Dahlias

Just look at this thing of beauty. It is exquisite. This is the first year Mike and I have had success with dahlias. We bought them from Sarah Raven and they have thrived in our Sheffield garden. Here is a selection of orange ones:

Then these purple ones:

Red ones:

But this shaggy, huge, extraordinary one is my absolute favorite.

Last weekend I arranged wedding flowers in Fulwood Church including a large urn for the alter. The bride had chosen a colour scheme of whites and pinks, including some gorgeous hydrangeas, but I thought the arrangement needed something more...something dramatic to stand out in such a large space. Adding this extravagant beauty and a couple of the red dahlias really did the trick:

These dahlias have transformed our autumn garden.......I can hardly drag my eyes away from them. Sarah Raven raves about dahlias and I used to wonder what so captivated her. Now I know!