Everyone has many associations with a flower – the idea of flowers. You put out your hand to touch the flower – lean forward to smell it – maybe touch it with your lips almost without thinking – or give it to someone to please them. Still – in a way – nobody sees a flower – really – it is so small – we haven’t time – and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time. ~ Georgia O’Keefe
When was the last time you gazed deep into the heart of a flower?
I’m not talking about looking at a whole bouquet, which dazzles easily like a Broadway chorus line. I’m not talking about a wide drift of color in the distance–daffodils perhaps–spread over a swath of countryside.
When was the last time you got right up in the face of a single flower and let yourself fall right in?
As Georgia says, “…to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time.”
But for most of us, time is in short supply.
So today, I’m bringing the flowers to you. To balance out the icky-ness of my last post, I’m sending you an armload of flowers from my garden, delivered one at a time. All are blooming as I type.
Each and every one of these dahlia blossoms could hold my attention for hours, quieting my mind and calming my soul. I take such delight in their diversity of form, color, texture, and attitude. Dahlias have so much going for them that they can turn their noses up at being fragrant (though you can almost smell those colors).
Each bloom whispers its own unique message.
I hope you have a few minutes of spaciousness to savor and enjoy them as much as I do…
‘Hulin’s Carnival’
‘Citron de Cap’
‘Patches’
‘Harvest Moonlight’
‘Bodacious’
‘L’Ancresse’
‘Miss Delilah’
‘Summer’s End’
‘Diva’
‘Honeymoon’
‘Lollipop’
So there you have it…one flower at a time, from me to you. I’d love to hear which of them spoke to you!
And in case you’d like to grow dahlias in your own garden, I order my tubers from Swan Island Dahlias.
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Jennifer Ebeling says
My faves: patches, bodalicious, summers end, and lollipop!
Beautiful photos. What do you use for a camera?
Martha says
Thanks so much for checking in, Jennifer! A single photo of each just doesn’t do them justice — they vary so greatly depending on bloom stage and lighting. And they stick around long enough to have a very satisfying relationship. I have a Canon Rebel and used a basic EFS 18-55 mm lens for these shots. All auto focus — anybody could take these (as long as you’re willing to get right up in the grill of that flower). See you over at G+ and 6ftmama.com (love your site, by the way)! ~ Martha
Joan van Beelen says
Hello,
My favorite is Harvest Moonlight but all of them are extreamly beautiful.
Thank you for sharing!
Martha says
Wonderful to connect with your here, Joan! Thanks so much for your kind words, both here and over at Google+. I get such a kick out of interacting with my international gardener friends! ~ Martha
Elizabeth Cohen says
My favorite one is of course the diva flower. I love this post, Martha!
Martha says
What a treat to hear from my Diva-wannabe-but-too-nice-to-truly-be niece! Lizzie — you probably don’t even realize that you are the reason I’m crazy for dahlias. I’ll never forget the fun your mom and I had choosing the flowers for your bat mitzvah a decade ago — rows and rows of them at Pike Place Market in Seattle. I’m still searching catalogues for the white dahlia tipped with lavender that we chose to decorate the dinner tables at your party. Beautiful flowers for a beautiful girl. And that was such a special occasion for our family — maybe I’ll dig up the essay I wrote about it! Love you…
Alison Jameson says
Hulin’s Carnival spoke to me and asked me to order its siblings, which is what I’m going to do, being the aspiring gardener that I am.
Martha says
Alison! Fabulous to hear from you! Hulin’s Carnival was the very first dahlia to blossom in my garden this year — good choice! It not only has whimsical coloring, it’s also proving to be a very prolific bloomer. Happy to hear that you’ve added ‘aspiring gardener’ to your already long list of accomplishments. No doubt you will excel in this realm as well. Thanks for your comment! (BTW, aren’t you back stateside now?) ~ Martha
cj says
Martha! It would be grand as a bumblebee to climb into the nooks and crannies of Miss Delilah and sleep for a god spell! Thanks for sharing! Have a soft and fragrant one!
Martha says
Yes, Miss Delilah is quite the temptress, CJ. You have good taste (as we already know, since you’re married to Tammy). Bumblebees and hummingbirds alike are doing the dahlia dance these days. It’s a real treat to watch. Many thanks for the comment! ~ Martha
monica says
WOW! I love those flowers. The are my favorite blooms.
Martha says
So glad you enjoyed the virtual bouquet, Monica! No reason you can’t have your pick of these beauties growing in your garden as well. I think you have plenty of sun, if I remember correctly. Love hearing from you here — thanks for checking in! ~ Martha
Tammy R says
Martha, how thoughtful!
‘L’Ancresse’ was my personal fave because I am in love with all white flowers – my whole bridal bouquet was white. This flower is so perfectly shaped it looks edible.
It made my night, and now I am going to go to sleep and dream peaceful dreams that only dahlias and baby squirrels can bring.
Martha says
Oh Tammy, I love L’Ancresse as well. We get so caught up in flashy colors, both in the garden and life in general. It takes a perfect white flower to show us the power of little details, don’t you think? Hope your dreams are dahlia-filled tonight! (I’m trying to work a baby squirrel into that dream, but the image that keeps coming is a squirrel walking upright with CJ’s fancy cane — guess it’s time for me to go to sleep as well…) Have a lovely weekend, Martha
Bill Apablasa says
I am so happy to have the “mess of your last post” off my shoes. :) Of course, I personally like the mess. But, these flowers are incredible. each one more beautiful than the last. Of course, my favorites are the Citron de Cap and Patches. Very impressed at your green thumb. Thanks for sharing.
Martha says
Many thanks, Bill! The intricate orderliness of these flowers balances out the chaos elsewhere in life (best example being that last post that splattered your shoes). Interesting thing about Citron de Cap — it’s astonishing outside, still connected to its stem, with the craziest of petal shapes and formations. If you cut it an bring it inside, however, it gets very depressed very quickly. Love that’s it’s not subservient, and forces me out into the elements to experience it. Thanks for the visit! ~ Martha
Alys Milner says
Lovely one and all. I bought three Dahlia tubers this year at a garden show, but none of them came up. I thought they came up and it turned out they were zinnias. Nature has a sense of humor.
They’re all quite stunning, so I had to real think about it, but I think ‘Honeymoon’ gets my vote. I could change my mind tomorrow. :-)
I’m going to try growing them again next year. Thanks for sharing yours.
debtfreeoneday says
Beautiful photos! I love Miss Delilah and Honeymoon. I wish I could grow flowers like this but I can’t even grow cactus!
Martha says
I do much better with outdoor plants than indoor plants. I’ve found it’s much cheaper to grow them than to buy them, which has been a great incentive to figure it out (and perhaps part of a debt-free strategy?). Thanks for the visit! Martha