Raising a glass or two for Frida

Alreet m' glossy dahlias,

 

Well I've been eagerly waiting for them to all pop out so I can give you a proper update on this year's Dahlia patch....Do you have your preferred tipple ready??? The sun is shining and I've started early on a classy Buck's Piss, with plenty of ice cubes to crunch when no one's looking. Back in March, the idea was to plant a small cut flower patch inspired by the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo (original post here -  Flowers for Frida).

 

Frida vase (a birthday pressie from Ol' Glass Eyed Mumrah)


The small rooted cuttings that arrived in the post (from Halls of Heddon) all grew strongly and I just had to then battle with the slugs and snails. Twice they were completely gnawed down to the ground. I persisted and luckily they re-sprouted.  

 

Yet again, my overwintered tubers were not a complete success. A couple of tubers didn't sprout at all and ended up rotting. Sadly, this meant loosing my favourite  'Totally Tangerine'. I wish this had grown instead of the white decorative one, which does not go with the hot, gaudy colour scheme at all!

Above: The dahlia bed as I type

Whilst I love the fanciness of the 'Western Spanish Dancer' (semi cactus type) and 'Heatwave' (Decorative type) they do tend to attract little hiding snails and earwigs. The benefit of the single and colerette types is that the bees can get to the nectar and they go crazy for them.
 

 
 Above: White Decorative, Heatwave, Western Spanish Dancer
Below: Mary Eveline, Hadrian's Midnight, Pooh

 
Time to do some posing with the dahlias...
I am dressed as Frida Kahlo's blue house, La Casa Azul, in Mexico City.
[Blue Silk Top: Vintage Monsoon | Cotton Patterned Skirt : White Stuff  - both via Charity shop | Gold Sequin wrist bands - nicked them off the kids ]

 Just ignore the bit where I accidentally tipped water over my head and Monsieur called me a 'right proper tw*t' ....


Regular blog readers may spot that the 'Druid tree', our weirdo Christmas tree back here, has a new skeletor lampshade (50p from a chazza) wrapped in ribbon and fairy lights and has been stuffed with a glitter ball. Who needs a posh lampshade when you have some twigs and a box of junk?!?
 

Aside from the dahlias, I am having a new dramatic love affair with Love Lies Bleeding, which is romping away at the edges of the patch. This makes a wonderful cut flower also.
 
 
Love lies bleeding (Amaranthus caudatos), Verbena Bonariensis, Fennel & Feather Top Grass (Pennisetum villosum)
 
 

The dahlias stems are seared in boiling hot water before adding to a jar of cold water -


That's all for today folks. Hope you are having a wonderful week. 
Please send gossip and don't forget to make time for flowers and a little bit of fun. 

Lulu xXx
 

 

Thank you for visiting!

You may like these semi related posts -

Flowers for Frida

Cartel cacti 

Breakfast flowers and croissants

 

Most recent posts can be found here -

https://longmizzle.blogspot.com/







Comments

  1. Cherie27 August 2021 at 10:36

    You have a dahlia called Pooh... my ghast is flabbered. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lulu28 August 2021 at 08:45

      Yes I do, yes I do. And it is my favourite. Lulu :) xXx

      Delete
  2. Vix27 August 2021 at 10:52

    Look at you, all Frida-ed up in your pretty top and skirt!
    Those dahlias are incredible, I don't think I could bear to cut them although your boquet is utterly splendid.
    It looks like you've got the sun, could you send some my way? If the calendar didn't say August I'd be convinced it was October! xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lulu28 August 2021 at 08:56

      I have to keep lobbing them off to keep them flowering Vix. They are coming thick and fast now! Dare blink and they need deadheading :0 I am sending you some sunshine rays right now by the power of my ice cubed mind. Lulu xXx

      Delete
  3. bahnwärterin27 August 2021 at 22:30

    beautiful!!!
    you in frida gear - blue suits you! - and the dahlias itself and all your artistic boquets!
    your post spends the very needed warmth, colour and sunshine - its cold, dark and wet here since a whole week and will not end soon....... they even warned for some possible flodding the next few days.
    ....and all my dahlias get rained down!!
    but i have to report - the parting/cutting of the 4 years old roots was successful. we just need some sun......
    xxxxx
    ps: who needs a posh lampshade when you got so much creativity!! love it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lulu28 August 2021 at 09:04

      Thank you Beate, very kind of you :) I'd like one of those full bodied traditional Mexican skirts but have been unable to track one down for a sensible price. That might be a winter sewing project for me perhaps. Great news on your root partings. Hope the predicted rain isn't too heavy, and the sun follows. Lulu xXx

      Delete
  4. Ellie Foster27 August 2021 at 23:56

    Dear Lulu
    Good Frida-channelling going on there! The dahlias are fabulous! I grew a few this year but only really had one successful one which was a yellow one. One of the great things about gardening is 'there's always next year'!
    Have a bright and colourful Bank Holiday weekend.
    Best wishes
    Ellie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lulu28 August 2021 at 09:08

      Thank you Ellie. Frida knew how to strike a good pose didn't she, as well as making an incredible painting. Gardening certainly makes the passing of time exciting and something to look forward to. You have a fab weekend. Lulu xXx

      Delete
  5. Elderberry-Rob28 August 2021 at 00:59

    Love the Frida pose - your outfit is very pretty and all the better for being chazza shopped :) and your dahlia are incredible. I love dahlia's and have happy memories of my grandma putting brown paper bags over their heads ready for the village flower show. I never tried growing them and didn't know there were so many varieties - yours are spectacular. I love the Frida theme.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lulu28 August 2021 at 09:17

      Thanks Betty, it was quite good fun to dress up as a Blue House for the afternoon ;) Wow, your grandma must have been serious about winning that village show dahlia award. There are all sorts of funny pre-show tricks and tips aren't there! My dad always used to have success with his tatties and sweet peas at our old local show. Lulu xXx

      Delete
  6. Winter Peach Photography28 August 2021 at 05:28

    Hi Lulu, You've nailed the Frida pose - great photo! If you're going to be a tw*t, it's good to be a right and proper one I suppose. :-) I love the vase too and am swooning over the Mary Eveline and Hadrian's Midnight varieties. The druid tree/lampstand is inspired! As for your flower arrangements, they are right up my street. Much drama! xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lulu28 August 2021 at 09:22

      Thanks Claire :) Yes I am told I am quite an expert at being a r&p Tw*t. Hadrian's Midnight has really surprised me. It wasn't really sold as a cut flower, as the stems aren't as long as some of the others, but it has produced the most flowers out of all of them. The druid tree likes to evolve over time. I wonder what will it will be next? Have a great weekend. Lulu xXx

      Delete
  7. Polyester Princess28 August 2021 at 11:18

    Hello Lulu, thank you so much for your comment on my blog! What a wonderful garden you've got, and those Dahlias are to die for! Each year, I'm salivating over the choice of Dahlias in the garden centre, but I've learned my lesson, as it always ends in failure. In the unlikely event they survive the slug attack, they get shredded to bits by earwigs ...
    You're making a wonderful Frida, by the way, and how fabulous is that vase! xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lulu29 August 2021 at 01:01

      Hello Ann, you're welcome and thank you for visiting :) My mam spotted that vase on her womble travels and thought it would be perfect for my dahlias. Those pesky earwigs! I've found they like to hide in the cactus and decorative types, but not the single and coleretts. The young dahlias do unfortunately seem to be like caviar for the mutant, marauding snails that we have here in Cornwall :0 Thanks for your kind comment. Lulu xXx

      Delete
  8. Share my Garden29 August 2021 at 02:45

    Love the Frida pose and the Heatwave dahlia. I've never grown any dahlias as they've sounded a bit of a faff but now I'm going to have to try!

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    Replies
    1. Lulu2 September 2021 at 10:57

      Thanks m' luverly. Heatwave is a scorcher! I found the mini plug plants easier to get started than the tubers. Please let me know if you give them a try. Lulu xXx

      Delete
  9. Mike Perry29 August 2021 at 09:34

    What glorious dahlia, they make such a lovely display. Unfortunately the high winds knocked a few of mine to the ground. I must make them more secure next year. All good wishes, Lulu have a wonderful new week.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lulu2 September 2021 at 10:58

      What a shame about the high winds Mike. They'll come back next year though :) Thank you, hope you're having a goodun'. Lulu xXx

      Delete
  10. Kezzie29 August 2021 at 14:31

    Ah, don't you look a vision in turquoise! I love the outfit and the Frida Kahlo inspiration AND the pose!! Your Dahlias are absolutely beautiful! What a wonderful variety. What do you mean by overwintered? I've planted some Dahlia tubers this year and I want to make sure I do the right thing with them so they will come back this year!
    I didn't know that flower was called Love lies Bleeding. My work colleague gave me some of those and I just let them live out! Are they perennial? Will they come back?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lulu2 September 2021 at 11:06

      Thanks Kezzie :) I over wintered the dahlias by snipping the foliage off, turning the tubers upside to dry a little, then wrapping them in newspaper and keeping them in a cool dark place. This stops the frost getting to them. Problem is, I may have allowed them to dry out too much! Some people lay them in a tray of soil, or skip this altogether by keeping them in the ground and putting a very thick mulch on top. You just have to be careful that they do not rot in the winter cold and wet. Love lies bleeding is also frost tender, so tends to be grown as an annual , just for one growing season, in the UK. Lulu xXx

      Delete
  11. The Small Fabric Of My Life31 August 2021 at 09:42

    I have dahlia envy.
    I posed with a dahlia today.
    Enjoy the remains of summer. X

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lulu2 September 2021 at 11:06

      Hello Jane, I am coming over to have a nosey.... Lulu xXx

      Delete
  12. Ivana Split6 September 2021 at 09:55

    love that Frida vase! Beautiful flower arragement in it. Such a great artist, she was!

    ReplyDelete

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