Blog — THE VELVET BOOKMARK

Hello August! I cannot believe that July is over and before we know it, it will be fall. Ok, no-- my head is not prepared for that yet. I am still living in the garden thrill that was July! After months of catching up with the rest of the country (after the eternal winter) everything is blooming in Minnesota thanks to a heat wave that lasted up until the end of July! But then cool air from Canada came down giving us perfect summer weather that the blooms just loved.

Right now the star of my little garden are the dahlias-- three weeks ago they start blooming and I am in heaven.

The dramatic beauty of Hollyhill Black Beauty.

The pollinator friendly plants we planted are going nuts especially the Bee's Friend and Echinacea, as well as the Shasta daisies, and the friendly insects have started to come by. This has been a labor of love for us, because we did not have many until a few years ago after we planted many plants to attract them. It took a few years but it is working. And even my wheaten Jack is attracted to them, especially the bee's friend which is ok because it is not poisonous.

The roses have also continued blooming and I am amazed at how beautiful a flower can be. I am just thrilled. Two of roses started getting attacked by sawfly, a.k.a. rose slugs and destroyed a lot of the foliage but a reader commented about using soapy water with cayenne peppers and that seems to be working so far! .Apparently, the damage is mostly cosmetic and does not affect the blooming. Still, I hate it. Yes, I am shallow when it comes to appearances...lol.

While it is not garden related, the corn is growing beautifully! These babies are taller than me. After some wind storms at the beginning of July, patched of cornfields were flatten by high winds. Thankfully, it bounced back and it is thriving. Some of our neighbors weren't so lucky during the storms and lost some of the crop. That is the life of a farmer-- which when you think of it, it is sort of like gambling against the weather.

How was your #gloriousgarden in July? What are you most looking forward to in August?

Sharing with: In a Vase on Monday, Mosaic Monday, Garden Blogger's Bloom Day (15th of the Month), Simple Saturdays, The Homemaking Party, Home Sweet Home, Gardens Galore, Floral Bliss, Home and Garden Thursday, E nd of Month View (31st of the Month), Harvest Monday, Blooming Friday, #MyGloriousGardens, Six on Saturday, Pink Saturday, Dishing It & Digging It, Strawberry Fields, Home Sweet Home, Sundays At Home

Dahlia season. It is my favorite time of the summer. If you have visited my gallery, then you know dahlias is where my heart is. I love them not only because they are beautiful but because there is a Victorian quality about them. And how can it not when it is said that the dahlia was a favorite in the court of Queen Victoria. I started growing dahlias back in 2010 when I loved in North Carolina and back then it was easy because the winter temperatures in the south allowed me to let them overwinterize. But because I was in the Army and with the constant moves, it was not until three years ago that I started back to growing these beauties and have not looked back. Yes, they are time consuming and a bit high maintenance but they are so worth it.

Two weeks ago when I came back from a trip, I came home to find them blooming and I have been eagerly waiting for the to fully open. Last year I lost all the tubers to rot while in storage so I started with new tubers this year and chose to grow completely different dahlia varieties. And for these vase I chose a pastel theme with:

'Breakout' dahlia (pinkish tone)
'Center Court' dahlia (white)
Hollyhill Black Beauty (deep red)
Queen Anne's Lace (I added those after this photo because it needed something else)

Interesting fact, last year I grew Café au Lait and it was so fussy and diva like that I raised my hands up and vowed never to grow it again. I miss it but I chose Breakout as an option to CAL and I am beyond pleased. It is a bit more reliable than CAL, in my opinion.

I have a preference of glass vases for flowers, even if it requires me to change the water daily. I just think it lets the flowers shine on their own.

This red dahlia is the first deep colored one I have ever grown and believe me when I tell you that this photo does not do it justice.

As I mentioned above, I felt the vases needed a bit of more interest and added some Queen Anne's Lace (not be confused with poisonous hemlock) which grows everywhere here.

If you are new to dahlias (or simply like learning fun facts) here are a few interesting info bits:

Dahlias are members of the Asteraceae family, related to the daisy, sunflower and the chrysanthemum.
There are 42 species and about 20,000 cultivars of dahlia.
The dahlia is named after Swedish 18th-century botanist Anders Dahl.
They disappeared from record until 1787 when a botanical expedition ‘rediscovered’ them, and sent seeds back to their headquarters in Europe. Their existence was kept secret for another ten years.
A blue dahlia has never been bred.
The Victorians symbolism of dahlias signified a lasting bond and commitment between two people which is why you often see them in bridal bouquets.

#mygloriousgarden ~ august

The Language of Flowers ~ Dahlia Daze