Garden Bloggers' Blooms Day: Mind the Gap
I must admit I've not been that brilliant in the past at filling the gap that always appears in the top terrace bed mid summer. The alliums like it here so much the initial couple of packs I planted have grown into 150+ blooms this spring. Down on the lower terrace bed asters and anemone 'White Swan' manage to fill in admirably, but I've yet to get it right at the top. My attempts so far struggled to grow past the dense leaf cover the alliums throw out at the start of the year.
Fast forward a few weeks and I was pondering a couple of gaps and thought some dahlias would fit in just right. I scoured the local nurseries and garden centres, but either their offerings had been snapped up, or the problems we've heard suppliers had during coronavirus meant they never actually appeared.
Fast forward another couple of weeks and I never expected the perfect solution to leap out at me as soon as I entered the supermarket to do our weekly shop. It was the pictured dahlia, so wonderful I simply had to have it, despite its huge pot and the possibility the rest of the shopping might overwhelm it. Some careful positioning of the rest of my trolley's goods, followed by a careful placement in the car and thankfully it arrived safely home to grace my garden.
"Boo, I should have bought another", I thought knowing full well I couldn't have fitted another in my trolley at the time, "Ahh well, at least that one's brightening up the garden."
Fate must have heard my thoughts, because an emergency shopping trip a few days later revealed they still had 2 left. When I left the shop, they had just the one.
A quick search of the internet and it looks like this dahlia is a new one for 2020. If my ID is correct, may I introduce you to the fabulous Dahlia 'Venti Red + White'? Unusually for a double dahlia, bees seem to cope with the blooms and spend ages drowsling amongst them, which is heartening.
This week a bloom has popped up which is more white + red that makes me love this cultivar even more. I wonder if this is another example of a plant which throws out differing blooms according to the temperature like the Salvia 'Hot Lips' and Petunia 'Night Sky' I've featured previously? I'm investigating further and will keep you posted if and when I find out more.
The lack of rain this summer means I've kept them in their pots for now as the ground is so hard, but I hope to plant them out later and will attempt to overwinter them with the aid of my usual dahlia duvet. Keep your fingers crossed for success!
Have you made any surprise plant discoveries this year?
Garden Bloggers' Blooms Day is hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens.