In a Vase on Monday: Going BIG!

My dahlias are slowly rolling out their blooms and I've chosen to show off some of those making the most recent appearances this week.  Although my 'Cafe au Lait' Dahlia has turned out to be what I believe is 'Cafe au Lait Rose', its presence in my garden can't be denied as it stretches close to five feet tall.  Its tall stems earned it a large vase crammed with a variety of pink flowers.

'Cafe's' flowers are huge too

Back view with flowers of pink Amaryllis belladonna tucked into the sides.  The Amaryllis have popped up all over my back garden over the past 2 weeks, some in places I can't account for.

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Amaryllis belladonna, Eustoma grandiflorum 'Carmine', Leucadendron 'Jester', Dahlia 'Cafe au Lait Rose', and D. 'La Bella Epoque'

I thought I'd planted two 'Labyrinth' tubers this season and a single 'Catching Fire' tuber but the small 'Labyrinth' tuber turned out to be 'Catching Fire' so I apparently didn't label my tubers as carefully as I thought I had when I dug them up and divided them last November.  Despite the tuber's small size, it got its bloom on before the larger tuber I'd labeled under that name has reached bloom stage, assuming I didn't mislabel that one too.  In any case, the first of the 'Catching Fire' Dahlias got center stage in my second arrangement.

At least I think this is Dahlia 'Catching Fire'.  The original tuber I planted in 2022 was labeled as 'Akita', which it definitely was not.  Friends suggested that it looked more like 'Catching Fire' and that was the closest match I could find among the red and white varieties I examined.

Back view, showing the first of the white Amaryllis belladonna to bloom.  The white variety always flowers a couple of weeks after the pink one.

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', Amaryllis belladonna, noID Coleus scuttelarioides*, Dahlia 'Catching Fire', Myrtus communis, and Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Giant Wine'

Our morning marine layer has continued to keep the afternoon temperatures down in the low-to-mid 70sF (23-24C) for the past week; however, it appears that pattern may start to break down this week, driving temperatures back up.  Even then, it doesn't look as though they should go beyond the low 80sF (27C) along the coast.  We've been very lucky overall so far this summer.

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

You may note that I used what I'd originally identified as the back of the first arrangement as the front when I positioned it on the dining room table

*A few years ago common coleus was reclassified as Plectranthus scutellarioides and I dutifully switched to using that botanical name when I referred to the plants.  More recently, it's been reclassified once again, taking back its former name of Coleus scutellarioides.  Talk about frustrating!

All material © 2012-2025 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: Shades of pink

Last week I abruptly switched gears on the dahlias I intended to use in my floral arrangements.  As it turns out, that was a good decision as my original selections were even bigger and more numerous this week.  The first of these was Dahlia 'Fairway Spur'.  Its blooms grew larger and fuller as the week went by, reaching their pinnacle by Sunday when I cut two stems.

The 2 'Fairway Spur' blooms I used in this arrangement were 9 inches in diameter

Back view: I added 2 smaller blooms of Dahlia 'Creme de Cognac' to provide a little contrast but they got shoved to the side

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', Plectranthus scutellarioides 'Indian Summer' (aka coleus), Rudbeckia hirta 'Sahara', Dahlia 'Creme de Cognac', and D. 'Fairway Spur'

Dahlia 'Break Out' produced more flowers in the span of a week and, with my Amaryllis belladonna on the decline, I wanted to pair the two flowers while I had the opportunity.

With the drooping stems of both Acacia 'Cousin Itt' and Amaryllis belladonna hanging down, this arrangement looks as though its wearing a frothy skirt

Back view

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Zinnia elegans 'Raspberry Limeade', Z. e. Zinderella Lilac', Amaryllis belladonna, Cuphea 'Honeybells', Dahlia 'Break Out', and Tanacetum parthenium

I'd intended to squeeze one stem of Dahlia 'Labyrinth' into the first arrangement but the vase was too tight so it ended up in a tiny vase sitting next to the kitchen sink.

'Labyrinth' is an exceptionally pretty dahlia with ruffled peach and pink petals and I couldn't bring myself to toss it.  I paired it with other leftovers: a couple of Tanacetum stems and a Zinnia.

My recently adopted six-month old cat, Meeko, has begun to show untoward interest in my cut flowers.  So far, she hasn't done anything more than giving them a sniff and I'm hoping things stay that way.  She's already developed into an impressive climber and no surface seems to be beyond her reach, or outside her interest.

Meeko in the built-in bookcase above my office desk

The return of our morning marine layer late last week helped to bring our temperatures down into the cooler end of the summer spectrum through the weekend but they're expected to creep up into the mid-80sF (29C) and possibly higher by mid-week when the marine layer deserts us once more.  For those of you in the US, best wishes for a happy Labor Day, considered the unofficial end of summer but more important as a recognition of the achievements of the labor movement in improving the lives of so many American workers.  For everyone interested in more floral creations based on elements in our own gardens, check in with Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: Abundance

Some of the stragglers among the dahlias I've grown from tubers this year are gradually making an appearance and, with others on their way, I felt spoiled for choice when it came to cutting floral materials on Sunday.  Drawn by their abundance and tall stems, I cut several 'Summer's End' Dahlias as a starting point.  The plant was enthusiastic last season but it's really overachieving this year.

Front view, showing off the 'Summer's End' Dahlias

Back view: To add interest, I added one large bloom of Dahlia 'La Luna' and the first bloom of Dahlia 'Labyrinth' to the mix

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Alstroemeria 'Inca Sundance', Cuphea 'Honeybells', Dahlia 'Labyrinth', D. 'La Luna', D. 'Summer's End', and Leptospermum 'Copper Glow'

I cut two stems of the most recent dahlia bloom, 'Excentric', even though both were short.  Snipping them at this stage cost me several side shoots but I'm hoping that cutting deeper into the plant will promote a bushier plant in the long run.  Unfortunately, the dahlias ended up being largely eclipsed by the Zinnias.

Dahlia 'Excentric' ended up literally pushed aside and largely out of sight with Zinnias taking center stage

Back view, with Amaryllis belladonna assuming the limelight

Top view

Top row: Abelia grandiflora 'Edward Goucher', Amaryllis belladonna, and Dahlia 'Excentric'
Middle: Eustoma grandiflorum, Myrtus communis, and noID Pelargonium
Bottom: Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Giant Wine', noID Zinnia, and Z. e. 'Zinderella Lilac'

The Rudbeckias are also coming on strong. 

I cut a handful of the Rudbeckia hirta 'Sahara' to exemplify the color variations within the mix I purchased by mail order.  I added a single stem of coleus (Plectranthus scuttellarioides 'Florida Sun Rose') I managed to preserve from last year to the small vase that often sits on our kitchen island.

We had several lovely days with temperatures in the high 70sF to low 80sF (25C to 28C).  That streak is expected to break today before (hopefully) declining once more midweek.  As I've been trying to catch up on garden maintenance, cooler weather is greatly appreciated.

For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see what she and others have to offer this week.

All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Bloom Day - August 2024 (Early Edition)

August is the low point for floral color in my garden.  If it wasn't for a burst of new blooms from my cutting garden, I'm not sure it'd be worth publishing a Bloom Day post.  After a slow start the Dahlias are off and running as the stars of my cutting garden, with Rudbeckias and Zinnias rolling up behind them.

Dahlia 'Creme de Cognac', new to my garden this year, is perhaps the most floriferous at the moment but then I planted 2 clumps of tubers in this case

Dahlia 'Summer's End' is almost as prolific but all its flowers are the product of one small clump saved from last year

I planted 2 clumps of Dahlia 'Catching Fire' saved from last year too, both of which are putting on a good show, albeit on a staggered schedule

I picked up a Dahlia 'Vancouver' at my local garden center in early June when I got a late start planting my dahlia tubers.  As the temperatures have soared, its floral production has stepped up but, for some reason, the flowers have also taken a spidery shape.  Maybe that's a response to heat - or possibly a virus?

Dahlia 'Break Out' is a slow bloomer but pretty

Dahlia 'Mikayla Miranda' produced its first flowers last week.  This is one of my favorites from last year.

Dahlia 'La Luna' is another of last year's favorites.  I originally planted the tuber in 2022.  Reportedly a "late bloomer," it never flowered at all that year.  I thought I'd dug up the tuber and tossed it, only to find it make a surprise appearance in 2023.  I divided it and planted 2 out tubers this year.  It produced its first flower this week with more on the way.

At the moment, all but two of the remaining dahlia tubers I planted out have buds in development.  Those I expect to see in the next few weeks include: 'Brown Sugar','Excentric', 'Fairway Spur', 'Iceberg', 'Labyrinth', and 'Lady Darlene'.  The other 2, which still offer promise, are 'Belle of Barmera' (which sprouted just when I'd decided to toss it) and 'Hometown Hero', one of this year's new acquisitions.

Additional inhabitants of my cutting garden currently in bloom include the following:

Rudbeckia hirta 'Sahara', planted as pubs I received by mail order in May.  All the plants look slightly different from one another.

The Zinnia elegans seeds I sowed in June are off to a relatively slow start.  Clockwise from the upper left, they include: 'Benary's Giant Purple', 'Benary's Giant Wine' (which looks remarkably similar to 'BNP'), 'Golden Hour', 'Raspberry Limeade', and 'Zinderella Peach'.

Clockwise from the upper left, miscellaneous other plants currently in bloom include: Cuphea 'Honeybells', Pelargonium hortorum 'Hot Pink', Digitalis purpurea, Pandorea jasminoides, Dipladenia hybrid, noID Scaevola, and Tanacetum parthenium 

This is a poor photo but this squash flower growing underneath Dahlia 'La Luna' in one of my raised planters was a big surprise!  I haven't grown vegetables in this area for 7 or 8 years and I don't think I ever grew squash in this particular planter.

There are only a few flowers elsewhere in the garden that have recently made a splash.

Amaryllis belladonna always seem to catch me by surprise.  I noticed the first bloom stalks last week and there seem to be more each day, all pink this far.

Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid' produced a flush of peachy-pink blooms at the end of July.  As the older flowers turn a buff-beige color, new ones are still appearing.

The first flowers of Crassula perfoliata falcata (aka propeller or airplane plant) are getting started

The 6 Hemerocallis 'Spanish Harlem' in my front garden finished up in June, yet one plant produced a new flower stalk this month.  The plants often produce another round of blooms in the fall and this one is apparently getting an early start.

I've thrown the best of the rest into collages organized by color as I usually do.

Clockwise from the upper left: Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun', Grevillea 'Superb', Hesperaloe parviflora, Lantana camara 'Orange', Leonotis leonurus, and Leucadendron 'Blush'

Left to right: Alstroemeria 'Inca Sundance', Grevillea 'Moonlight', and Lantana 'Lucky Yellow'

Clockwise from the upper left: Abelia grandiflora 'Kaleidoscope', Alstroemeria 'Claire', A. 'Inca Vienna', Crassula pubescens radicans, Fuchsia 'Windchimes White', Magnolia grandiflora. Myrtus communis, and Oenothera lindhiemeri (formerly classified as Gaura)

Clockwise from the upper left: Begonia 'Roseform', Cistus x skanbergii, Cuphea 'Starfire Pink', Eustoma grandiflorum, Grevillea sericea, Lantana camara 'Irene', noID Pelargonium

Clockwise from upper left: noID Ageratum, Eustoma grandiflorum, Nemesia hybrid 'Bicolor', Agapanthus 'Elaine', Osteospermum 'Purple Spoon', Verbena bonariensis, Wahlenbergia speciosa 'Blue Cloud', and Agapanthus 'Stevie's Wonder'

We hope for cooler temperatures in September, although the prospects aren't looking particularly favorable at present.  At best, we probably can't expect rain until late October either but who knows?  Maybe we'll get an errant tropical storm like we did last year.  Actually, there are residents in a nearby area that are dealing with a landslide who are hoping that La Nina conditions will minimize the level of rain during the 2025 "water year."  The slow-moving landslide, inadvertently triggered by construction activity in 1956, has started moving much faster after two years of heavier-than-usual rain, jeopardizing homes and recently leading the gas company to cut off service to 135 homes as the land moves as much as a foot a week in some cases and water "seepage" reportedly amounts to as much as fifteen gallons per minute in other spots.  If only that water could be captured and safely stored!  At the moment, what's diverted is being directed into the ocean.

For more flower-focused posts, visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens, the host of Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, on August 15th.

All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party