Saturday evening I had a clear idea what I was going to do to fill two vases. However, on Sunday morning I changed my direction on both. Maybe the arrangements I'd originally envisioned will materialize next week.
The first arrangement I went with was inspired by Dahlia 'Lady Darlene'. The plant produced its first two flowers late last week. The first bloom was humongous and I couldn't deny it its time in the limelight. In contrast, the dahlia I'd originally eyed for my first vase still has a little way to go before it's fully open.
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| The older, fully developed flower of 'Lady Darlene' is on the left and the newer bloom is on the right |
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| I dressed up the back view with a single bloom of Dahlia 'La Luna'. I also tucked in another, very short-stemmed Dahlia 'Excentric', visible on the lower left. |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Cuphea 'Honeybells', Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', Plectranthus scutellarioides 'Florida Sun Rose' (aka coleus), Dahlia 'Lady Darlene', D. 'La Luna', D. 'Excentric', Zinnia elegans 'Raspberry Limeade', and Z. e. 'Benary's Giant Wine'. The last was a brighter, lighter version of the zinnias I cut last week but it has to be the product of the same seeds I sowed back in June. |
The second arrangement features Dahlia 'Mikayla Miranda', which is one of my favorites. It's currently producing a mass of flowers and I noted evidence that a grasshopper has been nibbling on the petals of a couple of its blooms so I decided to cut them before they were lost.
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| I added stems of Polygala myrtifolia (aka sweet pea shrub) and Symphyotrichum chilense to fill out the arrangement. Some readers may recall that I tried to remove the aster in 2021 - well, 2 years of good rain brought it back. |
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| This back view could have used a cleanup but so it goes |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Leucadendron laxum, Symphyotrichum chilense, Dahlia 'Mikayla Miranda, and Polygala myrtifolia |
We were lucky to have lower-than-average temperatures from last Thursday through the weekend but they're expected to climb again as the workweek kicks off, possibly continuing through the end of the month and into September. I gather that there's a nominal chance of monsoonal moisture blowing into Southern California, although absent that happening, forecasts continue to suggest a dry fall season.
For more IAVOM creations, check in with Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
