New Dahlia Bed This Year

I park my car between the barn and the first column. A few weeks ago I dug out a new bed for my numerous dahlia tubers that successfully survived being stored in my bunker. I honestly thought they were all dead or I would have planted all or most of them a lot sooner than I did. One day I saw they were sprouting and went to work. Digging out the turf in this small area was hard but worth it. I used the diggings to fill in some sinkholes in my lawn they were the result of tree trunks rotting beneath the soil. 

The tubers are growing fast and furiously and this will be a wonderful cutting garden when they bloom. I planted some of the best ones out front several weeks before this project and they are already over three feet tall and very full. Dahlias are so easy and so rewarding but I am not fond of the digging up part in late fall but it's really a small price to pay for the lovely flowers they produce. Have a great weekend. xo

Dahlias Still Going Strong

Dahlias are nothing short of amazing. They are blooming their hearts out trying to keep the killing frost away, and succeeding! It is supposed to be near 80° today and tomorrow before it gets somewhat cooler next week. I haven't decided how to go about digging out the tubers. I suppose I will just wait it out and see how long I can hold out or just wait for the first killing frost and hope for the best. 

Surprise Salmon Dahlia

What a nice surprise today.

All of my other tubers turned out to be dark red.

Today I got one dahlia in salmon.

Isn't it beautiful?

September is over today and I have moved mountains.

Yesterday I washed all my outside windows on the lower level as well as the storm door and the main entrance. I did the sliding glass door a while back. I found more things to put outside for the annual trash pickup. Everything was supposed to be collected Monday but it hasn't happened yet. Most of the stuff I put outside was picked up by people driving by. I got several things myself from my neighbors' piles. I got a fabulous large step-on stainless steel garbage can for my downstairs kitchen. It cleaned up perfectly and I can't imagine why my neighbors were getting rid of it. I really needed it too. It doesn't take much to make me happy, does it? I've been cleaning out the loft over my garage too. It's just dry storage for stuff I don't need. I have slowly been weeding it out for a long time and it's looking better each day. Will I ever finish? I doubt it! I keep tweeking arrangements I've already done but that's the fun part. See you tomorrow. xo

Dahlias: Thriving On Neglect

I haven't done anything outside lately and this section outside my front door is full of weeds I'll attack one of the days. The dahlias don't care. They rise above to show off their beauty and continue to bloom prolifically.  They really are easy to grow!

Natural Pest Control Has Wings

Barn Owls have the best ♡ shaped faces.

Shy barn owlet peeking out.

It's a lot to read but this article is very rewarding if you are at all concerned about pesticides on your fruit or in your wine. Fruit growers in California have begun putting up nest boxes in their orchards and vineyards and letting the occupants help with pest and insect control. They are finding the birds are outperforming the pesticides and I find that to be quite thrilling. I always enjoy Penelope Bianchi's owl videos on Instagram showing her barn owls bringing vermin back to the nest box to feed their young. Of course, bluebirds in nest boxes help with insect control as do other small birds.

I have two more dahlia photos awaiting processing which I will add to this post later. I have to transfer them from my Nikon camera on my attic computer which has a card reader. I am waiting for my generator to come on for the weekly 15 minute test cycle before I turn on the computer. I'm glad so many of you are still enjoying my cottage flower photos. xo

The green background seems to fighting the green dahlia foliage of this Black Velvet beauty in my backyard.

I enlarged this dahlia by cropping out all but the flower. It's the same photo I posted yesterday minus the rooster.

Lovely Porch

Old houses with porches are always fun viewing and this one is the perfect place to sit and chat without being is direct sun. I'm a shade lover myself. Have a great weekend and check back later for a dahlia photo. xo

As promised, here's another dahlia with one of my roosters in the background. I still enjoy watching the buds open, making every day a treat. I'm glad they aren't opening all at once. xo 

My Bookshelves & One More Dahlia

It's hard to show you anything but dahlias so here is a detail of the bookshelves in my bedroom.

And ONE MORE dahlia, shot this morning in my front garden. Have a great weekend. xo

Dahlia Day 7-- Fully Open

Overnight raindrops were still on the first dahlia of the season this morning around 9:00. We had very hard rain for about an hour at dusk last night. This variety has very substantial stems and stalks so no damage was done.

The shape has change dramatically from flat on the back to being rounded from the back view.

A profile view showing ball form.

Other side.

Front view showing the holly-shaped leaves and stems. I have decided this is a BLACK SATIN dahlia.

The limelight hydrangea I rooted from my mother plant in the back yard is very sturdy this year. Last year the stems were wimpy and couldn't support the blossoms so I cut it back to the ground. This year the stems are sturdy and the big blossoms are standing straight and strong. You really can't kill this shrub no matter what you do. Sometimes a severe pruning is just what the doctor ordered.

xo

Copper Cookware Love + Dahlia Day 6

I hope this kitchen has a full time copper polisher and I'm sure it does because it belongs to Martha Stewart. This lifetime collection is amazing and so very beautiful. I need to do some metal polishing myself, both silver and copper. Dust and tarnish are my personal indoor housekeeping enemies.  View the slideshow and see 14 photos.

Martha and the Art of Collecting Copper Cookware 

See my own copper pots HERE and HERE.

See an old post of mine about how I polish my brass and copper HERE.

Day 6 -- I got down low enough with my camera that the nibbled petals don't show too much along the top edge. Pam wanted to see the center and there are petals in that location still in the process of opening. I honestly thought it was going to be a center like that of a daisy but I think eventually the center will disappear. We shall see! xo

Dahlia Day 5 + New Ones

Miss Dahlia it is fully formed and an insect has nibbled away at some of the outer tips. The center has virtually disappeared. Now I know to pick them earlier and have them open fully inside the house. 

This one is blooming in the back yard and it's a beauty too and has some companion buds.

I really don't want to cut it since it is also a first bloom for the back yard but I'll keep an eye out for insect damage.

I was able to get in some quality mowing yesterday afternoon late when it was all shaded. Last night it rain again and I will wait a day or two before doing the front since there are two sunny days coming up with no rain or thunder showers. xo

Limelight Hydrangea + Dahlia, Day 4

When you read the label on a limelight hydrangea as seen in the right background, please believe it when it says the mature size can be up to 8' x 8'. All the rain we have had this season made mine get that large and I don't think there's any stopping it from getting even taller. Last year, I pruned it from the bottom to encourage height. I want it to become more of a tree so the deer can't reach it. They have begun to nibble recently so it needs to get even taller. They munched a little on the Lacecap too. I am especially pleased with my grocery store geraniums in the planter against the window wall. They are blooming their hearts out.❤️

Here we go with day 4 of my dahlia that is supposed to get to be 4 feet tall but I think it's a little taller. I think it will open up a little more around the center before it is fully "in bloom" and I can stop boring you with its beauty. When I look at the plant from inside the house through my living room window, it looks jet black with a yellow dot in the middle. As you get closer you see the deep red tones.♡🤎♡ I am so behind in my mowing and seriously must get out there this week.😩 

xo

Foggy Morning + Dahlia Bud's Day 3

The morning fog is the result of last night's rain and an already hot Monday morning. I watched Miss Potter again last night on Hoopla, a free movie service powered by my library card. That is a movie you can watch over and over and love more each time.

Here we have Miss Dahlia on Day 3. I couldn't be happier with this color which is a dark burgundy that looks almost black in a certain light. If all the tubers turn out to be this variety, I will be thrilled. This site is a good one if you want to learn more about dahlias. xo

Here is is after lunch when all the rain and dew drops were burned off by the sun. It gets prettier every time I walk past.

Dahlia Bud Opening: Day 2

My first year with dahlias is just starting to happen. I took this photo a few minutes ago on Sunday morning after an overnight rain. This is day two of my first bud beginning to open.

The plant is taller than my old boxwood and still growing. I was given a box full of tubers and planted them all not knowing whether or not they were viable and with no idea of the color. I think most of them came up but the heights are all different. I will be sure to pull them up before the first killing frost and store them over the winter. I will keep posting this particular bud as it opens more each day. See yesterday's post on Instagram for day one in the opening process. xo

Freshly Picked Dahlia Bouquet

I picked these lovely dahlias by invitation just before dark on Sunday night. They made getting up on a Monday morning so delightful. They drank a lot of water overnight and I had to top them off after taking this photo. They are the best summer into fall flowers of all.

My Friend's Beautiful Dahlias

I took these photos at a friend's house late this afternoon and once again fell in love with dahlias. I have never tried growing them and every year I admire them and wish I had them too. Next year for sure! I know you have to dig up the tubers and store them somehow to be replanted the next spring. I love that they are so tall and straight proudly flaunting their beauty. I love that they are late bloomers providing such beauty in the fall. xo

Gardening Wallpaper, Dahlias + An Owl

I photographed this delightful gardening wallpaper when life was normal in the powder room during a broker open house.

This is a screenshot from Instagram @mccormickcharlie one of my favorites. Of course, he lives in England and raises award-winning dahlias on his property, a Manse alongside a beautiful country church.

Have you ever seen a more determined owl. He's definitely on a mission. This is also a screenshot from Instagram @animalswilder

Small Garden w/ Greenhouse + Washing Maching Update

This small but mighty garden is so special. There is something to oooh and ahhh over everywhere you rest your eyes. I cannot believe there is even a sizable greenhouse behind the dahlias. A tall wooden privacy fence, assorted picket fences, pea gravel paths, raised beds herbs, flowers, lawn brick patio, etc. Too many amenities to list! Swoon. Found here.

Washing Machine Update: I washed two woolen sweaters by hand in the kitchen sink this morning. It was quick work and I folded them somewhat and took them downstairs to my laundry room and put them soaking wet in my new Maytag washer. I set the dial to "drain and spin" and walked away. I was very pleased at how nearly dry they were. I always take my window screens out for the winter because they block so much light. I put a screen atop each of two wooden drying racks in my furnace room and put a terry towel atop each one. I took a while to arrange them and reblock them somewhat and to pat and shake out the wrinkles.  I went back downstairs after a couple of hours and they had already begun to dry. I shook each one and turned them over. I was afraid to use the handwash cycle but am quite pleased with hand washing them myself. If you try this make sure you have two or more items for balance in the spin cycle rather than just one.

Dahlias in Asheville

Originally cultivated by the Aztecs, dahlias are perennial mountain flowers that survive until frost.

The Technicolor whorls of a Café au Lait dahlia.

Read the article about this Asheville NC Dahlia Farm: FOR THE LOVE OF DAHLIAS