Flores Temporis, LLC

There are some garden roses that really thrive in cooler weather, pumping out the blooms till the absolute end. We experienced frost, and while the dahlias are completely kaput, the rose patch still has some beautiful flowers! Garden roses, like dahlias, are very sensitive to ambient temperatures and the seasons (which is why I don’t like to sell them in summer, along with Japanese beetles invading in July). Bloom size and petal counts vary the most, but colors can also shift slightly in some varieties. David Austin garden roses are some of the most romantic in my field. This one has a glowing center of palest apricot or springtime cream with ivory outer petals and a characteristically arching habit. In spring, there may be a hint of blush; in the heat of summer, it is mostly ivory. The bud unfurls to a cupped, rosette shape with an adorable button eye. Grace, charm and fragrance in spades no matter the season. The foliage is on the finer side and compliments the delicate look beautifully. It can be a bit twiggy, thinning out the center whilst shape pruning helps with disease (couldn’t help it, nigh everything sounds so classy the way Brits say it), yet occasionally it throws out some octopus canes which do make for some nice, extra long stems! It does have thorns (see pic 1), is not super disease resistant, and is more sensitive than others about temps, but it’s a good bloomer that keeps going until the very end of the season. My level of enthusiasm reflected in the number of run-on sentences. If you are looking for an easy care cutting rose, perhaps look elsewhere (for this region at least) but I am quite fond of the Crocus rose.

Flowers will always seem most beautiful to me the last day of the season. Killing frost came early this morning. The roses are a bit miffed that I have been giving dahlias so much screen time lately, so here are some photos of them.

The dahlias have been nipped a few times with light frost and will be completely finished off tonight. A couple shots of the last good loads of 2024. A heartfelt thank you to the supporters of my farm this crazy season!!

Sharing my field experience with Irish D Porter (the smaller bloom in slide 1, and slides 2 and 3). Is it worth the hype? Dahlias are known to vary in color and performance depending on soil conditions, temperature, climate. After coveting a variety in pictures, it’s always interesting to see it in real life. This dahlia used to be REALLY hard to get. Still not easily attainable, I was thrilled to score some tubers a couple seasons back. However, I failed to give them considerate neighbors so I couldn’t fault them for underperformance. This season, they had their own block and early blooms were not as fully packed with petals as expected (granted, we were in a drought). Happily, they quickly grew out of this and they are a most adorable little pom. Pictures from late season; in warmer temps, they are a bit paler in color. What do you think? Have you grown Irish DP? Did it meet expectations?

I used to have an aversion to the color pink but quickly came around on that after I started growing peonies and dahlias. This one is a beautiful, juicy pink with a subtle kiss of gold on the petal tips, a popular characteristic. A little sparkle is a nice touch and adds dimension. I must admit, after (mostly) sitting out on the dahlia wars the past couple seasons, I have my eye on some pretty new ones to try. There’s been a lot of upheaval in the dahlia world lately (reflective of the times I suppose). In addition, there are many newer hybridizers coming onto the scene with an avalanche of gorgeous looking varieties. So exciting! Keep in mind though that it takes a few seasons of growing a new variety to see whether it is stable. Usually breeders will try to vet stability before offering up for sale. Dahlias also perform differently depending on the climate, so origin matters when trying to predict how a new dahlia will perform in your farm or garden. I always check to see in what state a hybridizer is located and temper expectations based on that.

Will miss them when they’re gone.

As I wait on tenterhooks again to see if frost hit the field (slate of parent teacher conferences this morning), thought to take a moment to give a shoutout to a fabulous small foliage whose moment to shine is Autumn. Stem length limits it primarily to compote usage, but the array of colors lends incredible versatility: play up the dark moody vibe, or the golden harvest tones or use it as a bridge. Leaf width ranges from 2.5 to 3.5” so will do a good job of covering up mechanics. I love it with the toads and could see an array of garden rose candidates (ahem!) for a perfect trifecta.

The fields are producing so much beauty this week. Aside from the blasted wind, I’m drinking in the waning moments of the season.

Hoping that the Dahlia field was spared last night. Many of you know that I have a decent commute to the farm. 76 seems especially torturous this morning. Can we say tenterhooks?

Some softer pinks in the collection. Really not ready to say goodbye to the lovelies.

Some favorite softer pinks from the fields. Really not ready to say goodbye to these lovelies.

It’s an embarrassment of riches out in the dahlia field and I am hustling to get things properly tagged, mapped and id’d before the coming frost. This beauty just screams perfect autumn focal to me. 5-6” bloom when fully open with rusty dark red coloring, more concentrated in its center and lightening at the edges in painterly strokes. Informal decorative form can, infrequently, give its petals a tousled look. It can sometimes exhibit some annoying growth characteristics but I give everyone 3 years to show me their mettle. (Everyone meaning the flowers. 😆)

The flower form is consistently perfect, a hallmark of varieties, but in my field I need to cut it hard to help mitigate the tendency for chunky stems. The hint of color varies from blush to kiss of lavender.

Frost will likely be coming next week. Scrambling to tag and make a final map of the dahlia fields.

Has anyone on IG mentioned that it’s dahlia season? Hoping to be spared an early-ish frost in the coming days.

Impossible to pick a favorite dahlia, but I am quite partial to waterlily forms, especially the coveted cup-shaped ones. Will be trying to add some of those unicorns during the Dahlia Games, opening soon!

“It’s all in the details” and details are especially enchanting when found in smaller things. (Who else finds miniature anything utterly charming?) The beautiful, fine speckling within each toad lily bloom rewards the viewers who lean in to notice. Particularly suited to special bouquets, ikebana or table designs where guests will linger and be relatively close (hopefully not eating the table scape while waiting for dinner to be served, as happened at one wedding I attended years ago at a vineyard. Grapes and tomatoes disappeared at an alarming rate.) The two main Tricyrtis species in gardens are hirta and formosana (well, and of course hybrids) which differ a bit in habit and predominant colors.

I love finding color echoes in the field. A play on tones across different bloom sizes and shapes is more interesting visually don’t you think?

Some of the lovelies from today. No matter what fit is hitting the shan, seeing each beautiful flower brings welcome respite and joy. They really are a marvel, each and every one.

I just love the subtle, iridescent shimmer on these dahlia petals, especially during fall when burnished tones and flickers of light herald the finale of color before winter. They invite the eye in for closer inspection, where it can linger in awe and admiration for the perfect symmetry and beauty that Nature creates.

Another class of dahlia I am delving into out of curiosity: collarettes. They are so cheerful! Appleblossom was popularized by the woman who launched a thousand flower farms (ok, we’ll add a few zeros onto that figure), but there are other adorable ones as you can see here. Though the peaches seem similar, there are subtle differences with respect to color of the petaloids, and not so subtle with respect to plant habit and petal substance. All the more reason why you can’t pick a cultivar based on photos alone. My favorite is yet to bloom though and I can’t wait till she finally shows up.

There are innumerable reasons that recommend fall to be a favored season for me, and one of them is the increased popularity of saturated jewel tones (which I love). This new orchid in slide 1 might be my new favorite in its class.

As you may know, I am not usually a fan of white flowers, but this is an exception. Stately, elegant, graceful, and beautiful. Bit of a pain to harvest because the many curvy buds do love to tangle.

The dancing blossoms and charming buds of this member of the buttercup family (“Ranunculaceae,” what a wealth of vowels) exhibit such elegant movement. Even after the tepals drop, it leaves an adorable seed head. Had to try a few different varieties of Japanese anemone, they come in different heights and bloom sizes, and I love them all!