A small vase update this week, but an update nonetheless. I’m particularly happy with the first arrangement because I’m getting the hang of balancing flowers so that the heights are a bit more layered! More oranges and reds appearing, as if I needed a reminder that it’s autumn.
Two white-tipped ‘Holland Festival’ dahlias, the first bright orange ‘Neon Splendor’ dahlia, and a pretty bright red unnamed bedding dahlia. Yellow Austin rose ‘The Poet’s Wife’, godetias, and an unidentified pretty apricot rose round it out. That apricot-colored rose is super fragrant and came from a miniature rose plant that I got last mother’s day! They overwintered in the ground very well and I love that the plants stay small but still produce full-sized blossoms.
Last time I said that rose lilies don’t appear to open all the way. I’ll have to amend that to “they don’t seem to open all the way in a vase, but do so in the garden just fine”. Notice that it only has three anther stalks (pollenless) rather than the typical six! I do like how much less mess they make, but the trade-off is that they also are less fragrant.
This is a post for Rambling in the Garden‘s In a Vase on Monday meme!
Little Blue and White House 
Wow that arrangement is beautiful
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Thank you! How is your spring garden going?
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We’re loving it! So much colour!!
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Beautiful vases. Those dahlias are so unusual with their white tips.
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Thank you! Yes, I didn’t expect such personality out of a dahlia, thinking them high maintenance show plants, like plant poodles. Now I’m totally hooked and have pre-ordered several bicolors for next year 😀
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That is a delightful gathering of vibrant colours. I like the form of your lily too.
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Thank you, it’s been making me smile every time I look at it. Plant colors do seem to reach a crescendo around this time almost like they know what’s coming, don’t they?
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Are the lilies an Asiatic type? I know there are double versions of some of those, and they are fragrance free too? I have Poet’s Wife too but I had to move it as it was too tall where it was, and sadly it hasn’t done as well since. You have such a bountiful vase today, but I still like the lilies best!
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Thank you! They’re double Orientals from the Lotus series. So technically they are lotus lilies, not rose lilies and I shall have to remember that in the future. The light pink one from last week is called ‘Lotus Queen’ and the dark pink one this week is ‘Lotus Joy’. They do have a bit of fragrance, but nothing close to the amount that the normal ones pump out. My Poet’s Wife is supposed to be a shrub, but it is definitely sprawling more than expected as well. I’ll probably cut it back in early spring, after everything is wilted and it’s easier to tell what is what in the jungle 🙂
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QuiI haven’t come across this type of lily, but there again, I can’t say I have looked! A lot of the DA roses seem to grow taller than they are ‘meant’ to, here anyway
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Your dahlia & rose arrangement has a lovely painterly quality.
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Thank you! It would actually be fun to a watercolor still life one of these days, actually. Maybe I’ll make it a class project so I can actually carve some time out for it…
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Dahlia ‘Holland Festival’ does a great job of integrating the other colors in the arrangement, Angela. I’m still surprised to see dahlias and godetias blooming at the same time – the latter barely make it through early spring in my garden.
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Yes, Finnish summer is pretty much early Californian spring but with a lot more sunlight, so that makes sense. Pansies and dicentra make it through the entire summer and sometimes have an autumn flush as well lol. I wonder if the godetias might work as an autumn/winter flower for you, though?
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The dahlias are lovely Angela, and those colours all blend so well together. 😃 I have seen so many dahlias over the past couple of weeks I feel I should try growing them again. Maybe…!
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Participating in these blog events really does feel like feeding a plant addiction sometimes, doesn’t it? 😀 I’ve got my eyes on several new dahlia varieties to get next year already. The flowers are so gorgeous that I totally forgive them the fussy overwintering stuff.
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That is well put Angela… ‘feeding a plant addiction’! LOL! 😜
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A beautiful display. I saw rose lilies used in a flower arranging demonstration by Jonathan Moseley this summer. I’m growing some for next summer. Thank you for sharing your vase of flowers.
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Thank you! I look forward to seeing pictures of your arrangements as well!
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Thank you Angela. Have a great day! I’m renovating the greenhouse today, getting ready to put all the plants back in for winter.
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Yikes, it’s definitely that time of year. I need to start getting everything ready to go inside, too, it’s all a bit daunting!
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It feels like a rush now! I use my greenhouse as another room in winter with a kettle and cake tin. Visitors sit in there amongst the citrus trees. It’s a bit cramped, but no one complains 🤣
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That sounds delightful, I would probably spend most of winter in there! It dropped to 3C last night, so the race is definitely on. I trundled in the brugmansias last night and they were looking quite displeased. Now, if only I could convince the family that a conservatory is a much better idea than remodeling the bathroom 😀
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Oooh the scent from those angel’s trumpets! Must admit, I never got my conservatory so the greenhouse is doubling up as sitting/ writing space and overwintering sanctuary. 3C. Eeek! Not ready for those temperatures yet!
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