Hoping that we can share our favorite combinations of dahlias for garden settings and arrangements...here in this thread. It is inspiring to see what combinations of dahlias that others enjoy and whether the dahlias compliment or contrast with each other.
I'll start with Diva, Blizzard and Creme DeCassis. The wine/raspberry tones of Diva is stunning and hard to capture on film. Diva is a perfect match to the undersides of Creme DeCassis petals.
Lucky Number, Blizzard and Sky Angel:
Lucky Number, Blizzard and Lavendar Perfection:
*In the first pic, one of our cats was grabbing a dahlia stem and trying to chew on it while I was taking pic! She was determined to snatch Creme DeCassis away from me. lol
There are a few combos I've been figuring out, so I'll try to grab some shots with them and post here this week. One of them is with HH Pixie and AC Lindsay... I've been struggling to figure out what to pair with those two, who look great together. Wandering through the rows with the two blooms in-hand might inspire me.
Name: Annie Luck Apex, North Carolina BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN TH
Yes, great idea Tina! This should be a fun thread!
Melissa, many of your deadheads look better than my fresh ones still on the plant. The ones I do cut are only lasting 2 days before wilting. Same with my ginger. It's not worth the effort to cut them.
Here is another combo that might be pretty using Diva as the focal flower. Are there any variegated dahlias available that have a white base with wine or raspberry tones?
(I can't get a decent photo of our Diva with its true color.)
"Are there any variegated dahlias available that have a white base with wine or raspberry tones? "
Look at the top banner...from left to right, Ferncliff Tango, Bloomquist Kevin G, AC Candy, AC _____? , AC Crazy Train, Verrone's Stephen D, Hollyhill Ripple.
Here's the problem with figuring out color matches via images: often, the color is off just enough that the actual blooms clash. For instance, the variation in reds go from reddish-orange to dark red... but often the camera sensors can't interpret the differences.
Here's Hollyhill Pixie and AC Lindsey, which I had mentioned earlier as a great match:
In my garden and to my eyes, they complement each other very well, with the pink of HH Pixie being exactly in the middle of the dark/light color of AC Lindsey. In this image, they really clash! I What gives? I am still planning to grow them side-by-side next year, despite what this image looks like. I'd like to pair a white collarette or anemone with them, as well.
Here's two varieties that share the same dark red color with different shapes...
Bloomquist Quill and River's Rosebud.
I'd like to put Maisey Mooney with them for some white 'pop.'
Melissa, what a beautiful pile of dahlias. You can put together quite a few combos of contrasting and complimentary colors with those choices.
CC, Those are lovely. They will all work together very nicely with the various petal forms and colors. I agree with your comment about photos causing some colors to look like they clash. I haven't yet figured out how to adjust my iphone or Canon 30d to handle reds/wines/burgundy colors.The photos are way off from the true colors.
And...I understand why I should try to see flowers in person. Ted had shared with me a point about that when first getting into dahlias. Relying on photos from vendors can be way off. I appreciate this thread, with folks sharing pics of dahlias that really work together.
"I haven't yet figured out how to adjust my iphone or Canon 30d to handle reds/wines/burgundy colors.The photos are way off from the true colors."
You can get 50% better purples and related colors by setting your Canon 30d to use Adobe RGB instead of SRGB that is standard. "Adobe RGB has about 15% more colors than sRGB, and using the Adobe RGB color space will give your photos a greater vibrancy" Adobe RGB has more purple colors. However, you must use photoshop to open the files and after you have processed your picture save it to srgb so others can see it. The pictures will be more blue purple. Lots of work to see a bit more purple. I used to do it when I was using my DSLR that would allow the change to Adobe RGB. My Canon point and shoot does not have that setting.
I believe too that shooting pictures in RAW and then using good processing techniques will accomplish the same or better results. I am not a raw shooter so I cannot advise on this. They say the camera will record more colors that what is allowed in SRGB or Adobe RGB. You just need to use proper raw processing to get them into what you can see on the computer screen.
“Flowers are like friends; They bring color to your world.” – Unknown
Thank you, Ted. I'm good at sports photography but flowers are a new style for me. Looks like I may have to take a class in Photoshop or convince my husband to do the editing for me.😊 And I will experiment with shooting RAW.
