My dahlias and zinnias are pushing out blooms at a faster pace now with the end of their season looming. It's been very hot again since last Thursday so I cut most of what was looking presentable on Sunday morning, mixing varieties, some more successfully than others.
The first arrangement consists of flowers in fruit sherbet colors.
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| This mix included Dahlias 'Summer's End', 'Break Out', and 'Cafe au Lait'. It'll be interesting to see if 'Break Out' turns pinker after being cut. 'Cafe au Lait' is still producing deformed blooms. One flower in the garden has petals only on one side. |
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| Back view: I hate to see the zinnias go but the mildew is awful. More than half of my zinnia plants went into the refuse bin when I finished cutting flowers Sunday morning. |
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| Top view |
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Top row: Abelia 'Kaleidoscope', Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', and Eriocapitella hupehensis (aka Japanese anemone)
Middle row: Dahlias 'Break Out', Cafe au Lait', and 'Summer's End'
Bottom row: Zinnias 'Benary's Giant Salmon Rose', 'Queen Lime Orange', and 'Senora' |
The second arrangement, featuring fiery-colored dahlias, provides a strong contrast to the first one.
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| The Dahlia 'Akita' used as a centerpiece has more yellow than the plant's prior blooms, which sported cream highlights. I managed to include one flowering stem of Dahlia 'Waltzing Mathilda', marking its IAVOM debut. |
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| The back view was dressed up using Grevillea 'Superb', a year-round bloomer here |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Grevillea 'Superb', Leucadendron salignum 'Chief', L. 'Safari Sunset', Dahlia 'Akita', and D. 'Waltzing Mathilda' |
The last arrangement was thrown together to make use of the dahlia sold as 'Penhill Dark Monarch', which it almost certainly is not. I was afraid the bloom wouldn't make it through another hot day without its heavy head toppling over. The arrangement could've used an infusion of lighter-colored materials but, as the morning got warmer and warmer, I decided I was done.
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| I picked this vase specifically to hold up the heavy dahlia bloom but it still faces downward |
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| I used another dahlia, 'Enchantress', to dress up the back. Although there are fuchsia tones in both dahlias, I don't really care for the combination of the two. |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Abelia grandiflora 'Hopley's Variegated, Correa 'Ivory Bells'(aka Australian fuchsia), Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', Dahlia 'Enchantress', Zinnia 'Benary's Giant Wine', and Dahlia '(Not) Penhill Dark Monarch' |
Visit our IAVOM host, Cathy at Rambling in the Garden, for more arrangements created from materials contributors have on hand in their gardens.
All material © 2012-2021 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
