Dahlia Delight

After all that wind and rain on Sunday it was good to get out into the garden yesterday for a good breath of fresh air. Some of my Dahlias have been a bit late to the party this year and as it's November, I wanted to celebrate them with you before the frosts finally turn them to mush. The top one is D. 'David Howard': I thought I'd lost him over the winter, but at last a lone stem appeared, then this single bloom last week. The bottom two are from the ones I ordered after seeing the spectacular display of some of the National Dahlia Collection at the RHS Inner Temple Show last year. Unfortunately I've lost the order form, so I can't tell you which ones they are. They were also late in flowering as they suffered from a capsid bug attack early in the summer. As they've all struggled against the odds, I'm especially pleased to see them, no matter how briefly.

Update: I've looked back at my photos from the Inner Temple Show and the pink one is D. 'Karma Lagoon'.

Comments

  1. CanadianGardenJoy3 November 2009 at 12:19

    VP girl ... what gorgeous flowers to see so late in the year and after they have battled some terrible bugs .. it does our hearts good as gardeners to see beautiful plants prevail against the odds !
    Joy : )

    ReplyDelete
  2. Monica the Garden Faerie3 November 2009 at 13:48

    Decidedly, dahlias do delight!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dirt Princess3 November 2009 at 15:58

    I absolutely LOVE dahlias! I tried a Dinner Plate Dahlia this year and it did wonferful. SO this year I plan on adding many more

    ReplyDelete
  4. Liz3 November 2009 at 17:17

    Lovely photos, and wonderful to have them so late in the year, mine too are still flowering and I'm wondering whether I should bring them in yet.... :D

    ReplyDelete
  5. petoskystone3 November 2009 at 17:22

    dahlias remind me of ball gowns.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Carrie3 November 2009 at 19:15

    bless them, what a joy too see such wonderful colour at this time of year. I hope it isn't too brief (but at least we all have the photos to look at).

    ReplyDelete
  7. easygardener3 November 2009 at 22:00

    Very flashy colours for depressing November and very welcome. I must buy at least one Dahlia for next year.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Karen - An Artist's Garden4 November 2009 at 09:59

    This is the first year I have tried Dahlias - and I have been so impressed with them.

    Yours are looking luscious
    K

    ReplyDelete
  9. colleen5 November 2009 at 00:25

    I adore dahlias. I have even come round to pompoms, though the flamboyant cactus types are more me really. Petoskystone's description is spot on! And you are v lucky to have these still going

    ReplyDelete
  10. VP5 November 2009 at 09:55

    Joy - that's exactly why I had to post them as they cheered me up tremendously after our awful weather on Sunday.

    Monica - they most certainly do :)

    Dirt Princess - sounds like a good idea. I loved them even when they weren't fashionable :)

    Liz - you need to let the first frosts get to the foliage before bringing them in, then dig them up. I'm not sure if you've had that yet in Sheffield? Once again I'll be relying on my Dahlia duvet treatment, but that's not recommended for you as you're too far north to risk leaving your Dahlias out.

    Petoskystone - that's a great description!

    Carrie - brief but so welcome :)

    EG - I'm planning on having some more - especially the cactus variety, the sultrier the better

    Karen - I'm surprised you've not had them before as I thought they'd be right up your street. Judging by your comment, I suspect this won't be the last year you'll have them?

    Colleen - I'm not quite there with the pompom ones, dark leaved's more my thing.

    ReplyDelete

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