Two of my dinnerplate dahlias were finally fit to be cut for "In a Vase on Monday" this week so I'm serving them up today. The first is
Dahlia 'Fairway Spur', which turned out to be remarkably similar in color to
Dahlia 'Terracotta'. The height of the plants and the size and shape of the mature blooms are different, but I'm guessing that those differences wouldn't register for most people after a casual viewing.
'Terracotta' is classified as a semi-cactus form.
![]() |
| There are 2 Dahlia 'Fairway Spur' and 4 'Terracotta' in this arrangement. The grower described 'Fairway Spur' as "tangerine" and 'Terracotta' as "peachy brown." The earliest blooms of 'Terracotta' were larger than those included here. |
![]() |
| I once again used the prolific blooms of the zinnias in my cutting garden to fill out the back of my vase |
![]() |
| Top view |
![]() |
| Clockwise from the left: Dahlia 'Fairway Spur' next to 2 Dahlia 'Terracotta'; Abelia 'Kaleidoscope'; Agonis flexuosa 'Nana'; Bulbine frutescens 'Hallmark'; Tanacetum parthenium; and peach and pink Zinnia elegans |
The second dinnerplate is
Dahlia 'Hakuyou'. I picked it perhaps a day or 2 earlier than I should have but, as the heatwave that began yesterday could extend through next weekend, I decided I should take advantage of the bloom while I can. It also functions as a nice counterpoint to the first vase, icy in contrast to the more fiery aspect of the first vase.
![]() |
| For the longest vase life, Floret Flowers, the source of all my dahlia tubers except Dahlia 'Hakuyou', recommends picking the blooms when the flowers are three-quarters open, before the back petals become dehydrated or papery in appearance |
![]() |
| White rain lilies, Zephyranthes candida, made a surprise appearance in my front garden this week, despite the fact that we haven't had any rain since April. Not sure how well they'll hold up as cut flowers, I cut them at the last minute and then wasn't able to maneuver them into the front of the vase, which was already overstuffed, but they pretty up the back view. |
![]() |
| Top view |
![]() |
| Clockwise from the upper left, the vase contains: Dahlia 'Hakuyou' ("hakuyou" is Japanese for "marine" which explains nothing about how the flower was named); Abelia 'Hopley's Variegated'; Aloysia citrodora (aka lemon verbena); leaves of a noID guava tree, which is currently producing a mass of suckers; foliage of Leucadendron 'Pisa'; cones of the same Leucadendron; the mysterious blooms of Zephyranthes candida; and Zinnia elegans 'Envy', which looks more yellow than green |
Dahlia 'Otto's Thrill', another dinnerplate variety, appears to be just about to bloom so, if the heatwave doesn't put a quick end to it, I may have it to share next week. In the meantime, to find more arrangements created from materials on hand,
visit our IaVoM host, Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
My thoughts and best wishes are with any blogging friends in Texas dealing with the effects of Hurricane Harvey. Stay safe!
All material © 2012-2017 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
