This is a collection of photos that I started taking in late August and continued to take, off and on, until now. A dahlia is an inspiring flower — a lot of work, but offering a big pay-off in its stunning, enchanting, mesmerizing and astonishing beauty. And this was a great year to grow them — lots of rain and not too hot. In my little backyard I had more plants than ever — about 100 plants — most growing about six feet tall and full of blooms.
This region’s first frost date is October 10, but, last year, the frost didn’t come until almost the end of October. So, I’m hoping this year will be the same, and I’ll have another week or so, to make a few more bouquets for friends and neighbors. Then in November, I will lift up the roots, pack them in peat moss and store in a borrowed basement for the winter. My goal this year is to find a better way to label and organize the roots — grouping those of the same type together. Some varieties I have six to eight plants of, and so, next spring I should have an abundance of new starts of these plants to share.
The accompanying music is Fantaisie Impromtu by Frederic Chopin — performed by Claudio Arrau — the theme of which became, “I’m always chasing rainbows.”
