About my garden

Monday 20 November 2017

Hotchpotch In a Vase on Monday

What a day of chasing my tail. I think I've managed to do all I had to do but then had to drive home in the dark and wet. 

When I took this photo of my vase the light was very bad and it's blurred but I can't do any better now. I'll try tomorrow.



Sometimes things just don't go to plan. 

After a few light frost this month we had one which was more severe and that has finished off the Dahlias and reduced the Nasturtiums to a soggy mess. We knew it was coming and I've been lucky that I've been able to cut dahlias right to mid November. There were very few and the larger types just became a wet mess of petals. 
Surprisingly I did find 2 or 3 flowers even after the frost and they are in my vase.

I've used:
Dahlia - a couple of Karma Naomi, one Classic Rosamund and a couple of Labyrinth buds. They won't open and don't like the rain. 
a few cosmos - very small and the last of these too.
Mahonia leaves
Weigela leaves
Dill flowers - I have no idea why this is flowering
Abelia
Chrysanthemum - Sheer purple
Persicaria - red dragon 


I'm very happy still to have so much colour but the garden really doesn't look like this.


The end of the dahlias. I'm going to dig most of them up but I will try leaving a few of the larger tubers in the ground. 

The crazy Chrysanthemums. There is one plant going off the left here and one to the right. As I said before, I have no idea why they are so tall but I do know I didn't give them proper support. 
This one has plenty of buds which are now breaking.

Thanks for visiting and do go over to Rambling in the Garden where Cathy encourages us to find what we can to put In a Vase on Monday. There are plenty if ideas to inspire you. 

23 comments:

  1. What a wonderful arrangement full of color and life.

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  2. Oh Alison look at all those wonderful rich colors in your vase....wonderful you still found dahlias, dill and cosmos. Ours are done now as we just had snow.

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    1. Oh, that's a shame for you. We don't get much snow here and rarely this early if we do. I think that will be the end of all these things now. :(

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  3. So beautiful! Mine are going over in the garden, but there’s chrysanthemums and alstroemerias in the poly tunnel. Here’s mine for the week https://bramblegarden.com/2017/11/20/in-a-vase-on-monday-in-the-pink/

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    1. A tunnel is such a great investment. Mine was worth every penny, even the drama of building it.

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  4. Oh what a surprise to see a healthy dahlia flower still and she blends so well with the cosmos and chrysanthemums - your blooms and vase share the same profile as mine, don't they? Have you found that netting sufficient to support your dahlias? I certainly need to support mine better next year but I am not sure I want to use netting but if it does the job...

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    1. The netting has been good. There is a lower layer and then I added a second higher one as they grew. It is not the prettiest but this is not in my front borders! When they were in full leaf the netting was really not obvious and, for a first attempt, did the job. I managed to buy an olive green net for one bed which was less bright.

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  5. You did a great job despite the soggy weather you had to contend with, Alison. I love that Dahlia. My own Dahlias pooped out a good month ago. Although they can remain in the ground here as we don't get freezes, I pulled all mine up and stored the tubers away so I could use my raised planters for a crop of winter blooming plants. Or that's the hope anyway. Between the raccoons, squirrels and birds my seedlings seem to have trouble staying put.

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    1. It is a constant battle. The Poly Tunnel Mice are now eating freesia bulbs straight out of the pots. I need to reinstate my hanging shelf but that wouldn't work for raccoons or squirrels who would see it as a challenge!

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  6. Lovely arrangement and fabulous to have a dahlia in November. It is a fun challenge to find plenty of colour as the months get darker.

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    1. It is certainly a challenge and so much fun to see what everyone else has found.

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  7. What a cheerful vase to welcome you home on a dark wet evening! The dill flower adds sparkle, and those Dahlias and Chrysanths are such a pretty colour. :)

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    1. Thank you, today is a bit brighter at least. I love the shape and colour of the dill but can only seem to grow it by accident. I hope it will seed around for me.

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  8. I'm amazed at how many flowers you still have left! Such a cheery bouquet! :)

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  9. The pink and bright yellowy-green make a nice combo, reminiscent of spring, which of course, is a LONG way off!

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    1. I like to think in January we can sort and order seeds and then start again in Feb. Not long now...

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  10. Looking at your vase I would have thought it was September rather than nearly the end of November! If your soil isn't too heavy I'm sure the dahlias you leave in the ground will return next year. I usually give mine a good deep mulch to act as a blanket to keep them snug.

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    1. The soil is lovely but I think the slugs will have a feast on the new shoots. Our winters have been very mild recently but nothing is guaranteed. I'm going to try both things and see how it goes.

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  11. That's a lovely vase - and such alot of lovely colours. Great to see so many flowering so far into November. Our dahlias are well over in soggy Manchester but your vase has reminded me to dig them up and store them for the winter. Mind you I found some pelargonium so they went in my vase for IAVOM. Have a lovely week. love Bec xx

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  12. Wow Alison! Gorgeous bouquet! I love it!

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  13. Lovely way to end the season. The golden flowers of the dill juxtaposed with the other blooms really draws in the eye...we had our first hard frost last night, and I am waiting to see its effects.

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