I’ve never been a big dahlia fan. They’re a pain in the butt to grow. The magnificent flowers come from quite unprepossessing tubers that need to be hauled in and out of the ground each year. Tulips and daffodil bulbs survive (and even thrive) on the cold winter months. Dahlia tubers are a lot more delicate; they croak.
But I was enchanted by The Harvest Bloom line from Williams Sonoma showcasing the brash blooms. The rich jewel tones inspire a wide variety of styling.
I had assumed I would start by highlighting the leaves and berries when setting the table and was surprised when things began to go in another direction.
Ordering groceries for delivery during our two-week quarantine earlier this month, I was surprised to find fresh flowers among the list of items on offer; I was further astonished to see dahlias among the options. Well, then! I specified “dark red or peach” in the “delivery notes”. Voila!
Dahlias are divas; they don’t mingle well. A set of clear glass bottles was pressed into service, so the individual blooms had their snooty say. I arranged them one to a bottle, with a few buds and some leaves. With all that exuberant colour in the linens, nothing more was needed.
I picked up the dinner plates at IKEA a couple of years ago, intrigued by the unusual colour; purple is hard to find. They’ve been waiting to make their debut and were thrilled to support the bodacious dahlias.
My much-loved and frequently used antique Venetian “basket” glasses in peach added a soft counterpoint of colour to the vibrant burgundy/purple of the dahlias and plates.
A couple of lanterns with flameless pillar candles, and we were set. The deep brown iron frames echoed the trim on the napkins and runner.
The net result is exuberant colour and pattern with minimum fuss. Love it.
We are back in the land of the free-of-movement and preparing for our family Thanksgiving dinner/multi-birthday celebration this weekend. The official Thanksgiving holiday in Canada is the following week; getting a fresh turkey on an “off date” weekend has proved surprisingly challenging, but I managed to track one down. Today is stuffing-making and pastry day; tomorrow, the cake layers for a carrot Birthday cake, which I will decorate on Friday, along with a Birthday pumpkin pie. The dinner itself is Saturday. That’s all fun, and I’m very much looking forward to it.
Amazon continues to hold my shipment of books captive on their loading dock, where they have languished for three weeks. I’m beyond frustrated about it. “Wait times are longer than normal due to high volume”. Hmmm…. 21 days vs 4? Longer than normal??? Comments on their site reveal I am not alone in this dilemma. Vendors complain about their perishable stock going to waste, seasonal items being rendered unsaleable due to long delays. I chose Fulfilment by Amazon as I thought people might want to take advantage of Amazon Prime for delivery, but I regret the decision; I should have arranged different shipping. The best-laid plans. Grrrrr.
Bye for now!
I’m sharing this post with Between Naps on the Porch.
Stunning! The colors are so rich. I love it all, especially the linens!
Thanks Mary! Right after I set the table I started looking at Dahlia tubers, trying to convince myself that it wouldn’t be THAT much trouble to put them in and dig them out each year. Yeah, right….
I’ll try again, 3rd time and make it short. Stunning colors and unusual plates. You make it look so easy but then with your selection of plates, etc. You have it all. You don’t have to dig dahlias every year. My neighbor has had them coming up for years and they stand about 5-6 feet tall. Enjoy all your family festivities. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.
Thank you for persevering!
Between you and Beatrice, I am being lead down the Dahlia path. I’ll try some next year in the Cape and hope for the best!
I love this table arrangement! Fall colors are my favorites and I love the simplicity. Enjoy your family celebration.
Thanks Carolyn. I love fall, also. Not only the rich colours, but all That great food! Hope all is well with you. Love to Paul.
Dear Helen,
Well here I must stick my oar in…I’ve found dahlias easy to grow and quite unfinicky! In fact, having had gardens ranging from 2 acres to 17’x10′ (the former at one point including 100 rose bushes), even with virtually unlimited space I chose the same plants as winners. If I could only grow three flowers, those would be roses, narcissi, and dahlias. (That, despite the fact that roses require weeding, spraying, feeding, coddling, composting, constant trimming, and massive winter pruning. So who is the diva?) The Cafe-au-Lait of last year were sensational, and I have my order in for this February. Why bother with lifting and storing, when corms are $3 each and come with a full tank of gas?
While honestly I can’t say that orange and purple is my favorite colour combination, somehow you manage to bring it off by making the striking purple the star of the show. Wish I’d seen those weird aubergine plates at IKEA–they are intriguing.
Sorry to hear about the book, but all supply/delivery chains are broken world-wide. We in the authentication business are already fretting about the shortage of the reagents, vials, nests, syringes, and needles that will be needed for mass vaccinations. As China is now back up and running, supply chains should be getting back to whatever is the new normal…
You make a very good point on the requirements of roses vs dahlias. As I said to Maura, between you two I am becoming a dahlia convert.
The Ikea plates didn’t last long. It’s so unusual to see purple plates, though, that I snapped them up. They were really inexpensive.
You’re so right about the supply chain issues. I shudder to think how much worse it’s going to get as we enter the “festive season”. Sigh.
Helen, this is a lovely tablescape. Simple, but elegant. The WS linens are beautiful. Honestly, I never would have thought about pairing purple with peach, but it works beautifully on your table. Glad to see that you survived the quarantine, and a happy upcoming Thanksgiving to you and your family!
Thanks, Kim! The linens provide all kinds of jumping-off points, don’t you think? I can see setting them with plain cream plates, too, among others. But those purple ARV plates were dying for an outing. I couldn’t say no. Hehe.
Magnificent! Really so beautiful and yet so simple!
Thanks, Darlene. Sometimes it’s best just to keep it pretty basic. The linens did all the talking with this one.