September is the most beautiful month of the year, as Newporters will assure you. One of its highlights is the dahlias that are at the height of their season throughout many gardens. Here at Parterre, we augmented some of our old standbys with some new names that I’m very excited about.
And another occasion for excitement is trying out some new ways to decorate the house with the colors for which dahlia’s are known. As in the feature image (above) where the new cultivar Café au Lait Royal is shown off against a vintage Clarence House print on the salon settee.
Other examples…gathering specimens of all the current year’s dahlias in a vase on the library coffee table, where the setting sun really makes the colors pop! Another test as to whether I’ve made my selections well. They all offer such a contrast to the mahogany paneling.
On the mantle (where specimens can be studied up close) in the same room.
A centerpiece on the sunroom table that shows off one of the most serviceable functions of these large blooms… afloat (in an old Imari platter, accentuating the russet and gold in the design).
Accentuating a vignette on a marble-topped console…
The number of dahlia bushes varies through the years, depending on how much space I’m willing to take away from the rose bushes in the Cutting Garden.
This year we squeezed in 19. Here’s a sample of my afore mentioned new favorites. Jane Cowl
Cafe au Lait Royal
Brown Sugar…Don’t you enjoy the colorful names?
Platinum Blonde
Dad’s Favorite
Parkland Glory
And I’ll close with this image…they don’t call them “dinnerplate dahlias” for nothing! Truly, they are 9-10″ wide, as Sierra Glow demonstrates.
Happy almost Fall…
I have always loved dahlias – just lovely!!
YOUR PHOTOS!!! It does put a “whole new spin” on changing a vignette!! A farm several miles from us has turned to…dahlias…it just gives me a thrill driving by!! Thank you for this beauty!! franki
Bettie, thank you for the incredible flowers and vignettes!
Where are the “Rolling Stones” when we need them?!!! Those dahlias are rock stars that should be serenaded!
Spectacular!
Absolutely gorgeous! I can only imagine how much you would enjoy the Dahlia Garden in Mainau Island, Germany.
LOVELY LADY –
U – R … AMAZING! (AT FOSTERING BEAUTIFUL MEMORIES)
YEARS AGO, THE LATE 1970’s, MY PARTNER HAD A HOUSE … IN THE HAMPTONS.
ASIDE FROM ALL THE WONDERFUL ‘ASSETS’ – THAT TIME AND ‘LOCAL’ OFFERED,
WAS, THE UNIQUE FASHION IN WHICH ‘GROWERS’ (FROM THEIR BACKYARDS) … WOULD OFFER – ‘CURB SIDE’ / FRONT LAWN … BUCKETS OF THESE BEAUTIES;
AND SIMPLY REQUEST THE MONEY BE LEFT IN THE ‘CAN’ ON THE TABLE.
……. WHILE TRUE: “A ROSE IS A ROSE” – THE IMPACT OF THE ‘DAHLIA’ HAS ITS OWN … MASSIVE FOLLOWING.
FOR AN 80 YEAR OLD, YOU MAKE ME FEEL TWENTY – SOMETHING.
MANY THANKS,
TOM
I had to build a fence to keep the rabbits from destroying my baby plants. This worked! I now have 30 plants producing an array of magnificent blooms.