My Virtual Garden 2: August 2017

I just returned from a visit to Longwood Gardens S.W. of Philadelphia.

Entrance to Longwood Gardens. There are eight flower beds in front, filled with

different flowers each season. Marigolds, coleus, dahlias, and celosia here.

A different gardener gets to design the beds each year. The Gardens use 1,300 workers -

employees, students, and volunteers.

Behind the entrance building is a beautiful arcade and fountains.

The fountain was decorated with Red Mandevilla and Yellow Thunbergia.

Yellow Thunbergia

The Long Path leads to Peirce Woods and the lake. These are coleus.

A circular path, lined with Brugmansia Trees and pink and white impatiens,

leads to the main Garden Walk.

Pierre Dupont, the creator of Longwood in the first half of the 20th century, loved plants,

theater, and fountains. This is the open air theater, where the Philadelphia Orchestra,

American Ballet Theater, and many pop musicians have given performances.

The Garden Walk was the first part of Longwood to be completed. It is a path 600 feet long

and lined on both sides with flowers. It is customary to start at the west end with dark purples and blues and gradually move through the other colors of the rainbow to white. The flowers are

different every week of the year. We start with the dark blues and purples.

Down below are Calibrachoa / Mini-Petunias, then behind are Angelonia and Ageratum.

Beautiful blue Ageratum

Here you can see the various flowers and colors and heights. The yellow containers held

candles for the evening candlelit tours.

Stunning Blue Angelonia

Behind the other flowers are 6 foot tall Midnight Queen Dahlias.

Purple and White Datura are also tall and in back.

And then we move on into the Pink Section. The Gardens have found a number of

plants with dark black leaves, which make a great contrast to the lighter pastel colors.

The dark leaves here are Ornamental Peppers.

Pink starts off with begonias, angelonia, dahlias, impatiens, cannas, and zinnias.

Pink Asian Lily

Park Princess Dahlias

Pink and Peach Brugmansia Trees, highly hallucinogenic

Pink New Guinea Impatiens

Pink Rose Mallow, 12 inches in diameter, member of Hibiscus family.

Pam Howden Dahlia bushes five feet tall.

Pink cannas, impatiens, brugmansia, and Black Levant Cotton.

Puffy Pink Dahlias

"Janice" Dahlia

Bush of "Janice" dahlias.

Pink Cannas are 6-7 feet high

Pink Zinnias

Gomphrena / Globe Amaranths and Cannas

The Circular Fountain, halfway down the Garden Walk.

The walk from the fountain up to the Peirce House.

Blue Angelonia and Yellow Dahlias.

Then we start the Red Section with Cherry Red Impatiens.

Bishop of Llandaff Red Dahlias

Red Cannas form the background.

Red Wheel Dahlia, one of the new varieties this year. Also a bug.

As we move in to the Orange section, there are Pumpkin Gerbera Daisies.

Giant Reeds, orange Cannas, Yellow Rudbeckia, and Orange Zinnias.

Transition from orange to yellow to white.

The transition to Orange continues with "Best Bett Dahlias" with dark leaves.

"Mystic Illusion - Knockout Dahlia"

Orange French Marigolds and Orange Tall Dahlias lead to yellow cannas and golden
Black-Eyed Susans, along wih Yellow Alamanda Trees and Orange Zinnias.

Intense Red Cannas.

( Much more to come! )

Today is National Dahlia Day, so let us celebrate and enjoy these beautiful
flowers with photos I took in Montreal and Chicago.

This is the center of the Exposition Garden at the Montreal Botanic Garden.

It includes many kinds of flowers, but especially dahlias and coneflowers in late summer.

In its home in Mexico, the dahlia’s flower grew no larger than 1 to 2 inches across. But when the plant spread to Europe in the 1800s, the Dutch breeders got to work and began their hybridizing magic. Today, dahlias are available in every color but blue, in sizes ranging from tiny, ½-inch pom pons to 12-inch dinner-plate varieties. Spectacular as cut flowers, dahlias appeal to home gardeners as well as professional growers or hobbyists who take flower competition quite seriously.

"Weston Spanish Dancer"

Dahlia is a genus of bushy, tuberous, herbaceous perennial plants native to Mexico. A member
of the Aster family, related species include the sunflower, daisy, chrysanthemum, and zinnia.
There are 42 species of dahlia, with hybrids commonly grown as garden plants. Flower forms
are variable, with one head per stem; these can be as small as 2 in. diameter or
up to 1 ft. ("dinner plate").

"Hapet Skyline"

The wild Dahlias originally grew in Mexico and other South American countries, primarily
in mountainous valleys that were protected from harsh conditions in the spring and summer.
They’re known for standing for quite a while, making a beautiful display in a vase or
in the ground. Some varieties produce flowers up to 12 inches in diameter, and
the plants themselves can reach up to six feet high.

"Franz Hals Dahlia"

The majority of species do not produce scented flowers. Like most plants that do not
attract pollinating insects through scent, they are brightly colored, displaying
most hues, with the exception of blue.

"Elizabeth Vigee-LeBrun Dahlia"

Their perfect petal arrangement dazzles. The American Dahlia Society recognizes 14 official classes with names describing the flower form — such as cactus, collarette, orchid, peony, ball, water lily, and anemone. The art of pinching off side buds (disbudding) or removing the growing tip when the plant is 12 inches tall (topping) are practices designed to promote spectacular flowers. The pros will often sacrifice smaller, but more numerous, flowers in favor of fewer but larger ones. Gardeners new to dahlias might choose to wait and watch a year or two before attempting lateral pruning. A dahlia will produce many lovely flowers with no pruning at all, although pinching the growing tip back does encourage a bushier habit.

Bush of "Tudor Red Dahlias"

Based on the type of flower, dahlias can be classified as single-flowered type, ball type,
pompon type, cactus type, semi-cactus type, collarette type, fimbriated type, waterlily type, decorative type, and the miscellaneous type.

"Clearview Arlene Dahlia"

The dahlia is the national flower of Mexico (since 1963) known for its continuous, colorful
flowers that bloom throughout the growing season. The dahlia comes in variety of colors,
shapes and sizes, making it a favorite flower among landscapers and florists alike.
The beauty of the dahlia flower inspired great symbolic meaning during the Victorian era
and continues to be used today to express personal sentiments.

"Orange Rockets"

Spaniards reported finding the plants growing in Mexico in 1525, but the earliest known
description is by Francisco Hernández, physician to Philip II, who was ordered to visit Mexico
in 1570 to study the "natural products of that country". They were used as a source of food
by the indigenous peoples, and were both gathered in the wild and cultivated. The Aztecs used
them to treat epilepsy, and employed the long hollow stem of the dahlia for water pipes.

"Bahama Mama"

Their wide range of colors include red, pink, white, orange, yellow, purple, and many more. Moreover, some of the species may have different-colored stripes on them, while others may
have a different color just on the tips (color different from the rest of the flower).

"At Daybreak"

The symbolic meaning of the dahlia in the Victorian language of flowers has survived.
When given as a gift, the dahlia flower expresses sentiments of dignity and elegance. It is
also the symbol of a commitment and bond that lasts forever. The dahlia flower is still used
today in gardens and flower arrangements to celebrate love and marriage.

"Ivory Keys'

Many gardeners refer to the dahlia flower as the 'Queen of the Autumn Garden' as
it blooms for prolonged periods of time when compared to most other garden plants.

"Soft as a Cloud"

Dahlia Flower Color Meanings

Red, which conveys power and strength to the person receiving the flower as a gift

Pink and purple, two of the colors associated with kindness and grace

White, a symbol of staying focused and pure

Blue and green, perfect for occasions involving fresh starts and big changes

Black Dahlia, which is actually a burgundy color, tied to a warning of betrayal

"Princess Aurora"

"Cinderella"

What Does the Dahlia Flower Mean?

Staying graceful under pressure, especially in challenging situations
Drawing upon inner strength to succeed
Traveling and making a major life change in a positive way
Standing out from the crowd and following your own unique path
Staying kind despite being tested by certain life events
Finding a balance between adventure and relaxation
Commitment to another person or a certain ideal
Warning someone about a potential betrayal.

"Too Good to be True"

These were fairly large flowers growing on quite short stems; the red was intense.

A trio of "Starlite" Dahlias

Dahlias are also believed to be the most popular competition flowers.;
watch for a dahlia show near you. The one I saw in San Francisco was spectacular.
It was held in Golden Gate Park next to the conservatory.

"Miss Muffett"

The Victorians used the Dahlia to signify a lasting bond and commitment between two people,
but modern flower lovers can also buy a potted plant as a celebration of joining a new religion
or trying a new healthy habit. Dahlia is often considered a birth flower for August, but some traditions use it as a November birth flower instead. It’s the national flower of Mexico because
that its native habitat. Some cultures use it to represent diversity since each petal fits seamlessly
into the whole head.