beetroot red

One of the reasons I got 'William Shakespeare 2000' is the color of the flowers. I was entranced by the beetroot red. Too bad it doesn't quite have that color in my garden, where the flowers are more pink.

But at least with the monsoon rains we are having, it has been enough to stimulate another flush of flowers.

I wasn't certain if this color scheme would work, so I planted dahlias where I would plant the roses. I figured that the plants would get about as big as the roses would, but quicker, and I planted them in colors that would be a trial run for roses but cheaper and faster. Turns out that dahlias behave very strangely in my garden, growing very slowly, and blooming when there are only a couple of leaves on the plants. I think that this 'Ron's Dark Ember' had maybe two flowers on it last year. I really love the flowers, but I don't think the color scheme is right. Darn. 

This 'Grand Finale' looks totally different than what the photos look like. Google it yourself and see. Also, it is described as four feet tall and very late. This was one of my first bloomers, the first flowers opening in June, and has a total of 4 leaves on a 4 inch tall plant (with a big flower). Maybe the cooler wet weather will stimulate more growth. But at least I've learned that maybe this flower color is not right for my garden, as much as I love it.