Why I Oughta...

Here are a couple of dahlia-bloom-heavy arrangements that I brought over to Oakbrook Terrace this past weekend.  Both are filled with various dahlia types including pompon, ball and decorative.  Ivanetti and Mystery Fox are looking pretty good with their ombre looks.  And, the pinks of Wizard of Oz highlight the bright tones of Melina Fleur decorative dahlias.  There was one more that I cut and put-together at the same time, but I didn't get photos of it before it went off to its final home.  Both of these are in re-used jars.  A small yogurt jar on the left and a mason jar on the right.   These are different than the one I posted yesterday (two photos) and it is clear that dahlia bloom season is upon us.  

Below are a pair of photos showing one over-stuffed dahlia arrangement that is full of decorative (Melina Fleur), Ball (Mystery Fox,  Ivanetti) and Pompon (Wizard of Oz) blooms that range from (almost) white to very pale pink to bubble-gum pink to Salmon with yellow centers contrasting with some shades close to dark velvet.   I crammed all the stems into a narrow-mouth vase because I wanted it to fit into a car cup holder for ease of transport as this one was headed to Elmhurst for my sister. 

Yesterday, I posted a photo of a bunch of Pooh Collarette Dahlia blooms that I cut and brought inside this week and talked about how I'm seeing "Dahlia Season" beginning to arrive with increased blooms.  That's due to a couple of things:  the time/maturity of the plants this season along with some recovery from a mite infestation.  The colors, shapes and textures of this morning's cuttings sure are fun to see.  Below are a couple of photos showing what is in bloom and how the colors are changing based on the time of year.   This is (mostly) the usual bunch ( like the cut flowers I posted a few days ago ):  Wizard of Oz, Melina Fleur, Mystery Fox and that dark purple dahlia.  

Cut-and-come-again season is upon us in the garden.   Specifically for dahlias.  When I look back at last year's photos, this post from October 1st shows what I called "Pop'ing off" of dahlia blooms that happens as the weather cools down.   The Melina Fleur Dahlia shown in this post is LOADED with blooms .  In preparation (and hopefully) to stimulate that behavior to return in the coming weeks, I've been busy cutting blooms regularly. Below is a small dahlia-only arrangement that I made on a recent evening.  Thanks to the re-used salsa jar, this burst of petals was gifted to our neighbor.  It is full of large Melina Fleur blooms as well as the group that I've been using regularly:   Mystery Fox, Wizard of Oz and this dark purple ball dahlia that is of an unknown variety .   What's NOT in this arrangement (above) is any Sweet Nathalie dahlias .  Why?  Because they haven't quite thrived.  But, we're this/close to ...

Another summer arrangement.  But, this one features two new - recently blooming - things:  Lucky Charm Anemone and Pooh Dahlia.  You can look at the photo below and immediately know which one is named Pooh.  It is a collarette dahlia - my first one of those.  Also in here are a few Melina Fleur, Mystery Fox, Wizard of Oz and one Sweet Nathalie dahlias.   

A few days ago, I posted a couple of photos showing some of the latest cut flower arrangements from our garden .  They featured a variety of dahlias and some other perennials for foliage/accent flowers.  Right now, the Mystery Fox (dark red) and Wizard of Oz (pink) are in bloom.  Wizard of Oz is considered a Pompon Dahlia while Zundert Mystery Fox is a Ball Dahlia .   There's (of course) some Garden Ghost Artemisia and Butterscotch Amsonia/Arkansas Bluestar for foliage.   This arrangement is in a Smuckers jelly jar - not a thrifted vase.   Earlier this month, I also showed how I had stored Sarah Bernhardt peonies in the fridge for eight weeks and brought them back to life .  Here, below, are a couple of photos showing the arrangement of these pink peonies along with a couple other things like Limelight Hydrangeas, Blue Fortune Agastache and a spray of Japanese Ghost Fern. These peonies are in a thrifted vase. #18 on my personal to-do/tas...

The most-recent set of cut flower arrangements include a round-up of what is coming into bloom in late July.  This post is going up in early August, but these vases were built in late July.  The first one features some dark red (almost maroon) Mystery Fox dahlia blooms, Oklahoma Salmon Zinnias , Limelight Hydrangeas, Polka dot plant foligae and some upright stalks of Garden Ghost Artemesia.     The second one includes a couple of Wizard of Oz Ball dahlias , some Pablo Gallery Border Dahlias , a bunch of Disneyland Roses and some (of my current go-to accent pieces) like the white Polka Dot plant foliage and sprigs of the white Garden Ghost Artemesia .   Both are in thrifted vases.  My focus at the Goodwill is on small vases that will fit in a cupholder of the car and are priced at 99 cents.  Like shooting fish in a barrel.  

This is the first year that I'm growing dahlias that are taller than say...30".  That means that they all need to be staked or supported in some way.  I *thought* I had done a pretty good job of staking everything and supporting the various stems and stalks with padded garden wire, but...for the Mystery Fox dahlia in our backyard...I was...well...wrong.   On a recent morning, I came out back to discover that the dahlia had split open and part of it was laying on the ground.  Eeek!  I picked it up, realized it wasn't going to be 're-connected' and cut it off cleanly.   I brought it in, shortened the stem and stuck it in a jar of water.  The head is filled with five-or-six un-opened blooms and one good-sized one.   Lesson learned.  And, not a total plant-killer.  At least we get to enjoy this branch/stem/stalk with blooms inside for a little while.  

Planted in our backyard, in the new pizza oven bed is a dahlia that is new (to me):  Mystery Fox .  It is a Ball Dahlia and it is moving ahead of most of the other dahlias in our garden with the first few blooms opened up and more on their way.   Below is a look at the blooms in stages - closer to being cut vs just opening up.   The bottom photo shows the full plant - staked and filled with yellow-ish buds.  These were part of the Winter order this past off-season and this is the first time I'm growing them.  I've planted two sets of tubers - one in front and one in back.   The 'early blooming' is a (nice) surprise to me, but it shouldn't have been. The description of these dahlias lays it out : Each plant produces blossoms in a range of hues, from terracotta to coral and dusky rose. The 3 to 4" ball-style flowers are incredibly long lasting on the plant as well as in a vase. Zundert Mystery Fox starts blooming early in the season and ...

Five weeks ago, I potted up a number of stored-over-Winter dahlia tubers and a bunch of new-to-us purchased tubers in one-gallon nursery pots . I kept them inside for the month of May and by mid-month many of them were showing signs of life with new growth .  As June began, I started to harden off the dahlias with increasing time outside.  Eventually, leading to leaving them outside, overnight for a few nights.   Then...it was time to plant them.  Here's a look at the dahlias we are growing out on the patio getting hardened off: Hardening off dahlias that we started indoors a month earlier.   I have planted twenty-one (21) dahlia tubers in six locations.  Yes...twenty-one dahlias.  EEEK.  That's A LOT more than last year.   I also gave away three (two Melina Fleur tubers, one Pablo Gallery tuber).  And....Left on the patio are some slow-to-start ones.  These six *might* come to life, or they might be DOA.  This i...