Monday has come round again and I'm in joining in with 'In A Vase On Monday'. Tucked in to my vase this week are :
- Dahlia 'Copper Boy' - on the whole my dahlias haven't flourished this year not finding the wet summer to their liking. I have two 'Copper Boy' plants which have been in the ground since 2022 so they have now come through two winters. I'm not sure whether to leave them again as although I'm partial to the flowers the stems tend to flop. We shall see, in the meantime I hope that our first frost isn't for a while longer so I can continue to enjoy the flowers.
- A few persicaria flowers - I'm not sure which variety. I had these arranged more closely together but on transporting the vase they decided to go their own way. I must look to adding one or two more varieties as they are such great perennials for late colour and also seem to flower for a good while.
- Some dangle in the shape of flowers from the deciduous shrub leycesteria formosa also known as the Himalayan honeysuckle. The flowers with bracts eventually give way to berries. It's particularly recommended for partial shade or woodland gardens. It self-seeds but can be propagated by softwood cuttings too. After years of very few seedlings appearing I'm now perhaps discovering too many but they are easily recognisable. Thanks as always go to the lovely Cathy over at 'Rambling In The Garden' who invites to share our vases with fellow bloggers throughout the year. Do pay her a visit!
We were blessed with some calm weather last week and some gentle sunshine which has been good for getting outside. There has been much in the way of leaf sweeping to be done and although we make leaf mould there are so many trees around that some leaves have been filling up that green bin. After tomorrow we only have one more collection until the middle of February. Bulb planting is a work in progress too.
In the greenhouse there are a few hardy annual seedlings which are still too small to pot on namely ammi visnaga, daucus carrota and orlaya grandiflora. I left sowing them until the last week of September so must go earlier next year. I'm waiting patiently for papaver 'Amazing Grey' and larkspur 'Misty Lavender' to show signs of life. I'm also peeking every day at the six ranunculus corms that I've planted. Such excitement.
Also a cautionary tale - do not do as I did and leave horticultural fleece in the greenhouse over the summer. I had discarded a piece that I must have used last winter and left it in a corner. When I picked it up it disintegrated and covered me and the greenhouse floor with a myriad of fleece snow which was an absolute nightmare to clear up 🤬 😱
Our dahlias are battered and bruised now.
ReplyDeleteMost of mine too Sue. It's not been the best of years for them 🥲
DeleteOh, 'Copper Boy' is glorious, and lovely combined with the other elements! That vase is nifty, too. I need to dig and divide some Calla Lily bulbs tomorrow, and after that (and after the frost in a few days) I need to dig up Gladiolas and Dahlias (I think my climate is just a bit too cold) for winter storage. So much to do this time of year!
ReplyDeleteThanks Beth. I hope that you have lifted all the bulbs that you need to. Here it's the winter wet just as likely to damage.
DeleteSuch gorgeous dahlias, Anna. I've already ordered mine for next year, can't wait to see what they look like. We're such crazy plant addicts, ha! Eliza
ReplyDeleteOh that is excellent forward planning Eliza. I must take a leaf out of your book 😀
DeleteAnna, your Dahlia 'Copper Boy' is lovely and the companions you selected form a perfect vase. Enjoy your plantings. I should get busy too.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your visit and kind words Susie 😀
DeleteCopper Boy is very handsome Anna, and the Persicaria and dangly Leycesteria are lovely with them. Dahlias seem to do well for almost everyone except me, but I have saved two to store and will give it another go. By the way, I made that mistake with garden fleece this summer too and left it in the full sun under my potting table. I just hope I didn't inhale any while tidying up! LOL!
ReplyDeleteI hope that you don't end up covered in fleece snow Cathy - not an experience that I would recommend. Good luck with overwintering those dahlias 🤞
DeleteYour dahlias are magnificent! I'm afraid a small Pumpkin and seed heads are all I had left this week so here is my Hallowe'en ish desperate vase!!!
ReplyDeletehttps://zonethreegardenlife.blog/2024/10/28/in-a-vase-monday-october-28/
Oh small pumpkins and seed heads sound most appropriate for Halloween Jenny 🎃 😂
DeleteWow is this glowing like the trees around me....beautiful
ReplyDeleteThank you Donna 😀
DeleteCopper Boy is quite a handsome chappie, isn't he? I briefly dipped into the new Halls of Heddon catalogue this morning, but need to work out in my own mind which dahlias I want to keep from this year and how many new ones I have space for. I have numerous persicaria I can give you offsets of, Anna - would you want some now or in the spring? The leycestera is such an interesting plant - mine came after you included it in a vase a year or two ago and it is doing well in the woodland edge border. I am so pleased to have it, so thank you! It certainly works well with the dahlia and persicaria
ReplyDeleteHe is indeed a rather handsome fellow Cathy. I must have a peek at the new Halls of Heddon catalogue - more for chrysanthemums than dahlias. Thanks for your kind offer of persicaria offsets. I will be in touch with your directly about that. So pleased that you're happy with your leycesteria 😂
ReplyDelete