The combination of mildew, heat, and high winds brought my summer cutting garden to an abrupt end. It was expected but sad nonetheless. I began cutting back the mildewed dahlia foliage last week with vague hopes that would allow some of plants with buds to produce a few more blooms but weather conditions didn't support that notion. I expect to dig up the dahlia tubers and pull out the remaining cosmos and zinnia plants this week in order to prepare the raised planters for cool season plants. Although I saved plastic and glass bottles to give away end-of-season blooms, it doesn't look like there will be many to offer.
Only the flowers of Rudbeckia 'Cherokee Sunset' were still relatively plentiful so my first arrangement was created around them.
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| The 'Cherokee Sunset' flowers range in color from gold to orange and burgundy to reddish brown |
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| Back view: I fleshed out the arrangement using the yellowish (chlorotic) foliage of Grevillea 'Superb', Hibiscus 'Haight Ashbury', and Plectranthus scutellarioides 'Pineapple' (coleus) |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Grevillea 'Superb' (foliage only), Hibiscus acetosella 'Haight Ashbury', Plectranthus scutellarioides 'Pineapple'(coleus), Rudbeckia hirta 'Cherokee Sunset' (in 2 shades), and peach-colored Zinnia elegans 'Candy Mix' |
I'd hoped to have at least a couple 'La Luna' or mutant 'Fairway Spur' Dahlias but the few that remained weren't vase worthy. Instead, I cut the last stem of Dahlia 'Lavender Ruffles'.
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| The last presentable 'Lavender Ruffles' stem held 3 flowers |
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| Back view: I used a handful of zinnias and more coleus foliage to fill out the arrangement |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Correa 'Ivory Bells', Dahlia 'Lavender Ruffles', Eriocapitella hupehensis (aka Japanese anemones), Plectranthus scutellarioides 'Limewire' (coleus), Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata', and Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Giant Purple' |
Even the most recent dahlia plants to bloom offered nothing but a single stem of 'Lady Darlene'. I managed to get a small arrangement out of it and various odds and ends for our kitchen island.
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| The small vase contains a mutant form of the noID Dahlia mistakenly labeled 'French Can Can' (half-yellow and half-white with yellow stripes), a single 'Lady Darlene' Dahlia, 3 stems of Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder' and a few pale yellow and ivory Zinnia elegans |
The local news programs have been suggesting that the Los Angeles area might get a touch of rain this week but my local forecast is far less optimistic; however, temperatures are expected to drop into the upper 60s to low 70sF (20-22C). Much as I'd love to see some rain, at least those temperatures are good for getting work done in the garden.
For for IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see what she and other contributors to this weekly meme have come up with.
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