My Virtual Garden

A Bouquet of Dahlias

"Sandy's Pincushion"

Today we celebrate the Dahlia, one of the most beautiful and diverse flowers on earth.

The Dahlia is not native to North America or Europe, but is one of the wonderful gifts of

Colombia and Mexico to the world. They were brought by the Spanish to Europe and

then back to North America. They are one of the most popular garden flowers in the USA.

These are some pictures of Dahlias which I have taken in San Francisco, Chicago, and

Montreal

"Laetitia"

Dahlia petals spring forth with light

To guide us through the darkest night.

A proof of God inside us all,

They stand, so perfect, true and tall.

My head I bow in thanks devout

How could I ever've raised a doubt,

When sun and rain are all they need,

If love is shared, they will succeed.

"Lost Love."

Dahlias are easy to grow and hardy. By mid August they are five feet high and covered

with flowers. They continue blooming until the first real frost. In the north,

you must take their tuber roots out of the ground and store them in a cool,

dry place until next spring. Dahlias range in size from an inch across to the giant

dinner plate dahlias, which are more than 12 inches in diameter.

The white dahlia above is the simple traditional flower with eight petals. It has been

hybridized into all sorts of colors and forms and sizes.

Dahlias are special in many ways. They are divine delights. They send out light,

like life, in a million different hues. Symmetrical, they are big, brazen and brilliant.

They dazzle you with colors likely never seen. They are late-Summer bloomers, a hopeful

metaphor - that. They grow easily if given sunlight and lots of water. But it may take

a season. They need support to climb to their peak. And they are widely used as

herbal medicines. Mexico and San Francisco have made Dahlias their official flowers.

True, they lack the fragrance of roses, but unlike roses, they do not prickle.

"Mistress Cecily"

This is a Dinner Plate Dahlia,which is more than 12 inches in diameter. In Golden Gate Park

in San Francisco, the city honors its official flower with its own special garden with

hundreds of varieties and colors of dahlias. Be sure and visit. It is only a few minutes walk

south of the Museum of Fine Arts and the Science Museum

"Bold Expression"

Dahlia flowers look beautiful when cut and floating in a bowl of water.

"Bahama Mama" Dahlia in the Bulb Garden

"Diva" deep purple dahlia in Bulb Garden

"Junkyard Dog Dahlia." I don't know where the name came from,
but it is on all the ID tags in the garden. It's beautiful and large.

"Louie Meggos" Dinner Plate Dahlia- 12 inches across

"Coral Spiders" is the name of this variety.

A pure white double dahlia - "Iceberg."

"Peach Pomade." The peach and orange colors are particularly subtle.

Traditional lavender dahlias with a few frills.

"Morning Sunrise" shows some of the multi-colored petals.

"Alice Reilly" is supposed to be in honor the color of the lingerie favored by one of

King Edward VII's mistresses.

"Dainty Delight"

Pink and magenta make a wonderful combination.

"Peach Flare"

This was a featured flower at the Chicago Botanic Gardens - "Brittany Rey."

"Raspberry Ripple" is the name of this delicious two-toned blossom.

Joseph Haydn's "The Dahlia Sonata," composed, it is said,
shortly after he saw his first dahlias from South America.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWF-48jIrSU

"Orange Popsicle" Dahlia

"Brittany Rey" variant

"Bahama Mama" - Let's dance! This was one of the most beautiful varieties.

"Priscilla's Pink" Dahlias
__________________

Pale and translucent as pink lemonade,
the morning sun filtered its petals
to pure lightness;

a saffron haze
near the stem, pallid fuchsia at its tips,
it yawns, unfurling its petals into
the summer air laden with mist
and amber seed.

The leaves cluster around its stem,
as though protecting its emerald heart
from the gardener’s shears;
every day an excruciating uncertainty;

the bees burrow deep
into its fuzzy heart
the way the pestle enters
the mortar; their famished
mouths can decimate
the life from this fragile bloom.

Every day the gardener
parks his rusty wheelbarrow
by the garden gate,
green with leaves and ivy,
and considers
plucking the precious blossom
from the sill;

an executioner of the garden,
the dahlia’s life dependant
upon his will.

"Brittany Rey" Variant

Dahlias traditionally signify elegance and dignity.

"March Madness" Dahlia
Dinner Plate Fringed Yellow Dahlia - 14 in. in diameter

"Helen's Hobby" Dahlia
Pink Dinner Plate Dahlia near my sister's house - 14 in. across.

"Purple Punctuation" Dahlia

"Peppermint Patty" Dahlia

"Snow Princess" frilled white dahlia

"My Lady's Powder Puff" pink and white dahlia

"The Bishop of York Dahlia" - an old standard variety

"Lemon Chiffon" Dinner Plate Dahlia more than a foot across.

Franz Schubert's "Upon Seeing a Yellow Dahlia."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xX4NH7yHFKI

"Pink Fluff" Dahlia

"Heloise"

Pink and Yellow Spider Dahlia

"Cancun Sunset"
__________________________

Dahlia, dear dahlia, with colors so bright,
You brighten my garden with all your delight.

There you are strong standing tall on your stem,
Among the other flowers, you are the gem.

Yellow, peach, white, pink and red,
Your colors enrich the garden bed.

As your flowers fade and petals scatter on the ground,
I lock your memory away in my heart to be found.

"Annie's Ribbons"

Traditional 8 petaled pink and purple dahlia

"Bird of Paradise" Dahlia

"Victorian Treasure"

_________________________________

I hope you have enjoyed these dahlias, and maybe you will plant a few
in your garden next year. : - )

Longwood Gardens possesses 4,000+ varieties of orchids in their working greenhouses.

Three hundred orchids in full bloom are always on display in the Orchid House,

part of the conservatories.

There are more orchid varieties on earth than any other flower.

Each morning, an orchid specialist checks on the flowers; any that are wilting

are removed, and new orchids in full bloom are installed.

So, no mater when you visit Longwood, there will always be 300+ orchids in bloom.

Orchids do not grow in the ground, but they grow on trees. So the orchids here

are all hung on the walls of the room.

Where I live in Florida, orchids are tied to trees outdoors and left alone. They

thrive and bloom, rest, and bloom again.

Unusual Green Frilled Orchids

There is always an orchid specialist in the room who can answer questions visitor

have about orchid varieties, how to grow orchids, solutions to problems with

orchids, and all sorts of other questions.

The Orchid House actually has eight walls, covered with orchids.

This is a "Cream and Pink Phalaenopsis."

Lilac and Violet Phalaenopsis

Ruffled Purple and White Orchid

Lemon Drop Phalaenopsis Orchids

"Christmas Fairy" Cattleya Orchid

As you can see, every plant has a name tag to help visitors.

The Northeast Wall and NNE Wall of the Orchid House. The door to the right
leads into the Acacia Passage and to the Main Showroom of the Conservatory.
The door on the left leads into Mediterranean Garden House.