I did a lot of aimless wandering in my garden Sunday morning, undecided about what to cut to put into a vase this week. Somewhat to my own surprise (if not perhaps those of you who are regular visitors), I ended up with three very different arrangements.
The first features a bloom of what I bought as a Dahlia 'Penhill Dark Monarch' tuber, which it almost certainly is not. 'Dark Monarch' is supposed to be a mix of deep pink and plum with a hint of cream (as you can see here). Instead, my flower is very red, with a base color similar to that of the Dahlia 'Akita' I featured last week but with a very different form. It doesn't bear a resemblance to any of the dahlias I ordered as tubers.
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| I cut the dahlia before it was fully open and it looks as though the interior petals could have more white than the outer petals like Dahlia 'Special X Factor' or 'Contraste' but I'll be amazed if it develops pink highlights and that red base color turns a plummy purple. But I could be wrong... |
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| Back view: I stuck with red-toned flowers and foliage to accent the mystery dahlia, including what I think is the last of Daucus carota 'Dara'. 'Dara' has popped up in some areas I didn't sow seeds, at least not deliberately, so I won't be entirely surprised if I find the plants all over the garden next year. |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlia that isn't 'Penhill Dark Monarch', Zinnia 'Queen Red Lime', Daucus carota 'Dara', Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', and Penstemon mexicali 'Mini Red Bells' |
My native aster is in full flower, although many of the flower stalks are scorched. I'm itching to start digging it up, which is going to be a massive task as its rhizomes have spread through a large portion of one border; however, I won't start that until cooler temperatures are in the long-term forecast. In the meantime, I expect I'll be using the presentable stems a few more times if I can manage not to repeat myself too often.
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| This is a larger scale version of a mix I've used in a small vase for our kitchen island. It features the rose-like flowers of Eustoma grandiflorum (Lisanthus), which are waning now. |
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| Back view |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', lavender and white Eustoma grandiflorum, and Symphyotrichum chilense 'Purple Haze' |
I currently have a plethora of Zinnia 'Queen Lime Orange' flowers in my cutting garden. I cut cut them to encourage the stems to branch, accenting them with some of the old standbys from elsewhere in the garden.
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| A few stems of Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream' provided the perfect accent for the colors in the Zinnia |
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| Back view |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Abelia grandiflora 'Kaleidoscope', Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream', and Zinnia 'Queen Lime Orange' |
Do you have a favorite? For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy in Rambling in the Garden.
All material © 2012-2021 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
