I'm afraid there are yet more dahlias in my vases this week. I've been on the look out for new fall blooms but the usual suspects have been slow to appear. Unfortunately, our Santa Ana winds have shown up right on schedule, bringing yet another round of wildfires. The winds cause humidity levels to plummet and snap tall, top-heavy dahlia blooms. Salvaging the blooms for use in a vase is preferable to throwing them in the trash.
![]() |
| This week I decided to photograph my vases in the new but still unfinished kitchen. The cabinets have been painted and the countertops are installed but there's no electric lighting yet. |
![]() |
| The tall stem in the center of the arrangement is showing off the first blooms of Senna bicapsularis |
![]() |
| Top view |
![]() |
| Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlias 'Citron du Cap', 'Labyrinth' and 'Otto's Thrill'; Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold'; Lantana 'Lucky White'; Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl'; and, in the center, Senna bicapsularis |
I managed to create one vase using "new" material.
![]() |
| The graceful lavender racemes shown here are Plectranthus 'Zulu Wonder', one of my favorite fall bloomers. One of my plants has been trashed during our remodeling process but the other is looking good. |
![]() |
| I also added a few stems of Anemone hupensis japonica, not a prolific bloomer here but always welcome |
![]() |
| Top view showing off some late-blooming lavender lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum). According to the nursery tags, this variety was supposed to have had reddish-brown flowers. |
![]() |
| Clockwise from the upper left: Anemone hupensis japonica, Euryops chrysanthemoides 'Sonnenschein', Eustoma grandiflorum, and Plectranthus ciliatus 'Zulu Wonder' |
Dahlia 'Punkin Spice' has had lots of attention the past few weeks but she's too pretty to allow to wither in the wind either so I threw some of those blooms into a third vase.
![]() |
| The only embellishment I added to the dahlia blooms was 2 stems of Duranta repens 'Gold Mound' |
![]() |
| 'Punkin Spice' can vary dramatically in color as these 2 photos show |
The wind was still blowing in my location last night but the fire situation in Southern California has improved overall. The Sandalwood Fire, which covered 1000 acres, killed 2 people and burned 74 structures, is near full containment. The Saddleridge Fire resulted in evacuation orders affecting 100,000 people, spread over 8000 acres, contributed to one death, and burned 31 structures. It's also blown smoke and ash over a wide area of Los Angeles County, including my own area. It's 41% contained as of the last report.
For more Monday vases,
visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
All material © 2012-2019 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
