Dahlias and More Dahlias!
Florid, frothy fluff-ball flowers!
Posted by: Kate Bryant on Sep 03, 2010 at 04:55PM
4 Comments
Swan Island Dahlias field, late August, 2010
View Slideshow » Illustration:Dahlia ‘Bed Head’
View Slideshow » Illustration:Dahlia ‘Matilda Huston’
View Slideshow » Illustration:Dahlia sorensenii, one of some 35 wild species belonging to the genus Dahlia, all from Mexico and South America.
View Slideshow » Illustration:Dahlia ‘Japanese Bishop’, with handsome, dark foliage
View Slideshow » Illustration:Dahlia ‘Victoria Ann’
View Slideshow » Illustration:Dahlia ‘Andrew Charles’ – the statuesque form and smoky purple stems made me desire this dahlia for my own garden… I bet this one could stand up to tall grasses, shrubs and perennials.
View Slideshow » Illustration:Dahlia ‘My Little Sunshine’ – soft, creamy white with lovely citrusy yellow-green centers…
View Slideshow » Illustration:Dahlia ‘Jason Matthews’ – such lovable, button-shaped flowers! And what an intense color…
Immerse yourself in bright, gaudy, over-the-top color at the Swan Island Dahlia Festival this weekend, Sat and Sun Sept 4 and 5, 2010. It’s a beautiful drive out to Canby and you’ll come home with armloads of fresh cut flowers for $5 a bunch. Plus, you can pick which varieties you like and pre-order for next spring. Swan Island Dahlias’ fields are open through the month of September from 8 am to 8 pm. The festival runs 10-6, with indoor floral arrangements, clowns, music and food, too.
If that isn’t enough for you or you want to stick closer to town, the following two weekends will be chock-a-block full of dahlia fun, too. Old House Dahlias is having their fall dahlia fiesta Sat and Sun Sept 11 and 12, 2010 and again the following weekend, Sat and Sun Sept 18 and 19, 2010 from 10 am to 5 pm at Old House Dahlias, 8005 SE Mill Street, Portland, OR 97215. Tel: 503-771-1199. You can check out hundreds of flowering varieties and pre-order the ones you like. Fresh-cut flowers and potted plants are also for sale. Check or cash only. Call Mark at 503-771-1199 or visit the website for more info.
I went to the Swan Island Dahlia Festival last weekend and snapped a bunch of show-offish photos. Spiky, modern, gray-leaved plant lovers – stand back! – this is an unapologetic paean to the florid and frothy fluff-balls of the plant world. Just click on the slideshow, above, to see images of some of my favorites from a few hours of wandering the fields…
Tags: Gardening Events, Slideshow, Flowers, weekend picks
