Sunday, September 11, 2011

The Dahlia Garden in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

My husband and I decided to escape from our daily routine to San Francisco over the weekend. I love the City of San Francisco for many reasons, but one is definitively the famous Golden Gate Park in the middle of the it. We took ample time to leisurely stroll through the Park without a goal just going where we felt drawn to. One surprise was the discovery of the Dahlia Garden, which was in full swing at this time of the year. To me the dahlia represents autumn like almost no other flower so I thought I will devote a post to it!

(you can click on the photos to enlarge) 


Admittedly not the best picture, but at least it gives you a good idea about the size and design of the Dahlia Garden.



I do not think that I have ever seen that many dahlias planted so closely together in one place like in this garden. What an abundance of blooms and colors!



The contrast between the shapes and colors of dahlias is quite amazing to me.



This was one of my favorites and the only one which name I know, because I photographed the label so that I might be able to buy it later: 'Powder Puff Polka'.




Obviously I was not the only one who loved this variety! I have read somewhere lately that some dahlias are so over-hybridized that they do not provide any food for the insects anymore. Maybe something to think about when choosing a dahlia variety.



Another absolute favorite of mine!



A shot of the Dahlia Garden looking in a different direction and showing the flower conservatory in the background.


 

I love old conservatories like this one. I find the architecture of steel and glass quite fascinating and very beautiful.



A yellow beauty with white tips at the end of the petals.



This was the biggest dahlia in the whole flower bed. Simply amazing!



It is very stunning to me how versatile the flower forms of the dahlias are.



This one looks almost like a pompom. Personally neither my favorite shape nor color, but I wanted to show the variety of forms and colors that dahlias can take on.




This one on the other hand is my absolute favorite. First of all it is the purest white that I could find in the whole Dahlia Garden (readers, who follow my blog know already that white is my favorite color) and secondly I love this shape. To me this flower looks very classy and the blooms were huge.




On this dahlia variety I admired the sublte coloration from white to a very pale lavender and the more simple flower shape.



This one is even more lavender colored. Nice contrast with the yellow at the base of the petals.



Usually I am not a big fan of monoculture, but I have to admit I just loved this garden and could not get enough of it. 



The variety of colors that dahlias are capable to produce is just astonishing to me. Here you have an intense orange one.



Can you believe that I am not growing any dahlias in my own garden, not a single one? I guess after seeing the gorgeous Dahlia Garden in the Golden Gate Park this is going to change. I love to get inspired by great public gardens! One thing I realized at the end was that the Dahlia Garden is mendaciously maintained. I did not see any flower that was done blooming and needed to be deadheaded. Who ever is in charge of this garden did a fabulous job!

See you in the garden!

Christina



10 comments:

  1. Christina, Your weekend with your DH sounds wonderful. ~ What a fantastic garden filled with so many colors and shapes of dahlia blooms. It must have been a real joy to see. I can just see dahlias growing in your lovely gardens next year.

    Have a wonderful week ~ FlowerLady

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  2. Beautiful, beautiful garden. So hard, to choose among all those shapes and colors ... Lovely photos, Christina !!! Thank you, for sharing !!!

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  3. Wow - that is beautiful! Dahlias are never seen here - they must not like our climate for some reason - but I love looking at them in pictures. That bed is simply amazing - so colorful, and as you say, such variety of form. It would be hard for me to pick a favorite. That conservatory, though, is wonderful!

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  4. FlowerLady, yes, it was a lot of fun to visit the Dahlia Garden and take photos. I also can see dahlias growing in my garden next year ;-)! Have a nice week, too!

    Dani, thanks, I am glad you like my photos. It is not difficult to take pretty photos of dahlias at all, they are very photogenic :-)!

    Holley, hmm, I didn't know that dahlias are not growing in Texas, I wonder why... Unfortunately we didn't get to visit the conservatory, hopefully next time.

    Christina

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  5. I am glad you had a great time. This garden certainly has a lot of eye candy! I tried dahlias before but with no luck, I think they hate our heavy clay. Squirrels eating tubers could be a problem too.

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  6. Masha, hmm, that is interesting that dahlias didn't do it for you! I was assuming that they would do well in the Bay Area. I have doubts if they like San Diego because of the heat, but I have to try and see.

    Christina

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  7. Christina, what a treat to see this place! Thank you! I've never seen so many dahlias planted together! Just gorgeous! I can't even tell which one is my favorite!

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  8. Tatyana, thanks for you comment. Yes, sometimes mass planting can have a stunning effect as in this case. Glad you liked the Dahlia Garden.
    Christina

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  9. Absolutely incredible! Dahlias to me are nature's fireworks caught on the tips of flower stems. I saw the dahlias there many years ago and have been wanting to go again ... you have transported me!

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  10. Hi Renee, welcome to my blog! What a poetic way to describe dahlias as "nature's fireworks caught on the tip of a flower stem"! They are truly drop dead gorgeous blooms. I am glad that you feel my post has transported you to the Dahlia Garden in the Golden Gate Park.

    Christina

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