I've always been a little afraid of dahlias.

The whole lifting and drying thing seemed fraught with danger of loss. I can't even remember what colour tulips I have planted most of the time, let alone where dahlia tubers might have got to.
My other problem has always been when the combination of big, blousy and dare I say it, yes I do, vulgar dahlia flowers are all together in a messy drift. I find it too much. no I hate it.
So when my mother gave me a pretty pink and delicate pom pom dahlia in a pot last summer my heart sort of sank as I thought it would end up dead in a few months.

So it was with surprise that I really started to love this little plant, it has a delicate colour and the small blooms were just perfect. It was even more of a surprise when I found how very very easy lifting the tubers and drying them can be.
So recently, while browsing through the Sarah Raven seed catalogue I was rather captivated by the dahlia section. Rather pretty combinations.

Maybe it is those gardeners that like to specialise in just one species that has turned me from dahlias, too much of a good thing can become massively overdone for me and I find it a little bit like the woman that has 30 cats (apologies to all those readers with 30 cats :-)). What seems to make any flower look good is the combination with other species that compliment it's form or colour and with that in mind I have been wondering for the first time if I should maybe try again with this flower that I have avoided.

maybe....

Inspiration for the week

After a week of talking about winter, delphiniums are today's inspiration.

Is it any wonder?

I have not had huge amounts of luck with delphiniums yet.

I planted some last year and as they come up the following season I am hoping for a display this year, if not quite as wonderful as this one then at least half decent. Last year I had a few from the year before but they were a bit ragged and soon fell over. I planted them a bit too near the sweet peas and these were a little attention seeking and got their tendrils onto the delphiniums and pulled them to the ground. Won't make that mistake again.

The wonderful blues and purples here is something everyone must want to experience in their garden, surely?

My own great British garden revival would be Delphiniums.

Inspiration

Here is my garden inspiration for the day.

I absolutely love wisteria. I haven't got one although I would like to try, mostly because my mother has kept on warning me that they are a) very hard trees to look after and will probably die and b) they are heavy and will break what they climb up. However I am still tempted to disregard what she says and give it a go anyway. I have read in the wonderful book 'Sweet peas for Summer' by Laetitia Marklouf that  it is even possible to grow wisteria in a pot. Not sure I believe her. Maybe if I find a good sheltered spot and a good support I will try growing one (in the ground) one of these days. I love the rustic bench and the weird sculpture thing in front of the fence.