. Ugh!
ReplyDelete'Snowball' is very pretty but it's a bit sloppy about dropping its petals as it ages. I'm sorry to hear that you're facing a scorcher this week! We got a little relief with yesterday's rain but the humidity soared today :(
DeleteI'm not so excited for the rain up here, but I'm glad you got some. 'Snowball' is fabulous... the one kind of snow I'd welcome.
ReplyDeleteWe get so little rain in general that getting even a little is usually reason for celebration, Loree. However, we'll see if that viewpoint holds when El Nino releases its fury later this year.
DeleteYou have some very fluffy dahlias, Kris! I am glad to see they are still cropping well for you and avoided the worst of your rainfall. Good to see a sunflower in your second vase too - I have a rogue sunflower that appeared this yea that I would like to cut for a vase but it is too tall for me to reach without a ladder!
ReplyDeleteWell, my paltry crop of sunflowers certainly haven't gotten anywhere near that tall, Cathy! I didn't get many of them from the seeds I sowed either but maybe I just didn't get them in early enough this year.
Deleteanother great set of dahlia arrangements. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThank you Paula!
DeleteYour Dahlias are marvelous, as usual. I love the colors with your first vase and the Zinnias look pretty good to me! Cheers to precipitation..A.melia.
ReplyDeleteEven with all the talk of possible blow back from Hurricane Marie, mu expectations for getting any rain were very low. I was thrilled to get 0.56/inch!
DeleteUnusual sunflowers to go with those orange dahlias. Love the candy pinks and white flowers too. Lots of variety. Glad you got rain.
ReplyDeleteThe rain felt like a lifeline for my garden, Donna :)
DeleteYay for rain! 1/2" to boot, that's amazing. What does that boost the year-total to? Bet your garden is responding enthusiastically. :) Loving your dahlias, your colors are splendid. 'Table Dancer' has interesting petals, and I like the color of 'Breakout', is it similar to 'Cafe au Lait' but smaller? Eliza
ReplyDeleteOur total for the 2026 "water year" now stands at 11.82 inches, Eliza. The 2027 water year officially starts on October 1, 2026 - the total to date isn't great but it's been much worse in some years. 'Breakout' actually has flowers as large or larger at the peak of the season as 'Cafe au Lait' but the dahlias always seem to shrink a bit as the season nears its end.
DeleteYour overhead shot of the second vase really highlights the rosy hue of Helianthus 'Astra Rose'. It looks so pretty against the 'Omega' dahlias. Nice that you got a good bit of rain. We're still mostly dry here. Have a good week.
ReplyDelete'Omega' is a keeper I think, Susie.
DeleteYou do have some gorgeous dahlias this year Kris. Love that pink and white combination - so dreamy and romantic! Glad you got rain. We could do with a drop too, but at least we are getting cool nights and heavy dews at the moment.
ReplyDeleteWe had a few days of cooler nights (although perhaps not what you'd count as cool) but we're back in hot and humid territory again, Cathy.
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