The colorful plant princess: the gorgeous dahlia.
Today while driving I spotted a corner house with a
beautiful garden that featured dahlias. Naturally, I stopped to take a few
photos. Here’s what I saw:
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Inspired by the dahlias, I just did my first Google search
on these flowers. Did you know there are hundreds of kinds of dahlias? I
didn’t. I knew that there were different sizes and colors and types. But
hundreds of kinds? Wow.
Below is the aptly named Pom Pom Dahlia, which has 360
degrees of saturated color.
Some dahlias have spiky petals, reminding me of sea
anemones. Some are multi-colored. They look like they’ve been painted by
someone with a patient hand. Each one is a work of art. Some are giant (these
would be Dinner Plate Dahlias). I like dahlias for their various shapes, their
dramatic size and their bright colors. They are full of life and they dazzle.
Maia has been a good friend since we were eleven, and she
loves dahlias, too. She knows a lot more about them than I do, but everyone has
to start somewhere. Her dad also loves dahlias, and gave me a few last summer.
I’m happy to report that his dahlias are growing again this summer in my yard.
Just leaves for now, but almost daily I see more growth, and I’m excited about
the blooms on the way.
Dahlias first came onto my radar a few years back when we
were visiting rain-abundant Vancouver
Island. In twenty-four hours we saw three things that I had not seen before:
logging trucks, a bear climbing a pear tree, and huge, dramatic dahlias. Toto,
we’re not in San Diego anymore.
Obviously, dahlias can grow in San Diego. But maybe their
hearts are in the rainy Pacific Northwest. Canby, Oregon claims to be the
dahlia capital of North America. They do a big dahlia show there each summer.
Maia, you interested?
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