In a Vase on Monday: Burnished

Miss J. Hunter Dunn, Miss J. Hunter Dunn
Furnish’d and burnish’d by Aldershot sun…

I don’t suppose the young lady depicted on this tankard is called J. Hunter Dunn, but whenever I hear the word burnished these lines from John Betjeman’s poem ‘A Subaltern’s Love Song’ pop into my head. The blooms, Dahlia ‘Art Deco’, are most definitely burnished but not by Aldershot sun, and not by our local sun either as it has been cloudy here for some weeks, although still mostly bright. A subtle combination of apricot and pink creates this burnished effect, not unlike the UK’s ‘copper’ coins when freshly minted like these 2 pence pieces, and the effect is accentuated further by seedheads of Clematis ‘Margot Koster’, which were glowing in the brief sunny interlude when the dahlias were cut.

Is your garden furnishing any blooms or other material you would like to share with us today, whether burnished by sun or lashed by rain? If so, please leave the usual links to and from this post.

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32 Responses to In a Vase on Monday: Burnished

  1. Noelle M says:

    Those are beautiful dahlias, and very nicely set off by the seed heads. I’ll be looking up that poem too today. Here is My Vase: https://noellemace.blogspot.com/2021/08/in-vase-on-monday.html

    • Cathy says:

      Thanks Noelle, I wasn’t sure about adding anything extra but when I saw the seedheads they seemed just right. It was good to revisit JB when I was preparing the post…

  2. Pingback: In a Vase on Monday: Summer! | Words and Herbs

  3. Cathy says:

    Your dahlias are beautfiul – what a gorgeous colour, and they certainly look pristine despite the lack of sun. The tankard looks decidedly German by the way. It has been wet and cool here and I just about managed to catch a few rays of sunshine when taking the photos of today’s vase. Thanks Cathy, and have a good week. Hopefully with some sunshine!

    In a Vase on Monday: Summer!

    • Cathy says:

      Thanks Cathy – they are in a big tank on the paved area which I have put a dahlia in for the first time and it has done really well. I think the tankard is one I got from the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, or it could be one the Golfer bought in Austria…so certainly ‘continental’!

  4. Beautiful dahlias – the colours of a spectacular sunset! Hope you see some sun this week!

    In a Vase, On Monday- Good Morning!

    • Cathy says:

      Oh yes, definitely sunset colours – I will have to remember that as a theme if I use them again. And yes, we have sun today ☀️ … well more like 🌤

  5. Pretty Dahlias and I love the Clematis accent. I cannot cope with overcast anymore, sending you some Florida sunshine…thank you for hosting. https://theshrubqueen.com/2021/08/23/in-a-vase-on-monday-linear/

    • Cathy says:

      Your sunshine arrived today, Amy, thank you 😁 This dahlia has done really well, even though it is in a pot (galvanised tank)

      • Yay! Oddly, it has been overcast all day here. Now I know where the sun went. I am thinking of buying some galvanized pipe for vegetables..hopefully they won’t taste metallic,

  6. pbmgarden says:

    Cathy, this is one of my favorite dahlias. Yours display beautifully nuanced coloring. Mine haven’t done well at all, so it’s a delight to see yours. Have a great week ahead and thank you for hosting.

    In A Vase On Monday – Tropical Drink

  7. Kris P says:

    ‘Art Deco’ is beautiful! I tried growing that dahlia this year but the tuber never sprouted. I have one with similar coloring, ‘Gitt’s Crazy’, in bud now, however. All my dahlias are still taking their time getting their bloom on this year but I did have one new one make a debut this week, although it isn’t what it was supposed to be: https://krispgarden.blogspot.com/2021/08/in-vase-on-monday-dark-dramatic-or.html

  8. Angie says:

    Oh, this dahlia is definitely a beauty. I love this burnished color. It reminds me of dahlia ‘Intrigue’ when its hit by a cooling in the temperatures and it goes from a deep burnt red to tones like this dahlia. Beautiful. https://angiethehappygardener.com/blog/penhill-watermelon

    • Cathy says:

      Thanks Angie – I can certainly forgive this dahlia for not being the variety it was meant to be, as it is so striking

  9. Anna says:

    Well that’s most definitely a beautiful sun-kissed dahlia Cathy and you have picked a most fine vase and props to go with it. My dahlias are what you can only describe as “rain pitted’ at the moment. I have only just seen your garden visits post so will be back for a good read of it later. My vase for this week and picked in sunshine is here : https://greentapestry.blogspot.com/2021/08/iavom-monday-monday.html

    • Cathy says:

      Glad you have finally had some sunshine, Anna! Sorry to hear about the plight of your dahlias, especially as mine have just continued to get better and better 🙄

  10. tonytomeo says:

    Nice dahlias. They look like chrysanthemums. (Or perhaps Chrysanthemums look like dahlias.) Chrysanthemums in this color range become popular for autumn.

    • Cathy says:

      Can’t warm to chrysanthemums myself, Tony…

      • tonytomeo says:

        Are they just too aromatic? I like the color range for autumn. Also, they last a bit later into autumn than dahlias do. I am impressed by how happy dahlias are in other climates. I would expect them to perform better here than where spring comes on slower. However, they start to bloom profusely a bit later here, and are sort of a summer and early autumn flower. I do not expect anything from them in spring. They seem to be more colorful in the Pacific Northwest and eastern Canada, and other cooler climates.

  11. Very nice! That Dahlia has a beautiful shape and color. The peach and apricot shades are my favorites.

  12. Eliza Waters says:

    That is a particularly pretty dahlia, Cathy. I like the curving petals.

  13. the running wave says:

    I have a couple of unidentified dahlia plants in a pot. Neither of them show any signs of blooming. Obviously in a major sulk because I have never really acknowledged them because I simply don’t remember buying them, let along choosing them! I think they are a soft orange colour – can’t remember! Either way, they are nothing like as lovely as your glowing blooms which have a touch of early autumn colour in them I think! I do love seedheads. They have such character! Clematis seedheads really are burnished aren’t they! Have a good week Cathy, following your lovely vase!! Amanda

    • Cathy says:

      What a shame your dahlias look unlikely to flower, even if you are denying any responsibility for them 😉 The clematis seeheads in the vase are just beginning to turn fluffy now

  14. Well my dahlias are just getting buds, but that is about it! Definitely a funny year for some plants. D. Art Deco is a lovely and you seem to have plenty of flowers, lucky girl! Nice prop, not sure I’ve seen tuppences (or that many coins) recently for all the no-touch Covid measures.

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