With the plants in my cutting garden rapidly succumbing to the combination of heat and mildew, I didn't immediately see any good prospects to fill a vase. I fixated on a red and white dahlia bloom in one of the half barrels in my front garden and jumped off from there. For a time, I thought I'd be combining that single flower with a variety of foliage plants until I noticed that the variegated Australian fuchsia was beginning its annual bloom cycle.
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| Unfortunately, the dangling flowers of the Australian fuchsia (Correa 'Wyn's Wonder') got somewhat lost within the foliage. The Correa is a variegated variety but, over the years, it's begun to lose that variegation so it doesn't stand out as much as I'd like. |
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| Back view, with the Correa buried within branches of glossy cherry laurel (Prunus caroliniana) |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Alstroemeria 'Inca Vienna', Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', Prunus caroliniana, Caladium 'Tapestry', Correa 'Wyn's Wonder', Dahlia 'Catching Fire', and Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Giant Deep Red' |
I'd no idea what, if anything, I had available for a second arrangement until I noticed that the Chihuahuan sage (Leucophyllum laevigatum) in my back garden had suddenly produced a second flush of bloom. The sage bloomed early in September only to have the flowers quickly wither away when our prior heatwave struck. I hadn't expected another round of bloom so soon.
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| I wasn't thrilled with the combination of the lavender-blue flowers of the sage with the flowers of Zinnia 'Benary's Giant Purple', which are more deep pink than purple to my eyes but the arrangement has (sort of) grown on me |
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| Back view: The sage's flowers are supposed to be fragrant but I can barely detect the scent even when I stick my nose right into them |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Abelia grandiflora 'Hopley's Variegated', pink and white Cosmos bipinnatus, Leucophyllum laevigatum, and Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Giant Purple' |
There were a few yellow dahlias in bloom that I assumed wouldn't make it through the current heatwave, which is expected to run through Thursday, so I cut them for the kitchen island.
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| The small vase contains: 2 Dahlia 'Calin', one D. 'Summer's End', 2 short stems of Correa 'Wyn's Wonder', and 2 stems of Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Giant Carmine Rose' |
With my cutting garden torn up awaiting the (still unscheduled) arrival of plumbers to replace 100+ feet of water pipe and everything in the raised planters sliding into decline, I'm tempted to pull everything up just to restore a sense of control over the space. However, even with their mildewed foliage, many dahlias have buds and I'm hoping to see more blooms before I throw in the towel on the summer season so, for now, I'm trying to ignore the mess.
Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to find other IAVOM creations.
All material © 2012-2022by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party