Two of my long-awaited dahlias finally bloomed last week. Although the supply of dahlias available for cutting is still very small, there was no question about what I'd use in my vases this week. The only issue was what I had available to pair with them.
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Dahlia 'Sellwood Glory', front and center here, was the first to produce buds and the first to bloom in my cutting garden. It was described as purple but it reads on the pink end of the purple spectrum rather than the blue end, which made it harder for me to find suitable companions.
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Back view: Gomphrena 'Itsy Bitsy' is trying to steal the show in this vase I think. The plant literally blooms year-round but I'm not sure I've used it much, if at all, this year so it may be making up for lost time.
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Top view: Cuphea 'Starfire Pink', selected as a filler, shows up best in this overhead view
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Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlia 'Sellwood Glory', Cosmos bipinnatus, Cuphea 'Starfire Pink', Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy', Pelargonium peltatum in burgundy and lavender, and Pentas lanceolata
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'Sellwood Glory' (which always sounds to me like it should be the name of a thoroughbred race horse) beat out 'Mr Optimist' by less than a day. Finding a companion for 'Mr Optimist' was easier as my first gladiolas arrived on its heels.
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'Mr Optimist' was meant to be the star of this arrangement but Gladiolus 'Green Star' may be eclipsing it
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Back view: I'm disappointed by this view. The small red Penstemon stems can't hold their own here. I probably should have added another gladiola stem or maybe more Coreopsis.
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Top view: I was pleased with how well the foliage of Coprosma 'Plum Hussey' balanced the gladiolas, however
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Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlia 'Mr Optimist', Coreopsis 'Redshift', Gladiolus 'Green Star', Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey', and Penstemon mexicali 'Mini-Bells Red'
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Last week's vases held up well. I tossed the contents of last week's first vase on Sunday but the second vase consisting primarily of foliage looks almost as fresh as it did last Sunday so it moved to the kitchen island.
The two new vases took pride of place in the front entry and dining room table respectively.
Six more dahlias have buds, including a second 'Mr Optimist'. Seven other dahlias sprouted and continue to grow but have yet to produce buds. Yesterday afternoon, I noticed that one of the purple gladiolas was blooming and that a few of my seed-grown zinnias have produced flowers. While things in my cutting garden are looking up, I'd say it's still running a month or more behind last year's garden. Cooler summer conditions may be a factor but most of the delay lays squarely on my shoulders. I planted most of my dahlia tubers between late April and early May this year instead of early March. I sowed zinnia seeds even later, and I've pinched back both the developing dahlias and zinnias on a more routine basis than I've done in the past. Hopefully, I've just pushed my peak flower season forward rather than reducing its duration but we'll see.
To see more vases created from materials contributors have on hand in their own gardens, visit Cathy in Rambling in the Garden.
All material © 2012-2020 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
