In a Vase on Monday: I lost my patience

I had two floral arrangements in mind when I got up Sunday morning but the Hippeastrum I'd planned to use in one arrangement wasn't looking its best and the red dahlias I wanted to use in the other arrangement were no longer in prime condition.  So I did my best to cobble something together.  I added stems of Protea 'Pink Ice' to jazz up the elements but I struggled to get them to balance one another.  I finally threw up my hands and decided that the mix would have to do as it was.

I used the most respectable red 'Good Day' Dahlias I could find and combined them 3 'Omega' Dahlias, then added 3 Proteas

Back view: I used stems of Leucadendron 'Summer Red' and Agonis flexuosa as fillers.  This Leucadendron is much paler in color than others of the same variety growing in sunnier areas of my garden. 

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left, the vase contains: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Leucadendron 'Summer Red', Dahlia 'Good Day, D. 'Omega', and Protea 'Pink Ice'.  (My Protea 'Claire', which flowered earlier, got toasted during recent heatwave.)

Arrangement in place in the front entryway

After nearly two weeks of hot and humid weather, it's finally cooled down a bit.  Last week, our afternoon temperature hit 102.5F (39C) at one point and got stuck there for a good part of the day.  Hurricane Marie left us with miserably humid conditions for a time too but at least we avoided the flooding that plagued other areas and resulted in serious damage and evacuations elsewhere along the coast.  We got a total of 0.56/inch of rain here.  Yesterday's temperature hovered around 80F (26C) and we're hoping for more of the same for the rest of this week.  It's time for me to get back to work in the garden!

Check in with Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to discover what she and other contributors to IAVOM have put together this week.

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

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

In a Vase on Monday: A 'Good Day' at Last

No, sadly, I'm not referring to the weather.  It's still uncomfortably hot and humid here.  In this case, 'Good Day' alludes to my use of Dahlia 'Good Day' for this week's 'In a Vase on Monday' post.  This dahlia, new to me this year, has produced more flowers than any single plant in this year's dahlia collection, yet I hadn't made an effort to show it off until now.

My dahlia's color is a muted red but that's reputed to change to a creamy orange later in the season 

Back view: I paired the dahlias with flowers of Grevillea 'Superb' and Tanacetum 'Aureum', as well as stems of Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder'

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left are: Dahlia 'Good Day', Grevillea 'Superb', Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder', and Tanacetum parthenium 'Aureum'

There are a few other dahlias that have yet to receive much attention but I'm still waiting for them to shine.  While all have bloomed, some have just brought out a single flower or two at a time.  (I'm looking at you 'Enchantresss'!)  Hopefully the stragglers will come through before the dahlia season ends.  That doesn't usually happen until late September or early October but I failed to spray for mildew and, given the humidity this year, that was a serious omission on my part.  Some of the dahlia foliage already looks sad.

My fingers are crossed that we that we get a bit of cooler weather this week.  The power company has scheduled  a planned outage midweek (in contrast to the three unplanned outages we've already endured this summer) and, as our emergency generator only runs a few appliances (which don't include any of our air conditioning units), a continuation of the 90F/32C temperatures would be far less tolerable than it's been thus far.

Check in with Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to discover what she and other IAVOM contributors have to share this week.

This week's arrangement in place in our front entry

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

In a Vase on Monday: Unlike me, Dahlias & Zinnias Love the Heat!

Our temperatures are still simmering in the upper 80s to low 90sF (31-33C) and our humidity levels remain high as well.  Spending any time in the garden after 9am is a fools errand, although I admit I've exhibited my share of foolish behavior during the last two weeks.  Even so, my garden's received much less attention than it needs.

This week, it was Dahlia 'Labyrinth' that grabbed my attention.  Although a large number of the blooms were no longer in their prime, there were more than I needed to stuff fill a vase.

This view was intended to be the back of the arrangement but I've given it the front view here as it shows off the beauty of the 'Labyrinth' flowers particularly well

"Back view" of the arrangement showing more dahlias, along with a couple of zinnias.  The zinnia seeds got a very late start this year and, so far, I've been disappointed by the number that germinated given the sheer volume of seeds I sowed, but perhaps they'll surprise me before the season's over.  However, my guess is that the local critters dislodged many of the seeds before they had a chance to get started.

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left, the vase contains: Dahlia 'Labyrinth', Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder'. Tanacetum parthenium 'Aureum', Zinnia 'Benary's Giant Salmon Rose', and Z. 'Queeny Lemon Peach' (with a hitch-hiking ant I only noticed belatedly)

The arrangement in place in the front entry (with the zinnias were given more attention)

I cut more flowers than I could use in my vase so the leftovers went into a second, smaller vase.  Although dahlias last far longer in the garden than they do in a vase, I can enjoy them more in the house than in the garden at present as there seems to be little chance of relief from the heat in the near term.

The leftovers include Dahlia 'Omega' (rear left), D. 'Honeymoon' (middle), and another D. 'Labyrinth' (right). 

The fillers, in addition to another 'Giant Salmon' Zinnia and more Tanacetum, includes a spray of the peachy-pink Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid', which I discovered in full bloom on a last-minute walk through my back garden yesterday morning.  The Callistemon flowers may conceivably be dried-up and brown by next week. 

Of late, I've been cutting flowers and giving them away in record numbers to friends and neighbors.  That provides it's own source of enjoyment when I'm unable to actually work in the garden itself.

To see what others have found to enjoy in their gardens, check in with Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see what she and others have found to brighten their hot summer days.

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

In a Vase on Monday: It's still hot

The weather hasn't gotten any better here since last week.  It's still miserably hot and humid, and I remain closeted in the house most days. I attempted some minor chores in the heat late Saturday afternoon but I held out for only an hour.  On Sunday, I took a twenty minute walk in the early morning, cut some flowers, and that was it for the day.  Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any relief in the ten-day forecast either.  However, the dahlias remain a source of beauty, even if the gardener is a sad sack.

All my dahlias have now at least made an appearance.  I handed off nearly a dozen stems of 'Break Out' to a friend up the street a couple days ago, yet that plant is still so top heavy it threatens to topple over in its half-barrel container.  Nonetheless, this week for In a Vase on Monday, I cut flowers from other plants that showed up more recently.

The dahlias featured in this arrangement are 'Mikayla Miranda', one of my favorites among those I've previously grown, and 'Table Dancer', which is new to me.  It took me a little time to warm up to the latter as that one starts out a dingy white before it develops purplish streaks, although mine aren't as vivid as many I've seen in online photos.

Back view: I used foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea) again this week to fill out the vase

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left, the vase contains: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Dahlia 'Mikayla Miranda', D. 'Table Dancer', Digitalis purpurea, Tanacetum partheneum 'Aureum', and Zinnia 'Oklahoma Ivory'

As usual, the arrangement landed in the front entry

I cut a few blooms from another dahlia for a second small arrangement too.  This one is called 'Nicholas'.  I love its shape and color, although its foliage isn't looking all that spiffy.

I supplemented the 3 butterscotch-colored dahlias with more Tanacetum 'Aureum' and a couple stems of Lotus berthelotii  

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

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