Dahlia 'Loverboy' was set to take center stage "In a Vase on Monday" this week but he was quickly eclipsed by the presence of local royalty. This included the queen of vines,
Clematis, currently in full bloom on the south side of the house.
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| Last week, the first flowers of Sweet Autumn Clematis were just starting to open. This week, the vine is blanketed in blooms. |
Rubbing elbows with
'Loverboy' in the cutting garden,
'Queen Red Lime' Zinnia isn't as flashy but she's taller and more stately in appearance under the hot summer sky.
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| 'Loverboy' started dropping petals even before he squeezed in with his new companions |
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| Back view: Leucadendron 'Devil's Blush' added an edge that 'Loverboy' couldn't match |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Abelia x grandiflora 'Edward Goucher', Clematis paniculata, Zinnia elegans 'Queen Red Lime', Prunus laurocerasus, Leucadendron salignum 'Devil's Blush', another variation on 'Queen Red Lime' and, in the center, Dahlia 'Loverboy' |
I'd hoped to give
Dahlia 'Punkin Spice' a starring role in one of this week's productions but most members of this group wilted as summer reasserted itself over the weekend so that dahlia too took a smaller role than expected.
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| 'Punkin Spice' literally took a backseat to a showy group of zinnias |
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| Back view: A lone Echinacea served as a bit player |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Abelia x grandiflora 'Hopley's Variegated', Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Bulbine frutescens 'Hallmark', Pennisetum advena 'Rubrum', Echinacea 'Cheyenne Spirit', Lotus berthelotii 'Amazon Sunset', Zinnia elegans 'State Fair', Plectranthus scutellarioides 'Salsa Verde' (coleus) and, in the middle, Dahlia 'Punkin Spice' |
I've ignored the cool-toned flowers in my garden for the past several weeks. Both the asters and the lisianthus are looking a little sad now but I thought they deserved attention before they depart for the season so I put them on display this week as well.
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| Both blue and 'Black Pearl' Eustoma hung out in their beds for weeks, receiving no attention other than an occasional drink |
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| The asters look downright scruffy |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: blue Eustoma grandiflorum (aka lisianthus), Clematis paniculata, Duranta repens 'Sapphire Showers', Eustoma grandiflorum 'Black Pearl', Symphyotrichum chilense, and Veronica 'Purple Shamrock' (formerly known as Hebe) |
For more "In a Vase on Monday" action,
visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden. For those of you on the US east coast, stay safe!
All material © 2012-2018 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
