Friday Flowers: Days of Wine and Roses

White dahlias

Vitae Summa Brevis

(By Ernest Dowson)

They are not long, the weeping and the laughter,
Love and desire and hate;
I think they will have no portion in us after
We pass the gate.

They are not long, the days of wine and roses:
Out of a misty dream
Our path emerges for a while, then closes
Within a dream

White Dahlia

After highlighting roses throughout the summer, I couldn't do it again. Instead, our focus is on the "Angel of August", the white dahlia. Symbolic of elegance and dedication, it's an auspicious beauty to start off the month.

So, why the title of this post? We're celebrating the birth date of Ernest Dowson, featuring one of his most famous phrases. Anyways, it's closer to our premise than "gone with the wind". ;-)

Friday Flowers: Dahlia Finn

Dahlia: Finn

A bit too late to be properly a "Friday" flower, but it's just as beautiful. ;-)

Enjoy!!!

Butterfly and Dahlia

Butterfly upon a dahlia (Pooh) at the South Coast Botanic Gardens

I don't like doing consecutive flower posts, but today I was able to snap this lovely photo and I just had to share it with you all.

I'm not a butterfly person. So, I don't know what this one is called, but the flower is a dahlia, with the unattractive name of "Pooh." Yeah, it's not very romantic to be strolling with your significant other and beckoning her over to put her nose in the "pooh." Nevertheless, they are beautiful flowers.

Well, since I can't focus on the dahlia, I guess we'll have to admire the butterfly. ;-)

And some music. . .

Friday Flowers: Paying the Floral Debt

Orchid: Little Gem Stripe


The Debt
(Paul Laurence Dunbar)

This is the debt I pay
Just for one riotous day,
Years of regret and grief,
Sorrow without relief.

Pay it I will to the end—
Until the grave, my friend,
Gives me a true release—
Gives me the clasp of peace.

Slight was the thing I bought,
Small was the debt I thought,
Poor was the loan at best—
God! but the interest!


LOL!!! No that's not how I feel, but it's good to finally deliver on my promises of flowers from the many shows and gardens that I've visited over the summer. I keep on writing things like "Oh, and I have some more Fuchsias to share with you all" and then I forget to share 'em.

Well, here's some sharing. ;-)

Fuchsia: Pink Jade

Lovely.

Friday Flowers: More Delightful Dahlias

Dahlia: Parkland Rave


Dead Fires
(By Jessie Redmon Fauset)

If this is peace, this dead and leaden thing,
     Then better far the hateful fret, the sting.
Better the wound forever seeking balm
     Than this gray calm!


Is this pain's surcease? Better far the ache,
     The long-drawn dreary day, the night's white wake,
Better the choking sigh, the sobbing breath
     Than passion's death!


Well, that's an odd poem to match to our pretties today. As promised, we've got some more dahlias for you all. Given our spiky flowers today, I went in search of a passionate and prickly rave. I found a fairly strong match. ;-)

Dahlia: Show 'N' Tell


But we can also find an appropriate vid.

Dahlia Delights

Dahlia Show at the South Coast Botanic Garden


It's been a while since I last covered a flower show for you. Hopefully this will make up for the lost time. We've got ten photos to share with you today. And plenty more to share on Friday.

I've expressed my opinions regarding dahlias in an earlier post. This show really brought out their attention hogging quality. Each flower was commanding the spotlight. It was like a floral diva convention. ;-)

Let's look at some of my favorites.


Dahlia: Santa Claus


I don't know why anyone would name such a beauty "Santa Claus" but it is red, white, and round. LOL!!!