As the title indicates, this week's "In a Vase on Monday" post is all about dahlias. They put a positive spin on what has otherwise been a dismal week. We're luckier than many people in California and the Pacific Northwest but it's hard not to get depressed when everything around us is shrouded in a smoky haze and our air quality vacillates between "unhealthy for sensitive groups" to flat-out "unhealthy," coming close to "very unhealthy" at some points when the wind shifts.
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| When our view of the Los Angeles harbor is obscured like this, the cause is usually the marine layer that helps keep temperatures down; however, it's smoke blown in from wildfires both north and east of us that has kept the harbor partially or entirely hidden for days now |
While the smaller dahlia buds in my cutting garden were scorched during our recent heatwave, the larger buds and those already starting to open fared relatively well. One of these, Dahlia 'Iceberg', mocked its name and bloomed despite the fact that its outer petals were badly singed the week before.
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I took this photo of 'Iceberg's' bud on September 8th, as our heatwave was waning. I considered cutting it on the spot to encourage new buds but I decided to wait it out and see if it would bloom anyway.
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Unless you saw the back of the flower, you probably wouldn't know 'Iceberg' had been damaged at all. Dahlia 'Enchantress', which joined 'Iceberg' in this arrangement, was wholly unaffected by the heatwave.
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Back view: Cosmos and Zinnias served as fillers
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The top view allows 'Enchantress' to strut her stuff
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Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlia 'Enchantress', Cosmos bipinnatus, Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata', Dahlia 'Iceberg', and lilac and purple Zinnia elegans
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Dahlia 'Labyrinth' has also defied expectations. I grew a dahlia labeled as 'Labyrinth' last year that flowered with blooms that were a pale imitation of the blooms I got this year. This dahlia, grown from a new tuber, has also been the most prolific in my garden by far this year.
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There were eight flowers in full bloom on 'Labyrinth' this morning and I cut five of them for this arrangement
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I was tempted to accent the dahlias with foliage alone but, in the end, I couldn't help throwing in a few things to dress up the back view
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Top view
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Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlia 'Labyrinth', Abelia grandiflora 'Hopley's Variegated', Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', Pennisetum advena 'Rubrum', and Zinnia elegans. I sowed my Zinnia seeds haphazardly again this year so I can only guess that the first two Zinnias are from the 'Unicorn Mix' and the last is 'Envy'.
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Dahlia 'Mr Optimist' has also been an exuberant grower, although the open blooms I failed to cut last week shriveled when our temperature reached 108F (42C) during the worst of our heatwave. I therefore felt I owed it to him to showcase a few of the blooms that made an appearance over the course of the past week.
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I kept this arrangement relatively simple
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I used two varieties of yellow-flowered Lantana to pick up the yellow touches in the tips of the dahlia petals
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Top view
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From the left: self-sown Amaranthus, Dahlia 'Mr Optimist', and variegated Lantana 'Samantha'. (I also used Lantana 'Lucky Yellow'.)
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For more IAVOM creations, visit the woman leading our parade, Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
All material © 2012-2020 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
