In A Vase on Monday – Nature’s Pulse
Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase of materials gathered from our gardens.
After a sere month, the rhythms of nature were heard and felt during the last week of July as storms at last brought rain into the garden. Sometimes pounding, thunderous. Often, hurried and incomplete. Yet, rain did come. Sensing nature’s quickening pulse, the garden’s response was a swift burst of color—pace, pattern and purpose all restored for a time as we enter August.
In A Vase on Monday – Nature’s Pulse
I first planted dahlias a few years ago and had enough success I came to believe they were easy to grow, only to discover it was beginner’s luck phenomenon. Each season now they become more of a mystery. Some have returned, some are new, some old and new failed to appear.
Usually advertised as buff or cream color in my garden the well-known dinnerplate Dahlia ‘Cafe Au Lait’ more often throws out pinkish with purple striped petals. (A version of this streaky form is sold as ‘Café au Lait Royal’.) My D. ‘Cafe Au Lait’ does occasionally produce the classic coloration, but not so far this summer.
Dinnerplate Dahlia ‘Cafe Au Lait’ with white D. ‘Tsuki Yori No Shisha’ and reddish-orange ‘David Howard’
With nice color and form Dahlia ‘Noordwijks Glorie’ is a fresh addition to the garden this year.
Dahlia ‘Noordwijks Glorie’
Also newly purchased this year, Gladiolus ‘Flowering Performer’ popped into bloom this week. Brushstrokes of white along the center of each petal are punctuated here by tiny flowers on sprigs of Italian oregano.
In A Vase on Monday – Nature’s Pulse
As an aside, I’ve never had pests attack gladiolas but I blame the rabbits for this shocking treatment of a beloved summer mainstay. These would have been deep red.
Zinnias are blooming with more vigor after a slow start. More seeds sprinkled early in the week germinated within two days.
White ball-type Dahlia ‘Petra’s Wedding’ peeks out between a pair of Zinnias
In A Vase on Monday – Nature’s Pulse
Materials
Flowers
Dahlia ‘Gallery Art Deco’
Dahlia ‘Cafe Au Lait’
Dahlia ‘David Howard’
Dahlia Decorative ‘Noordwijks Glorie’
Dahlia Decorative ‘Great Silence’
Dahlia Semi-Cactus ‘Tsuki Yori No Shisha’
Dahlia Ball ‘Petra’s Wedding’
Gladiolus ‘Flowering Performer’
Zinnia ‘Cactus Flowered Mix’
Zinnia ‘Cut & Come Again’
Foliage
Italian Oregano
Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’
Salvia uliginosa ‘Blue Sky’ (Bog sage)
Container
Black metal suiban. 4 x 9.5 x 6.5 inches. Japan.
As always thanks to our host Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for providing this opportunity to to share our vases. Visit her to discover what garden surprises she and others are offering this week.
pbmGarden 
Dahlias make a beautiful bouquet. I have never grown them, as they don’t have a chance of making it in my climate. Very creative to use oregano in the arrangement.
I agree that dahlias are good in bouquets. Got the tip about using oregano from a new florals book my sister gave me. Hadn’t grown any in a long time but this year happened to have some.
I agree about Cafe au Lait – such hype about them a few years ago perhaps led to much over-breeding? They’re really all over the place, colour-wise. My King Tut grass (Cyperus papyrus) has suffered the same fate as that glad – I also blame rabbits. Big rabbits, since I grew it this year is a quite high pot…
So happy you had a week of rain! I imagine there was much dancing in it! Your flowers obviously were appreciative!
I was just reading an article about dahlias describing how fluid dahlias can be in general, starting out with one coloration that shifts throughout the season. Some are more stable but Cafe au Lait is notorious apparently for variation. Rain, yes it makes so much difference.
Dear Susie, I absolutely love the title of your vase and of course the content which is lush, colourful and yet restrained and tasteful. How I wish it’d rain here! Don’t even remember how rain looks and feels like, it’s been so dry and hot. I’ve had exactly the same experience with dahlias, they’re really a bit of a mystery. And they’re very thirsty too so I’m not sure if I’ll continue to grow them. Got some in pots though which do well. Have a great week and enjoy the freshness the storms brought along.
Thanks for your comment Annette. Wanted the title to reflect my appreciation for the rain and and the entire cycle of the garden, the call and response of nature, and I’m glad it resonated with you. A few of my dahlias are in pots but I’m not careful to look after them well, they’re better off fending for themselves in the ground. I hope you soon will know the relief those nourishing rains can bring.
Sadly there’s no rain in sight at all, great summer for the non gardeners and holidaymakers though.
Your second paragraph is a wonderful piece of writing, Susie, and highlights your power of observation – thank you so much for sharing it 😊 How exciting to have those storms and a credit to your garden that it responded so quickly to it. The overall shape and density of bloom in your vase is glorious – I love the colour of the purple gladiolus, and it is clever how effective it is separating the brighter blooms from the softer colours nearer the base
The rain felt incredibly important and noteworthy after it being so dry. At first I was disappointed the purple gladiola wasn’t richer and darker, like some I’d grown last year, but the white in these petals actually helps them show up better in arrangements against the black vase. Have a good week Cathy.
Gosh, it certainly would be here too…
Your second paragraph reads rather like a poem to midsummer, Susie. I’m glad your garden got some rain – without any of the floods affecting some areas. As always, your arrangement is also a work of art. I’ve had very much the same experience with dahlias – beginner’s luck in the first 2 years and trouble ever since. Weather may be a factor as we’ve been extremely dry the last 2 years but I think I’ve also erred in trying to push the season by planting tubers earlier when the soil (even here) is still too cool and then watering too much, promoting rot. I wish I’d kept more detailed records of my planting and maintenance routine in those first couple of years.
Kris, I actually had used “verse” in the title originally so am delighted you found the writing a bit like a poem! You may be on to something –we had a cool spring here and maybe the dahlias needed the soil to warm up more. (Last summer I delayed and got them out much too late, so that was a bad strategy.)
Lovely arrangement, Susie. I like the way you tucked in the purple glads amidst the dahlias.
My dahlias are having a hard summer, as well. I attribute it to the lack of rain. Located at the back of the garden, I’ve been remiss in lugging water to them.
I had actually been watering dahlias here this summer, unusual for me, but nothing brought them to life like rain in the past few days. Hope yours get a good long drink to encourage them.
A soaker hose runs though the bed, but I think I need to hit the spots it misses. I’ll do it tomorrow… thanks for the encouragement!
Susie, you taught me a new word..sere. A great adjective, I have some sere here. I love the mix of colors and am laughing with you about your Dahlia dilemma. Mine are currently yellowing and frying and I had the fluid color issues. But, they are hard to resist. I particularly love the orange and purple together and the oregano bursts, the fragrance must be wonderful.
Glad to have shared a new word. Actually looked it up before using it because spell check was highlighting it and it was listed one place as “Archaic”! You’re right, despite the travails they present dahlias are hard to resist.
Oh yes, a “swift burst of color,” for sure. Just lovely! I’m a bit baffled by my Dahlias, as well. They’re growing very well, but not budding or blooming. I think I need to move them (they’re in pots) to a different spot… My glads are behind rabbit-proof fencing; otherwise, I’m sure they’d be experiencing the same fate as yours. Darn rabbits!
Fingers crossed your dahlias will get busy flowering. This is the first year rabbits got into the glads. I was surprised. I had rabbit fencing installed but some have slipped in anyway.
Ah, more gladiolus! (I saw them elsewhere also.) Is it normal for them to bloom so late? Some of ours are late also, so are just now finishing.
The gladiolas that had overwintered bloomed earlier, as did some new ones I had planted out early. The ones in this vase were planted several weeks (or more) later. It’s a good strategy to keep planting a few every two weeks to keep a steady supply. Of course, if they return next year they’ll all bloom at the same time.
Oh, of course. I do not consider that, since I put all of ours out in autumn. Some bloom a bit too early.
A wonderful mix of summer flowers and those purple gladioli are gorgeous! 😃
Thank you Cathy. The purple gladioli have been a great addition this year.
Oh such a rich palette Suzie – a veritable east for the eyes. Glad to hear that your garden is singing again after the refreshing rain but how annoying it must be to see what the rabbit has been up to!
Thank you Anna! The rain made a huge difference, as have the rabbits with rabbits being unwelcome.
A veritable feast that should have been Suzie – my fingers are typing away quicker than my brain is thinking!
😀