With apologies to Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for not managing to get this Sunday vase online before Tuesday! But do follow the link for some lovely vases …
Finally, finally, there are some dahlias … they were all potted up in the greenhouse in March and then refused to grow for the rest of the summer.
These are in my Long Border and are my new favourites – gorgeous dark-foliaged ‘David Howard’ is definitely top of the list now.
‘Nicholas’ had to be purchased because I loved the apricot colour and it’s my husband’s name … (I refuse to purchase the virulently coloured clematis, ‘Mrs. N. Thompson’ …) The flowers are much bigger than I expected – I thought they’d be a neat little decorative type, like ‘David Howard’, but they are much looser and twice the size.
‘Thomas Edison’ did sprout in the end, in spite of my worst fears. The combination with ‘Nicholas’ can only be described as ‘interesting’. These purple dahlias can be hard to handle, can’t they …? Although ‘Thomas’ is less old-lady ‘I-will- wear-purple …’ than many.
For the very first time this year, I am feeling a growing dread at the thought of winter (normally I enjoy it, being a winter baby).
Perhaps it’s because the October weather has been so perfect and warm, although often misty here in the morning, with the river casting its spell up from the bottom of the valley.
Apparently it’s been the hottest October on record in France.
Let me know what your favourite dahlia is called … I’m always looking for more to drool over.
Garden Dreaming at Châtillon 
Supposedly, this is our coolest October. I am not convinced. It is raining now. This is the first significant storm of the season! More is forecast.
Gosh – strange – the opposite to us. But maybe cool for you in October is as welcome as ‘warm’ is for us?
It is not all that strange. Earth is a big place.
I do not have much preference for weather. I enjoy it all. It gets neither too cool nor too warm here. There is not much to complain about.
Your dahlias are gorgeous Cathy. 😃 I have been reading of late dahlias across the world this autumn… mine just produced two flowers in August and then shrivelled up!
So sad Cathy – I’m glad mine didn’t do that because I put them through the whole early potting works this year! I could hardly believe that I only really started getting flowers in September. By the way – your cleomes really performed so well here this year – I was so greatful for the seed. Thank you very much! Whenever I look at them I see your picture in that wonderful hat!
😉 I still wear that hat by the way! So glad the Cleome grew well for you. I didn’t get any past baby stage due to the heat… watering was done on a ‘what do I want to save most’ basis! LOL!
It’s been such a strange summer Cathy. Not hotter than normal here, but all out of kilter!
A lovely showing, better late than never! ‘Cafe au Lait’ is a favorite, but the dark red ‘Voodoo’ always makes me pause to admire its deep rich color.
I adore ‘Cafe au Lait’ as well … must look up ‘Voodoo’ straight away! Just did that, and it’s gorgeous, Eliza. A special spot in the heart for the ‘blacks’!
I recently bought ‘Cafe au Lait’. I’ve planted it now and I’m waiting impatiently for it to emerge, hoping it won’t be attacked by snails.
Cafe au Lait was my favourite – I adore it! But then met ‘David Howard’. But plants are like children, aren’t they?
They are! I’ll have to have a look at David……but my garden is really full. 🤔
Thanks Cathy, very interesting
Such perfect autumn colors! A few years back there were some real early dahlias in a similar color. I hated them in July, all washed out and too ‘rusty’ but by September the color strengthened and the light changed and I loved them 🙂
The misty morning looks perfect for a little more ‘sitting with coffee’.
Couldn’t agree more about the dahlia colours – it’s the light that makes the difference. Maybe why I didn’t like them so much when I was younger. But now their colours, this year, have made me so happy in a misty October/early November. It’s often only misty in the morning – then we have brilliant sunshine in the afternoon. My supper terrace thermometer (sheltered, but outside) still hasn’t fallen below 11 degrees centigrade and we are in November! I’m trying to bring frost-tender things inside slowly, I don’t do things as quickly as in the past!
And apologies from me for not catching up with your post till now – I did skim through it when you first posted, but tend to have a break from blogs once the Monday vases are out of the way! David Howard could well be the most popular dahlia, as three of us have now had vases with it this week! Not sure about my favourite, possibly a pink ‘ball’ one called Dorothy Rose. I am so pleased your dahlias performed for you eventually – it seems to have been a similar pattern for most of us, I think. I did have blooms earlier in the summer, but then they just sulked till the heatwave was over before flowering better than ever. You get such fascinating views of the mists from your elevated position – lovely to see
Cathy – you are much more ‘blogging busy’ than I, so never apologise for delays – have you noticed how slow I am. The dahlia issue this year across the globe is fascinating. I must look up Dorothy Rose. I do really think that David Howard has now replaced all others – except perhaps for Karma Choc, with which it goes perfectly! – in my affections!
I suppose I feel responsible for IAVOM, so pride myself in responding to all the comments, and responding to them on the Monday if they come in before the evening! 😉 I actually blog far less these days, but albeit regularly – and enjoy the writing. I blogged every day for two years when I first started, but that was definitely unsustainable!
You should be very proud of IAVOM – as I’ve said before, I often getting something lined up for it and then I don’t manage. Can’t believe you blogged every day at one stage … that’s a job!
They were originally much shorter posts, back in the day, but before the end of the second year my blogging world had expanded widely because I found our garden blogging community and it began taking up too much of my time, so I deliberately reduced the number of posts