Summer Flowers... Fingers Crossed

   I finished the bulk of my planting over the last couple of weekends, and this morning I got my dahlia tubers into the ground. I hope they'll make it... never got around to planting them last year, but they were safe and dry in the garage. We'll see. They're one of my favorite flowers, so I'm looking forward to the explosion of color again this summer! Matched only by the Asian lilies.

late bloomers...

My dahlia plants are still blooming like crazy, while pretty much everything else has dropped its leaves & died back (the burning bush has a few left). October was very wet and cold—the third coldest of the last 100 years! Maybe that contributed to the short season. The leaves changed quickly & dropped almost immediately, so I wasn't able to get out & enjoy the color as I would have liked.

last flowers of summer...

I'll miss my flowers & plants as they start to die off for winter. It has been a pretty spectacular summer!

mums preparing to bloom, dappled with rain:

the clematis that I was sure had died...produced a single flower!

various sedum

rose of Sharon

dahlias (my favorite!)

mums in bloom (which grew to about 3/4 of my height!)

Loose Park & a dahlia show

This morning I decided I needed Round 2 of the Plaza Art Fair, having explored it with friends last night but not having seen everything. (And to be honest, there was some artwork calling my name! More on that in the next post...) In order to get the dogs tired enough to ensure that they'd behave themselves at the Plaza, we jogged around Loose Park for 30 minutes, and then walked for at least another 30. The heat also helped tire them out. (And myself as well!)

Now, what could Taylor & Aki be so interested in...?

AHA! Fortunately the dogs didn't cause a scene. They acted like they wanted to jump in the water. So glad that didn't happen!

Foliage & flowers...

And a surprise treat: there was a dahlia show being held in the garden center! And they just happen to be my favorite flower. I think from these photos it won't be hard to see why. I talked to one of the members of the Dahlia Society, and he said there are over FORTY varieties (based on size, shape, & color).

They look like fireworks!

Look at the size of these blooms!

(OK, granted: I have small hands. But still!!)

My camera couldn't fully capture the color intensity:

Plaza Art Fair

The Plaza Art Fair drew a huge crowd on Saturday & Sunday (I attended both days). So much so that it was difficult to get close & see the artwork! And as always, the shibas were a big hit and we were stopped constantly by friendly dog lovers. (A few of them even knew the breed!) The shibas were well-behaved, and took every opportunity to chill out in the shade. It was warm!!!Here's what I bought! An incredible blown-glass bowl that was layered with clear, then colored glass & sandblasted on the inside to create the design. I thought this was the nicest piece in the whole show, and the nicest artists, too!
I bought this piece by Kate Lally for Dad & Diane for Christmas, since Dad is a big fan of trillium. (Hopefully they don't read my blog!)
some of my favorite artists from the show:

Anthony Pack (robot assemblages) • Richard Cohen (ceramics) • Kate Lally (ceramics) • James & Renee Engebretson (blown & sandblasted glass) • Bryan Cunningham (painted found wood) • Stacy Rink (eclectic purses) • Marilyn Endres (beaded wood platters)

In the mood for spring/summer

Dahlia are among my favorite flowers...

This lil' guy reminds me of "Little Shop of Horrors"

mini hitchhiker

You can't fully appreciate a Monarch until you've seen it up close!

Thought I'd post some photos (some new; some from previous years) to remind me why this is my favorite season! (And also to remind me that I still need to plant my dahlia & lavendar...ugh.)