I have to start this week with an apology!! Kick-back August is clearly getting to me as I managed to get through until late last night without giving a thought to my ‘Vase on Monday’ – by the time I remembered my commitment we had finished dinner and started on a film, so I made up my mind to cut some flowers today.
This morning I had an engagement to visit a local floristry supply shop (W&M Smith Florist Supplies). I have mentioned before that I am growing flowers to decorate our local church for a wedding in September. I had arranged to take the brides mother (my lovely friend Joanna who has the most beautiful garden) to the shop to purchase all our bits and pieces for the flowers. When I dropped her back at her house she gave me the most stunning bouquet of dahlias from her garden, so I decided to use these for my late post today.
It is lovely to be given flowers – as with a cook who’s friends will never cook for her, it is rare for me to receive flowers as a gift as I always have so many of my own growing in the garden. I do appreciate the beauty of a gift of flowers though and am delighted to have these stunning dahlias now gracing my hall table.
I photographed these earlier today in my kitchen – the light is always lovely there. I am growing largely the same varieties as Joanna, but my dahlias are just slightly behind hers – we are hoping to both have plenty in time for the September wedding!
Once again I am sorry for missing our Monday calling and hope my late entry is acceptable! As ever please visit Cathy’s blog and have a look at all the lovely bouquets she and the others have produced from their gardens.
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Your friend’s Dahlias make a lovely display, Julie! I have a miserable time with Dahlias – in my former garden the problem was too much shade and damp air from the ocean resulting in mildewed foliage and, in my current garden, I suspect my stingy watering is the main issue.
What a shame that you are struggling to grow dahlias – generally I find them fairly easy to grow in my garden. I do love having them as they fill endless vases with flowers for months.
How lovely to be given such a beautiful bunch of flowers! 🙂
They lasted all week Cathy – a flower arranging dream!
Lovely ! Beautiful colours !
Thank you Sabina – I love the combination of vibrant orange and dark dahlias.
A lovely bouquet Julie! A gift of flowers is always special.
You are right Susie – there is something extra special about flowers received as a gift.
What beautiful colours, I hope when you show us images of the wedding flowers that you’ll give us all the names of the varieties. I have been so surprised at how easy it has been to grow Dahlias.
Thank you Christina. I will make sure that I give full details of varieties as I start to show you my dahlias.
I am new to dahlias as it were and have just two varieties on the allotment.Both are gorgeous but seeing these I know l must grow many more next year. A quiet weekend with the bulb and dahlia catalogue is planned.
I started with just a few varieties a few years ago and now would not like to count the number of different dahlias growing in my garden. There will always be room for a few more though and every year I find some new additions to the catalogues that I cannot resist!
That is indeed an amazing collection of dahlias – and so perfect! I am going to follow Janet of Plantaliscious’ suggestion of growing dahlias in pots next year. Please do show us the wedding flowers when the time comes – have you done something on this scale before? If not it must be quite daunting – particularly if you are dependent on flowers of your own for it. I too would love to be given home grown flowers, or homemade produce, but as you say people are less likely to do this when they know you can do it all yourself 🙂 Glad you still joined in and please don’t suffer pangs of guilt for being a day late!!
I am only doing the flowers in the church Cathy, so I am hoping it will not be too stressful! I will take lots of photos to show in September. I have never grown dahlias in pots so that might be something to try next year.
It’s always great to receive a gift of flowers whether you have plenty of your own or not and that’s a most attractive display Julie. One or two of them look familiar.Would be interested to know the varieties 🙂
I am sorry Anna but I do not have the names as they were a gift. I know that the orange flowers were David Howard.
Julie
Stunning colours so rich and dare I say a little of autumn!!!
Thank you Beth – I prefer to think of the colours as being of late summer rather than using the A word just yet!