Fun with Dahlias

Summer brings such a bounty of floral abundance. I’m very fickle about what my favourite flowers are but I can say that when dahlia time rolls around I am besotted with them. I just want to have them around me. I grow only one, Café au Lait, but our local florist carries many varieties from a local grower.

They put all the dahlias out in big buckets on the sidewalk in front of the shop and I can’t drive by without my head spinning around to try to catch a glimpse, with plans to come back and choose some for myself.

The other day I did just such a thing and there was one dinner plate dahlia that just blew my mind. I knew I wanted to shoot the flowers but this one dahlia was just so special I was inspired to make some sort of fantasy out of them, so I create a bistro table tablescape, with the dahlias as the star attraction.

I added some white beeswax candles in silver candlesticks, Spode china plates and silverware that were all my mother’s, which added the emotion I wanted to feel while shooting the pictures. I filled some gold tinted wine glasses with loads of ice water and in the dappled sunlight I took the following pics.

I always lean towards classic styling, so I chose white linen napkins and adorned them with the pincushion dahlias, fern fronds and feverfew sprigs. The Spode china is called Wickerdale and was my parents “good” china when they were married in 1947 and was used at every special dinner in my life.

Wishing you all the happiest of the last days of summer.

Please enjoy shopping from the selection of garden worthy table ware and accessories xo