Mixed Dahlia Arrangement - Jowey Winnie, Saint Martin, Melina Fleur and Plectranthus Silver Shield - August 2026

We had a pretty big rain storm a week or so ago that brought with it some welcomed precipitation.  It also battered some of my plants and trees.  Downed branches and (in a couple of cases) bent-over dahlias and other plants.  I scurried around and straightened everything out and found the dahlias that weren't staked (enough) and tried to provide some support.  

I also cut a bunch of things and brought them in for an arrangement for one of Nat's friends.  The Saint Martin dahlias are on very long, thin stems while the Melina Fleur dahlias (decorative) are (for now) on short, stubby ones.  And, the Plectranthus Silver Shield is plentiful.  But, I still don't quite know the best way to use it in an arrangement.  The underside of the foliage is (to me) the star, but when I tuck some of it in the vase, the underside sort-of disappears.  There's also a spring of Silver Dollar Eucalyptus in here that I'm still learning about how best to cut to promote new growth.  

I put it all together in a reproduction blue glass mason jar that I picked up at Goodwill.  

In the context of my 2026 to-do list, there are a couple of things here worth mentioning:

#6:  Go even bigger on dahlias.  This is paying off that bet.  

#7:  Support system for dahlias.  I (now) have almost all of my dahlias staked and tied.

#9:  Experiment with accent/filler plants.  The Silver Shield and Eucalyptus are a piece of that.