Tag Archives: Itea virginica ‘Sprich’ LITTLE HENRY (Virginia sweetspire)

In A Vase On Monday – Autumn Dahlias

29 Replies

In A Vase On Monday – Autumn Dahlias

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase of materials gathered from our gardens.

Several late-season dahlia surprises guided the direction of today’s vase. Last week I had written off ever seeing Dahlia ‘Fairway Spur,’ but it turned out to be a true “late bloomer.” Over the weekend a single flower, one large peachy specimen emerged on an elegantly long stem which I stubbornly refused to cut, making the vase a little top-heavy I realize in retrospect.

Dahlia ‘Fairway Spur’ (Dinnerplate)

Dahlia ‘Fairway Spur’ (Dinnerplate)

Another dinnerplate, Dahlia ‘Cafe Au Lait’, had bloomed earlier but I thought it had died back completely in the drought of summer. Then yesterday I discovered one stem in its best iconic coffee-colored form.

Dahlia ‘Cafe Au Lait’

Semi-cactus type Dahlia ‘Tsuki Yori No Shisha’ seems to take all summer to get going. Its autumn blooms are usually larger, better formed (and with fewer pests) and this year is continuing that trend.

Dahlia ‘Tsuki Yori No Shisha’ (Semi-cactus)

Dahlia ‘Tsuki Yori No Shisha’ (Semi-cactus)

There was a good variety of foliage to explore this week including gaura with a slight tinge of red and itea leaves with their unmistakeable redness.

In A Vase On Monday – Autumn Dahlias

In A Vase On Monday – Autumn Dahlias

Materials
Flowers
Button Chrysanthemum
Dahlia ‘Cafe Au Lait’ (Dinnerplate)
Dahlia ‘David Howard’ (Decorative)
Dahlia ‘Fairway Spur’ (Dinnerplate)
Dahlia ‘Noordwijks Glorie’ (Decorative)
Dahlia ‘Petra’s Wedding’ (Ball dahlia)
Dahlia ‘Tsuki Yori No Shisha’ (Semi-cactus)
Zinnia ‘Cactus Flowered Mix’
Zinnia ‘Cut & Come Again’
Zinnia ‘Senora’
Foliage
Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’ (Wormwood)
‘Pride of Gibraltar’ Hummingbird Cerinthe
Gardenia jasminoides
Gaura lindheimeri ‘Passionate Blush’ (Butterfly Gaura)
Itea virginica ‘Sprich’ LITTLE HENRY (Virginia sweetspire)
Spirea
Container
Black metal suiban. 4 x 9.5 x 6.5 inches. Japan.

Thank you for your continued good wishes for my husband’s health. It’s not a straight path but he is doing better. The garden has carried on since mid-August on its own, literally no rain since Hurricane Ian brought a small amount here at the end of September.

A college friend brought a wonderful gift on Friday—dark and light purple, white and apricot pansies which I actually got planted the same day and watered. The earth in the meditation circle was so dry I couldn’t plant them along the paths as I’d planned. Instead I placed them around the dahlias which will soon be dying back.

In A Vase On Monday – Autumn Dahlias

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.

Early May Vignettes And Blooms – Clematis ‘Niobe’

7 Replies

Clematis ‘Niobe’

Continuing a look around the garden over the first half of May, I keep coming back to this Clematis ‘Niobe’.  It was purchased in April 2015 at Southern States in Carrboro, a favorite local plant nursery since I’ve been gardening.

Clematis ‘Niobe’

I go through periods of wanting an all-red or all-white and certainly an all-blue border. They never materialize as I imagine but a few of the plants such as this one end up becoming stars.  This is a great shade of red.

The clematis has been waiting in the wings, caught up in the nightmarish aster that has been overwhelming my iris border. Most of last year I couldn’t even get through easily to the back fence where this clematis lives to check on it. This year the aster has been pulled out twice and still is revving its engines, sending out new runners underground.  (Its leaves are visible in the lower right portion of the image above.) I am determined to keep working to be rid of that aster.

Meanwhile Clematis ‘Niobe’ is visible this May and looking lovely. It began opening around April 10.

Itea virginica ‘Sprich’ LITTLE HENRY (Virginia sweetspire)

 

Late November

9 Replies

It was 24°F. when I left to teach yoga this morning. After class I braved the still below freezing morning temperature to explore the recently cleaned up garden.  Usually I wait for late winter/early spring to begin the clearing, but I hired some gardening help this year because the garden has gotten out of control. Voles had destroyed a Blue Point Juniper hedge and those trees were dying all summer.  Finally now they are all removed and the southern border looks very exposed.

Southern Border

Now I can see the outlines of the beds. It is not really a clean slate because there still are many aggressive plant roots biding their time, but for now I feel relieved. The meditation circle is free of obstacles and I can reset the stones and enjoying walking the labyrinth once again. My last minute bulb ordered arrived just before Thanksgiving and I can start getting them in the ground.

Meditation Circle

A dwarf Itea with its nice fall color was revealed during the clean-up. Inexplicably the shrub was planted several years ago at the back of a border, where it is hidden most of the time.

Itea virginica ‘Sprich’ LITTLE HENRY (Virginia sweetspire)

Itea virginica ‘Sprich’ LITTLE HENRY (Virginia sweetspire)

Confused, little mixed-up daffodils found the weekend’s 60°F. warmth encouraging enough to peek out. They don’t seem phased by the deep chill.

Daffodils

After the clean-up there is little left in place to offer unexpected blooms, but a couple of dianthus flowers stood out in the sunlight.

Dianthus Ideal Select Mix