Monday has become one of my favourite days of the week since I began joining with Cathy at Rambling in the garden where she asks us to create a vase to enjoy in the house from flowers picked in our own gardens.
It is still very hot so I was up at 5.30am to be able to work a little outside and in before it became too hot. This is even more necessary on Mondays as it is important to pick flowers before the sun is on them and they begin wilting. I cut and place them immediately into buckets of water; sadly the myth of walking around with a beautiful trug of flowers would mean that the flowers were dead before they reached the relative cool of the house.
The purple dahlia, bought last year in a mixed bag of bulbs from Lidl for next to nothing, is again spectacular this year. The first stems were picked in June while I was away and some others have been cut and thrown onto the compost heap but this week D. Magenta Star is the true star of my vases.
I chose the large carafe style vase I bought last year and, because I had picked so many flowers, I also filled the smaller carafe too.
Today’s vases in carafe-shaped vses
The large carafe holds about 6 litres of water just to give an idea of how large it is
The vases needed to be photographed inside and therefore with flash as the large one was much too heavy to move. I also arranged the vase where it was to be placed for the same reason.
The smaller carafe is large enough to hold a litre of wine
As you can see I have used some of the Ami after they have finished flowering and have formed the characteristic ball.
Dahlia Magenta Star
D. Magenta Star with a mix of white flowersc
Today’s vases
Materials used: Dahlia Magenta Star, D Snowflake, D. Aspen, D. Bishop family, Cosmos Purity, Cosmos Dark shades, Antirrhinum Giant white, a crimson flowered Antirrhinum from a mixed pack of seeds and Ami majus; there are also a couple of crimson zinnias.
Do visit Cathy to see her Calm and Serene vase this week, I think it is one of my favourites.
Creating my own garden of the Hesperides 
Abundant Dahlia joy! Glad to see your Magenta Star doing so well. I admired it last year and it is just a lovely as I remember. Your arrangement is beautiful, rich and summery. Love the red zinnia too. Only about 5 of my zinnias came up this year.
I didn’t have very good germination of my zinnias either, I think I may have started them a little early. Magenta Star is incredible and the plant is already about 6 ft tall even with many of the flowers having already been cut.
I love your purple dahlia, its shape reminds me of a water lily. I must go to Lidl one day, there is one nearby and I keep hearing about unbelievable plant bargains from fellow allotment folk. I am growing D. Onesta at the allotment and she is a similar shape but pinker. There is so much texture, form and interest in your vases and I’m learning so much by looking closely at your beautiful arrangements. Thanks Christina.
Here it isn’t always easy to find bulbs etc. and Lidl does have great prices and good quality but you only find them for a week or so, which means the gardeners amongst my friends are good at alerting each other when they arrive.
Thanks Sarah, yes do try Lidl: I only go when I hear that they have bulbs or seeds in stock which is for a very short period but the quality is amazing for the prices.
That’s such an interesting, and, to me, original observation – the colour and shape/arrangement of the dahlia petals is lotus-like. I don’t grow dahlias, but I’m thinking maybe I should give them a go when they look this beautiful.
I only started growing dahlias last year and have been amazed by how many flowers a single rhizome can produce. Last year D. Magenta Star must have produced about 150 large flowers. Amazing value for money! I think they are becoming very fashionable again, especially for growing to cut.
Very successful! Looking forward to more of your beautiful dahlias. How do you keep a fabulous garden going and travel too? I’ve about given up. It’s been miserably hot here this summer.
The answer is that the garden isn’t really looking that fabulous at present.
Great vases, and I have to ask if the large one gets used for 6 litres of wine?! As to the important part, the flowers, i love all the dahlias and was pleased to read that these were from Lidl. I too have had some success from their plants, dahlias mignon mixed and summer bulbs including sparaxis which were a bargain 99p. I do love to get a bargain, especially when it comes to plants. Great show but after your early start I should think you are ready for a snooze.
No, neither vase has ever been used for wine! The large one would be too heavy to lift if it were full of wine. None of the other supermarkets have a good selection of bulbs or seeds here so I’m very happy to have discovered Lidl.
How nice to see a return of your dahlia, a full year of growth, successful overwintering, and now another season is quite the accomplishment! For some reason I thought your summers would be too long and hot for them to succeed, but looks like that’s absolutely false!
Love the arrangement but I can’t really grasp how large the vase is. Six liters is a lot of water but in the photos it never seems this way!
My first dahlia has just started and I’m hoping they do nearly as well as yours.
dahlias don’t seem to mind the heat as long as there is enough irrigation. This one stayed in the ground all winter too, just protected with some mulch. But I mustn’t be complacent last year was a very mild winter. Good luck with your dahlia, I’m sure it will do well for you.
Lovely and summery – the matching vases are esp. nice!
I should look for another small one, things are always better in threes or odd numbers.
Lovely two vases, I too am starting to enjoy a Dahlia or two in the garden.
Dahlias are a great cut flower, they are so prolific and there are so many lovely colours.
Gorgeous creations, Christina! I love that magenta Dahlia. In fact, I love Dahlias in general but, despite multiple attempts, I’ve had abysmal luck in growing them. My old garden was too shady. This one is perhaps too dry. Maybe next year I’ll try them in my raised vegetable beds so I can keep them properly watered.
Yes, that is a gorgeous dahlia – I am not sure if If I have anything in this kind of shade but after this year’s success I am sure to want to buy more! The accompaniments you have chosen to join them in this huge carafe are perfect – your cosmos are so lovely too. How long will they go on flowering for? Great idea to use these ammi seed heads too. Thanks for sharing with such enthusiasm!
I love your Lidl Dahlia, what good value . As usual you have produced such pretty arrangements Christina. They look perfect in the glass carafes.
Fabulous dahlias and cosmos…I hope with my new beds next year to finally have dahlias growing to cut. One of my favorite vases Christina! It has been quite hot and humid here so I have to get out early too to work in the garden.
The humidity is the killer. Dry heat is quite almost easy to deal with but high humidity is just impossible for me.
Christina … that’s what you call a vase full! It looks like you have the whole garden in there. Absolutely beautiful.
All the dahlias anyway, there will be more soon so I thought it best to pick them all, but I didn’t even make a start on the dark Cosmos.
The two carafes make a nice presentation. Isn’t it great having flowers to spare?
I love having the cuttings beds, it helps me accept that the rest of the garden may, in future, have to be mainly evergreens, form and texture.
A whole summer in a vase, beautiful! You have inspired me to plant Dahlias next year, thanks Christina!
You won’t be disappointed if you plant Dahlias; they are incredibly generous with their flowers
What a gorgeous bouquet of flowers you found this week, Christina! I am drooling over your purple Dahlia. It just brings the entire arrangement to life! Lovely!
Thanks WG, the dahlia is definitely a star!