Last week I abruptly switched gears on the dahlias I intended to use in my floral arrangements. As it turns out, that was a good decision as my original selections were even bigger and more numerous this week. The first of these was Dahlia 'Fairway Spur'. Its blooms grew larger and fuller as the week went by, reaching their pinnacle by Sunday when I cut two stems.
![]() |
| The 2 'Fairway Spur' blooms I used in this arrangement were 9 inches in diameter |
![]() |
| Back view: I added 2 smaller blooms of Dahlia 'Creme de Cognac' to provide a little contrast but they got shoved to the side |
![]() |
| Top view |
![]() |
| Clockwise from the upper left: Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', Plectranthus scutellarioides 'Indian Summer' (aka coleus), Rudbeckia hirta 'Sahara', Dahlia 'Creme de Cognac', and D. 'Fairway Spur' |
Dahlia 'Break Out' produced more flowers in the span of a week and, with my Amaryllis belladonna on the decline, I wanted to pair the two flowers while I had the opportunity.
![]() |
| With the drooping stems of both Acacia 'Cousin Itt' and Amaryllis belladonna hanging down, this arrangement looks as though its wearing a frothy skirt |
![]() |
| Back view |
![]() |
| Top view |
![]() |
| Clockwise from the upper left: Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Zinnia elegans 'Raspberry Limeade', Z. e. Zinderella Lilac', Amaryllis belladonna, Cuphea 'Honeybells', Dahlia 'Break Out', and Tanacetum parthenium |
I'd intended to squeeze one stem of
Dahlia 'Labyrinth' into the first arrangement but the vase was too tight so it ended up in a tiny vase sitting next to the kitchen sink.
![]() |
| 'Labyrinth' is an exceptionally pretty dahlia with ruffled peach and pink petals and I couldn't bring myself to toss it. I paired it with other leftovers: a couple of Tanacetum stems and a Zinnia. |
My recently adopted six-month old cat, Meeko, has begun to show untoward interest in my cut flowers. So far, she hasn't done anything more than giving them a sniff and I'm hoping things stay that way. She's already developed into an impressive climber and no surface seems to be beyond her reach, or outside her interest.
![]() |
| Meeko in the built-in bookcase above my office desk |
The return of our morning marine layer late last week helped to bring our temperatures down into the cooler end of the summer spectrum through the weekend but they're expected to creep up into the mid-80sF (29C) and possibly higher by mid-week when the marine layer deserts us once more. For those of you in the US, best wishes for a happy Labor Day, considered the unofficial end of summer but more important as a recognition of the achievements of the labor movement in improving the lives of so many American workers. For everyone interested in more floral creations based on elements in our own gardens, check in with Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
