Border Patrol September 29, 2009
of The Seasonal Walk Saga
By Tovah Martin
Predominating Dahlias
But Sedum ‘Matrona’ is certainly not the only game in town. Right now, the dahlias are predominating. In fact, without the dahlias, the scene might be missing its snap, crackle, and pop. Jacqueline van der Kloet’s selection of varieties wisely dealt the double-edged wham of both flowers and intriguing foliage. In the most visible and prolific of her selections (‘Fascination’, ‘David Howard’, and ‘Moonfire’) she went for handsome, dark bronze leaves.
These superstar dahlias are primarily double (with the exception of ‘Moonfire’ and ‘Marie Schnugg’), but not oversized. The moderate bloom size is an important feature, because these dahlias don’t require staking – which would be the antithesis of this naturalistic display. Unlike most of the more beefy dahlias, the growth habit for van der Kloet’s selections is loose, airy, and – well – natural.
And the plants are noteworthy even when they’re capped by only a flower or two. But now they’re going gangbusters, and it’s quite a sight to behold. Plus, van der Kloet selected varieties that would synchronize with the hues that prevail in the perennials right now. So it’s no surprise that purplish-blue Dahlia ‘Fascination’ plays off the aster, for example. And it shouldn’t stop us in our tracks to notice that burnt orange Dahlia ‘David Howard’ is a perfect combination with the ornamental grass plumes.
It shouldn’t shock or awe us, but it always does. Who doesn’t like to feel as if they personally discovered two plant soulmates when walking through a garden? That’s what this border is all about – pairing perennials with their bulbous alter egos.
