David Howard dahlia: The search was worth it.
Garden book junkie 鈥� that鈥檚 me. If I find a photo or idea that I can use for a client's landscape, I feel that the book has been worth it.
Recently I took an idea from Stephen Orr鈥檚 wonderful book "."
I saw a of grasses planted on a grid and used the idea as a frontage for a meadow that was a bit unruly. Worked perfectly.
See a photo, want the plant
So you won鈥檛 be surprised that I find new plants or appealing plants in some of these garden books and then must grow them myself.
Such is the case with a whole series of Christopher Lloyd books. I鈥檇 seen so many photos of the dark-leaved, glowing-orange dahlia 鈥�David Howard鈥� that I had to find it.
鈥楧avid Howard鈥� turned up at the well-known in North Carolina (although carry it, too). I was pleased that instead of sending a shriveled tuber, they sent a started plant that is already blooming for me despite the 100-degree temperatures of a few weeks ago. I thought the heat would send it into a tailspin but here it is, blooming away!
While I don鈥檛 expect great performance from dahlias until cooler nights reappear in late August and September, this has been a treat. The dark leaves are the perfect backdrop to this exquisite flower.I highly recommend it.
Don't delay
It鈥檚 not the growing season unless there are beautiful flowers to bring into the house. Dahlias, glads, roses -- all speak of summer. We can鈥檛 know how many summers we have to grow the beautiful plants. Don鈥檛 wait.
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Donna Williamson blogs regularly at Diggin' It. She's a master gardener, garden designer, and garden coach. She has taught gardening and design classes at the State Arboretum of Virginia, Oatlands in Leesburg, and Shenandoah University. She鈥檚 also the founder and editor of Grandiflora Mid-Atlantic Gardening magazine, and the author of 鈥淭he Virginia Gardener鈥檚 Companion: An Insider鈥檚 Guide to Low Maintenance Gardening in Virginia.鈥� She lives in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. To read more by Donna here at Diggin' It,, click here.
