Dahlias have brightened up late summer and fall for me since I first began growing them in 2017. As summer progresses, flowers become harder to come by here as higher temperatures and our long dry season take their toll. At the moment new Dahlias are unfurling their flowers each week.
'Punkin Spice' and
'Hollyhill Karen Lee' opened last week but for today's "In a Vase on Monday" post I went with
'Terracotta', which is now blooming in earnest. I've been growing this variety since 2017 and it's one of the most prolific.
![]() |
| I lost one window and part of a wall in my home office last week, which eliminated the space I'd been using to photograph my vases since our kitchen was gutted. I set a board on top of our spa on the north side of the house for these photographs. Not optimal but it'll have to do for awhile. |
![]() |
| The back of this vase is a mess but I didn't have the patience to fuss with it. Heat makes me cranky. |
![]() |
| Top view |
![]() |
| Clockwise from the top left: Dahlia 'Terracotta', Amaranthus caudatus, noID Cotyledon, Abelia grandiflora 'Kaleidoscope', and Leptospermum 'Copper Glow'. After admiring the Amaranthus Cathy and other IAVOM contributors grow, I grabbed 3 plants I spotted on a recent garden center visit. Next year, I'm committed to growing some from seed. |
Our temperatures jumped dramatically last week, quickly withering more flowering plants than I can count. My
Agapanthus are on their last legs so I hunted down the last presentable specimens I could find for a second vase to enjoy inside the house, where it's nominally cooler, at least when we have ours fans running at full speed. Because half the house is torn up, we can't run our house's air conditioning system so it's been warm even inside.
![]() |
| At least the pale blue Agapanthus made me feel cooler |
![]() |
| After putting on a good show since early January, the sea lavender (Limonium perezii), shown here at the back of the vase, is on its last legs too |
![]() |
| Top view, showing off lavender-streaked flowers of white lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) |
![]() |
| Clockwise from the upper left: Agapanthus, Abelia grandiflora 'Hopley's Variegated', Auranticarpa rhombifolium, Eustoma grandiflorum, Limonium perezii, and Trichostemma 'Midnight Magic' |
Both this week's vases found places in our master bedroom, the coolest room in the house, which we've managed to keep in the low 80sF with the help of a portable AC unit.
![]() |
| A certain cat opened up new space on the bedroom bureau for the Dahlia arrangement by pushing a lamp I've had for nearly 20 years to the floor. We didn't use it often but it had sentimental value. My husband has promised to try gluing it back together but neither of us have high hopes for its restoration. |
![]() |
| Meanwhile, the culprit has forgotten all about her transgression |
For more IAVOM vases,
visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
All material © 2012-2019 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
