Tag Archives: dahlias

cutflowers of summer

Posted on July 19, 2016 by Denise

Dahlia coccinea ‘Orange,’ Mendocino Botanical Garden Thank goodness there’s not a crazy nativist strain complicating appreciation of summer’s most colorful annuals. The only walls associated with these summer beauties might be the ones surrounding your cutting garden (you lucky devil!) … Continue reading →

Posted in cut flowers | Tagged dahlias, Floret Flower Farm, Sarah Raven, Swan Island Dahlias | 5 Comments

this summer’s dahlias

Posted on September 10, 2013 by Denise

I moved my one dahlia, the deep burgundy ‘Chat Noir,’ to my community garden plot this summer. Performance was…meh. By August the plant was finished. The soil at the CG still needs work if it’s to grow anything but zinnias … Continue reading →

Posted in cut flowers, garden travel, plant nurseries | Tagged Annie's Annuals & Perennials, cochineal, community gardens, Dahlia 'Chat Noir', Dahlia coccinea, dahlias, Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens | 3 Comments

the first summer dahlias and a freakish summer rain

Posted on July 11, 2013 by Denise

I moved the dahlias to the community garden this year and am so very glad I did. Just as in my own small home garden last year, the plant is a sprawling mess, but now I don’t have to look … Continue reading →

Posted in climate, cut flowers, edibles | Tagged community garden, cutting gardens, Dahlia 'Chat Noir', dahlias, Pole beans Trionfo Violetto, solanaceae family | 13 Comments

Friday clippings 6/29/12

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Denise

Lobelia tupa from Chile is blooming for the first time in my garden, thereby making everything right again with the world. Long time coming, Ms. Tupa. The color on the lobelia is deeper than salmon but slightly less intense than … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, clippings, design, journal, Plant Portraits, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged Agave bovicornuta, Agave guadalajarana, Annie's Annuals & Perennials, Cactus and Succulent Society of America, CSSA, Dahlia 'Chat Noir', dahlias, expanded steel, Huntington Botanical Gardens, industrial salvage, Lepismium cruciforme, Lobelia tupa, Petunia axillaris, Petunia integrifolia, Portulaca molokiniensis, Teucrium betonicum | 7 Comments

Rained Out

Posted on October 5, 2011 by Denise

Unlike a sporting event or outdoor concert or meal, a Southern California garden that’s rained out in early October is cause for rejoicing. And to really intensify the blissed-out experience of the first seasonal rains, just the day before you … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, Bulbs, design, garden visit, Occasional Daily Weather Report, Plant Portraits | Tagged Agave bovicornuta, Agave desmettiana 'Variegata', Agave parryi var. truncata, Allium sphaerocephalum, Bouteloua gracilis 'Blonde Ambition', climate change, dahlias, garden disputes, Pennisetum 'Princess Caroline', prechilling tulips, Salvia farinacea 'Texas Violet', San Marcos Growers | 4 Comments

Summer’s Bounty

Posted on July 24, 2011 by Denise

Man cannot live by tomatoes alone. (The first dahlia opened today.) There’s no way I’m going to keep the garden moist enough simply for a few dahlias to thrive, but I’d hate to face August and September without them. So … Continue reading →

Posted in Bulbs, edibles, pots and containers | Tagged dahlias, San Marzano tomato | 9 Comments

Dahlias, Dahling

Posted on June 21, 2010 by Denise

I have this one dahlia that came back this spring. Bought at a spring 2009 garden show. I’ve pored over the skimpy 2009 garden notebook but apparently didn’t write down the name, if it was even labeled. A font of … Continue reading →

Posted in Plant Portraits | Tagged dahlias, Swan Island | 2 Comments