
In A Vase on Monday – October Messenger
Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase of materials gathered from our gardens. It has been another week without rain.
Some of the dahlias are blooming more vigorously, like the one I’m featuring in today’s vase: Dahlia ‘Tsuki Yori No Shisha’. [Apparently I’ve been misspelling the name of this flower as Dahlia ‘Tsuku Yori No Shisha’. I checked my records and it was sold under the latter name, but this year I noticed the change.]

Dahlia ‘Tsuki Yori No Shisha’
I’ve grown this white semi-cactus dahlia for about three years. Bred in Japan and introduced in 1953 its name means “Messenger From The Moon.” It seems to produce its best flowers in fall—some are finally reaching the promised 6-8 inches.
Dahlia ‘Tsuki Yori No Shisha’

Dahlia ‘Tsuki Yori No Shisha’
Gardenias are having one of the nicest re-blooming periods I can recall. Last week I used foliage of Gardenia jasminoides ‘August Beauty’. This week the shrub is in bloom and I was able to include stems whose flowers are open, releasing their signature sweet fragrance.

Gardenia jasminoides ‘August Beauty’
Last year all my dahlias seemed to be the nearly the same type and size, making it challenging to create arrangements. This year I ordered more variety, including a white ball form called Dahlia ‘Petra’s Wedding’ that has been useful.

Dahlia ‘Petra’s Wedding’
I like the white-on-white effect and had planned to use only white flowers today, but a few remaining bare spots forced my hand. After taking a long time to produce, D. ‘Totally Tangerine’ has found its stride so there are fresh blooms daily.

Dahlia ‘Totally Tangerine’

Dahlia ‘Totally Tangerine’
Maybe the design needed a bit of color after all.

In A Vase on Monday – October Messenger
Materials
Flowers
Dahlia ‘Petra’s Wedding’ (Ball)
Dahlia ‘Totally Tangerine’ (Anemone)
Dahlia ‘Tsuki Yori No Shisha’ (was: Dahlia ‘Tsuku Yori No Shisha’)
Gardenia jasminoides ‘August Beauty’
Foliage
Lavandula x intermedia ‘Dutch’ (Dutch Lavender)
Container
Dark blue matte ceramic jar
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.