Tag Archives: dahlias

cutflowers of summer

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

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this summer’s dahlias

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

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the first summer dahlias and a freakish summer rain

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

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Friday clippings 6/29/12

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Rained Out

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 , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Summer’s Bounty

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 , | 9 Comments

Dahlias, Dahling

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 , | 2 Comments