Collarette Dahlia

Collarette Dahlia
Dahlia
(DAHL-ya)

Collarette Dahlias have been around a long time but they don’t seem to be as popular as some of the other types. This one had a nice color combination and was blooming profusely when I saw it at the Pau Callahan Dahlia Garden at Planting Fields Arboretum. Since it was not labeled it is just a guess that it is either 'Awaikoe' or ‘Double Trouble’.
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Here is the official description of the Collarette form:

“A bloom will have a single row of flat or slightly cupped ray florets arranged in a flat plane; the ray florets will uniformly overlap, preferably in the same direction with no gaps. The petaloids surrounding the disc should be approximately one-half to two-thirds the length of the ray florets. Eight ray florets are most desirable. A round floret tip is preferred. The disc flower should contain evidence of pollen with up to three rows desirable.”

From Dahlia.org

It always funny to me that flowers have the technical and scientific side and the beautiful and striking side of their existence. You can look at flowers either way and still get a lot of enjoyment and pleasure form them. I guess I fall somewhere in the middle but am careful not to let too much information get in the way of enjoying the beauty.

There are not too many plants that when I see them I say to myself, “I don’t really like that”. Believe me that they are few and far between. However, this plant is not something I would have in my garden. The flower color is nice; you don’t see that deep a gold color all the time, but the leaves just don’t strike as something that looks good. Of course this is just a matter of personal taste and I guess I could see them planted around the edge of a vegetable garden. BTW I am not against variegated plants. There are some that I do truly love.


Nasturtium
Tropaeolum majus
(tro-PEE-oh-lum)
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Since we are shipping out to Hawaii tomorrow night I thought this Plumeria flower would be appropriate. It was blooming when we visited the Islands in October. It is nice to have family out there and I am looking forward to visiting with my sister and nephew again as well as doing some exploring. This trip includes a stop for a couple of days on Oahu, some time on Maui and a week on the Big Island. I will certainly be taking a lot of pictures and right now I am trying to decide what gear to take. I will be trying to update this site during the trip. Among other places this Plumeria Garden is on the list.

Dean Conklin Plumeria Grove


Common Frangipani
Plumeria rubra
(ploo-MEER-ee-a) (ROO-bruh)
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Here is a link to the Wikipedia article on Plumeria.

You will see that the flower figures into several tropical and religious cultures, including Hawaii where the flowers are used for leis and worn by women to indicate relationship status, over the right ear if seeking a relationship, and over the left if taken. The flowers can also be used medicinally in the treatment of dysentery.

It is plant with a fascinating story. This post is for a meme called Today’s Flowers . It is a lively group of gardeners and flower lovers from all over the world that post flower pictures on Sunday. It is always fun for me but I especially enjoy it this time of year.