I've begun to feel that I live in a war zone. Not the traditional kind but rather one of our nation's own making. Lacking anything that could pass for a moral compass, much less concern for the basic needs of the people they're supposed to serve, the current federal administration has repeatedly failed to act constructively to contain gun violence. There have been
251 mass shootings in the United States this year alone. The current occupant of our White House makes useless references to "thoughts and prayers" and continues to pander to those he believes will support him in the next election, spouting racist rhetoric every three times he opens his mouth or tweets. And the morally bankrupt members of the so-called Grand Old Party cling to his coattails hoping to hang on to power. I could write another 1000 words expressing how angry I am but you don't visit my blog to hear that so I'll leave the topic with just one war cry of my own: "Vote him out! Vote him out!"
Despite swampy weather conditions, I spent yesterday morning in my garden, trying to bring my blood pressure back to a normal level. I let the dahlias in my cutting garden wrest my attention from the news feed and politics. That diversion led to the creation of three vases this week. If the heat hadn't started to make me melt, there might've been six.
Dahlia 'Otto's Thrill' started things off.
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| 'Otto's Thrill' has the largest blooms of any dahlias I currently grow. The flowers are as large as my hand span. |
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| Unsatisfied with my other options, I resorted to using our tiny temporary kitchen to take photographs |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlia 'Otto's Thrill', Abelia grandiflora 'Edward Goucher', Amaranthus caudatus, Amaryllis belladonna (one of only 2 species that make up the genus Amaryllis, not to be confused with Hippeastrum), and Eustoma grandiflora (aka lisianthus) |
My second vase contains two different but complementary dahlias.
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| The first blooms of Dahlia 'Hollyhill Karen Lee' join 'Enchantress' here in a novelty vase I picked up over 2 months ago |
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| I filled in with some of the foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) blooms still hanging on in my cutting garden |
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| Top view, showing some of the irregular holes in the top of the vase provided to hold stems in place |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlia 'Enchantress', 2 varieties of Digitalis purpurea ('Dalmatian' series), Dahlia 'Hollyhill Karen Lee', Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy', and Tanacetum parthenium (aka feverfew) |
Dahlia 'Citron du Cap' was an accent rather than the impetus for the third vase.
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| Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid' provided the starting point for this vase. Larger views of the Callistemon, which suddenly sprung into bloom last week, can be found here. |
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| Zinnia 'Benary's Giant Salmon Rose' grabs attention in the back. I sowed these Zinnia seeds about 2 weeks before any of the others in my cutting garden and, not unexpectedly, they're the first to take off. |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlia 'Citron de Cap', Agonis flexuousa 'Nana', Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid', Zinnia 'Benary's Giant Salmon Rose', Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream', and Tanacetum parthenium |
For more IAVOM vases,
visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
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| Vases in their places |
All material © 2012-2019 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
