I love dahlias. At this tine of year, dahlias are going into every arrangement that I make at the flower shop.
A: As we try to be very seasonal, they are the new flower in season.
B: They are huge and cheap, two words that floral designers love to hear.
C: So many yummy colours and shapes.
This arrangement has two sizes of very, very, pale yellow dahlias, and a creamy rose. I love monochromatic arrangements. These are actually old flowers from the store and this is in my kitchen at Kilbourne Grove.
This is a really lovely one, the flash of the camera really changed the colour. It is a very dark red, almost black, very velvety looking.
It is such a shame the season is so short. We buy these at the Food Terminal from a local grower. They are not available until late summer and will end with the first frost.
I am a floral designer living in a tiny condo in downtown Toronto, Canada's largest city. But on the weekend, I am a gardener/frustrated architect trying to keep up with a 3/4 acre garden in Owen Sound, Ontario, a warm (to Canadians, Zone 5b, and a cold (to Americans, Zone 4b) garden.
Green Theatre 
Heather @ what's blooming this week said,
October 2, 2009 @ 8:33 AM
gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous….don’t grow them in my concrete jungle, but love to use them as cut flowers too.
kilbournegrove said,
October 2, 2009 @ 9:09 PM
Heather, this is one of my favourites to grow. I grow them in my Kitchen Garden, and they are no work! But, you do have to have the space.
Heather @ what's blooming this week said,
October 2, 2009 @ 9:43 PM
ah, space, yes, that’s the problem in the concrete jungle. lots of concrete, not much room for jungle.
fairegarden said,
October 2, 2009 @ 2:46 PM
I love dahlias and next year plan to have a seperate space for them. Love the singles for the pollinators, but those like you show are extraordinary!
Frances
kilbournegrove said,
October 2, 2009 @ 9:11 PM
We don’t get too many of the singles at the flower shop. Bigger is better when customers are paying, and I am sure the grower would charge as much for the singles as he would for the bigger doubles. I look forward to seeing the photos of the ones you chose to grow next year.
Sue in Milan said,
October 2, 2009 @ 4:50 PM
I love dahlias too. But the earwigs that hide in them a bit less …
Found you listed on Blotanical. Hope we’ll see you around there a lot.
kilbournegrove said,
October 2, 2009 @ 9:12 PM
Yeah, the earwigs are a bit of a turn off. I just joined Blotanical two days ago. Everyone has been very friendly so far. I just have to figure the site out! Thanks for visiting my blog!
redstudio said,
October 2, 2009 @ 7:49 PM
I love the first arrangement. It is so elegant in that beautiful vase.
kilbournegrove said,
October 2, 2009 @ 9:14 PM
Thank you, I love that vase. It is actually one that we used for corporate clients weekly arrangements, and the flower shop sells them after a while,and buys new ones. I think I paid $5.00 for it, was worth every penny.
Thank you for visiting my blog.
Rebecca @ In The Garden said,
October 3, 2009 @ 12:14 AM
How beautiful!! I love the fuschia tipped buds in the second picture. I saw the beautiful dahlia ‘Edinburgh’ in “A Hocking Hill’s Garden” blog a few days ago, it is one of the prettiest flowers I’ve ever seen. It would be so great to live in a zone where they thrive. 🙂
kilbournegrove said,
October 5, 2009 @ 6:22 AM
Do dahlias not grow for you?
Crafty Gardener said,
October 3, 2009 @ 7:34 AM
My dahlias didn’t bloom this year 😦
I came across your blog at Blotanical. It’s nice to discover another Canadian blogger.
kilbournegrove said,
October 5, 2009 @ 6:22 AM
I had problems with dahlias in my garden as well this year. These are from a local wholesaler.
rosey pollen said,
October 3, 2009 @ 11:15 AM
I am a huge fan of dahlias, these seem to becoming more and more popular… or maybe I am just noticing them now. The blooms are huge!
I hope I store mine right this winter. So they don’t die.
Great pics!
kilbournegrove said,
October 5, 2009 @ 6:25 AM
They seem to go in and out of fashion. Now they are back in style, and so many new varieties. We had even bigger ones at the shop, they call them dinnerplate dahlias, and yes they are!
Joanne Drayson said,
October 3, 2009 @ 2:35 PM
Lovely flowers I too prefer one colour even if different shades and it so ititates me if I want to buy a bunch from a store when they mix them like sweets.
kilbournegrove said,
October 5, 2009 @ 6:26 AM
If we buy mixed colour bunches at the shop, we seperate them into colour families. I hate mixed colours as well, I call them “tossed salad”, they are just to busy for me.
Mary Delle said,
October 7, 2009 @ 7:04 PM
I don’t grow dahlias, but surely enjoy the photos of those who do. What luscious flowers and so many delicious colors.
kilbournegrove said,
October 7, 2009 @ 8:23 PM
The have to be one of the easiest plants to grow, stick them in the ground and be sure to stake them, they get big and have hollow stems, so they snap easily.
It is wonderful how many gorgeous ones are out now, I wonder how long it will be before they go out of style.
Jared said,
October 8, 2009 @ 9:36 PM
I’ve only just begun to grow dahlias, and I’m a very enthusiastic convert! They are PROLIFIC, and if you start them indoors in April, they can be in bloom by July 4th, after which they bloom all summer long until the frost gets them. I’ve tried growing the ones that are as big as my head (literally), but never had much luck. I’m sticking with smaller forms for now, although I don’t rule out the possibility that I will try some huge ones next year! Glad to find another dahlia lover!
kilbournegrove said,
October 8, 2009 @ 10:03 PM
I love dahlias, all shapes, all colours. We do get the big ones, (we call them dinnerplate dahlias), but the heads are so heavy, they snap off the stem verily easily. But gorgeous in a bouquet or arrangement. I grow the every year, but have not started them indoors, I will try that next year!
Thanks.