Border Patrol August 27, 2009
of The Seasonal Walk Saga
By Tovah Martin
Lovely Composition
The perennial composition is lovely, hands down – but it wouldn’t sing without the dahlias. Van der Kloet went for bold dahlias with midrange-sized blossoms – mostly doubles, but a few outspoken singles. Her colors are brave – following the same fearless theme introduced with the tulip spectrum. With the exception of ‘Berliner Kleene’, which is a dwarf and is stationed toward the front of the border, the dahlias are all flowering at 3 feet or so. They surf the wave of the border, giving it punch, wit, and levity. They’re essential. And they will continue riding the cusp until frosts cut them down. Next year, the stored dahlia bulbs should be even more dramatic – and, well – we can’t wait.
Meanwhile, the crocosmias are making their statement. It’s interesting how that works – each graceful wand is filled with small, inch long blossoms that might not read were it not for their spark of color. Van der Kloet selected ‘Fire King’, ‘Emily McKenzie’, and ‘George Davison’ – all in suffused and ignited hues of red, orange, and smoldering yellow. What the flowers lack in size, they substitute with impact. You definitely see them from a distance. And again, they stand at 3 feet – the perfect height to speckle the top of the border.
