Purple Dahlias: Musings While Looking At Said On A Tuesday Morning

/ Ally Bean

April showers. May flowers.

Hello green grass. Howdy to this purple dahlia [that looks pink to me].

Regardless of its color I like it because it’s growing and budding and flowering.

Doing that which I like to see.

Both when it comes to gardening and when it comes to people. No one wants to be around someone who isn’t learning new things.

Or at least, among the people who I know and respect, that’s the way it is.

You live, you learn, you grow.

And then you remind yourself to encourage other people to bloom where they’re planted, too.

A simple saying, perhaps trite, but based on a truth.

An approach to life that lends itself to contentment and invites balance. Inspires joy, I have found.

Clear mind, happy heart.

My thoughts for this pleasant spring day. What’s up with you?

100 thoughts on “Purple Dahlias: Musings While Looking At Said On A Tuesday Morning”

  6. Oh such vibrant dahlias! Nothing like a dose of garden gloriousness to remind one of the really important things in life. I’ve long held the life mantra of “lush blossoming, unrivaled fabulousity & joyous receptivity” – and hold that possibility of thriving for everyone. May we all bloom brightly always.

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    • Deborah, I was taken by the bright color of these dahlias, just growing in a pot on our deck, looking glorious. I like your mantra, it suits you! And it is all about possibility and growth which I’ve been focusing on lately. Like you said: May we all bloom brightly always. 💖

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  7. I’m with you on it looks pink, not purple. But, IT IS GORGEOUS! I’d sit and admire it as well if I had one that was blooming. That quote is one of my all time favorites too. Thank you for sharing a colorful pop of spring. I’m busy today hoping my garden survives my techniques and something pretty blooms…eventually!

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    • Shelley, I have the little garden tag that says the dahlia is purple, but I dunno… I think it’s gorgeous, too– a colorful pop of spring indeed. I’m with you about gardening. Sometimes I think our flowerbeds survive in spite of my good intentions. 🙄

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      • It looks more fuschia to me. I love that color – I wish I had a shirt that color. Hmm…maybe I should go shopping instead of gardening?! I’m all about letting the strong plants survive approach to my gardens. It’s going to be an interesting year to see what appears or not. Your plant inspired me, though. I do love colorful flowers! I’ve come full circle – maybe the plants will too!?

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        • That’s the color I see in it, too. Maybe the tag is wrong? Who knows, I like it so it stays. A shirt in fuchsia would be pretty. Perhaps you could get one and then a dahlia in the same color and then take a photo of you together with the dahlia. You’d be twins! 😊

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  8. I spent yesterday weeding in the yard. After the required whining, I enjoyed being out and in the dirt. As I get older I like to do it less so we’ve simplified considerably and will again this year. Today we are back to crummy weather which is OK as I have inside things to do. Speaking of deer they have been here and dining on my roses and a few other flowers already. Seriously? Everything is still small! I swear a neighbor has a sign pointed to my yard that says “open buffet.”

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    • Kate, I’m sure you’re right that a neighbor has set out that sign directing the deer to your yard. That’s exactly how deer find things to eat… via the written word. 🙄

      I’m with you in that we’re reducing our gardening plans this year. Each year as my back and knees ache more, my garden vision becomes [shall we say?] more focused.

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  9. “Bloom where you’re planted” is a great expression and it can also be situationally applied as well. A great reminder as I’m about to leave for the last all-day meeting of my Seniors’ Club for the season. I consider it an endurance test especially when it’s a pot luck day like today. Ugh – I dislike these kinds of social events, but since I’m on the Board, it would look bad to not attend.

    I will try everything in my power to ‘bloom’ today. I’m even wearing pink (or purple, depending on how you want to look at it) so I’m off to a good start 💐🌺🥀

    Happy Blooming Tuesday 🙂

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    • Joanne, I can understand why your day ahead doesn’t look good to you. Not my kind of social event, either– but I can also see why you’ll be doing it. You are a good person.

      I don’t have a pink shirt– or a purple one. I probably should look into getting one or the other [or both!] so that I, too, may look more springy this month.

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      • I love wearing bright colours, even in the winter. ESPECIALLY in the winter. Wearing bright colours makes the day a little brighter.

        … or, as my mother would say, maybe that’s just the gypsy in me talking …

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        • I love that! You have gypsy in you and your mother knew it? How clever. I like bright colors, but tend to wear more neutrals or medium tone colors that work best with my coloring. Still bright colors do call to me.

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    • Deb, I thought of that blue/gold dress meme when I posted this photo. In the light of day here in reality the dahlia looks pink, but the tag tells me it’s purple. I care not, because it’s cheerful, dammit.

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  11. Dahlias! Now those beauties may be just the thing to round out my two little garden patches. However, I know zero about dahlias so some research is in order, which clearly satisfies the idea of growing and learning for the human commenting on this post.
    BTW, my eyes clearly see pink, not purple!

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    • Deb, around here dahlias only grow in pots. We have clay soil and they don’t do well in it, but as annual in a pot they can thrive. However I’m sure you’ll learn that when you go research ’em. Yep, I see pink, too. Don’t know why the little tag says purple. Another mystery of life!

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      • I tried dahlias before and tried to save the roots over winter (per instructions), but no luck. Have resigned to let them be annuals in pots, as you say. Love them, but only bought one – it will watch over my failed zucchini plants. (Only moi can fail to grow zucchini)

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        • Eilene, this little whatever-colored dahlia is in a pot on our deck. In the clay dirt that is our ground it’d die, but in a pot, being pampered by moi, it has a chance. You killed zucchini? Chuckling here. 🙃

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  13. I love the picture of your gorgeous dahlia. I’ve been enjoying the knockout roses we have . And the cool purple spider wart. I just potted a red gerbera daisy and a yellow one. Our pink begonias came back from last year! Enjoying all the color until it gets too hot around here.
    I’ve always loved the phrase “Bloom where you are planted” since I saw it on a Mary Engelbreit print. That is what I’ve tried to do in every place we’ve lived.Some places have been easier than others. But it makes life interesting! Keep blooming and dead heading!

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    • Beth, that dahlia has charmed me. While its color is debatable, its cheerfulness is a given. Our roses aren’t blooming yet and I haven’t seen any gerbera daisies for sale yet. I do like them. Your begonias came back? That’s unusual.

      I’d forgotten about ME’s print of the bloom saying, but now that you mention it the image pops into my head. You’ve lived in lots of places and you’ve bloomed in all of them. Good on you.

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  14. I guess I will have to bloom where I am planted… which is usually in front of this computer screen. Maybe over time my head will start to creep towards the light from the monitor like other plants do…

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  15. Another vote for pink. And another vote for learning. I’ve recently twigged to the fact that I don’t stay at one thing for very long because I get bored – that is, no more jolts of surprise at discovering, learning, This can be a blessing or a curse, of course.

    Blessings to you!

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    • Maggie, really getting the feeling that the tag on the dahlia was the wrong one. I see what you mean about why you get bored with things. Boredom is a tricky to handle: sometimes it means work harder, other times it means give up. Maybe that’s what wisdom is, know which path to take vis-à-vis boredom. 🤔

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  16. It looks pink to me too. I have a blouse that some people think is purple but I think is more royal blue. (it’s periwinkle) I always try to bloom and find ways to nurture myself, so that I can grow. Sometimes the soil isn’t very fertile and I have to work harder at flourishing. 🙂

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    • Margaret, I like your soil analogy. It is the truth of the matter when it comes to blooming. Inhospitable conditions make it more difficult to learn… as if I have to say that to a retired teacher.

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  17. everyone needs to feel that there is still room to learn and improve. I don’t like to think about growing since I will never get taller so the only way I can grow now is out and that is never a good thing (o:

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  22. It looks pink to me, too! But lovely!
    I’m working through two deadlines that happen to have landed on the same day. Tomorrow. So, I’m glad to see these cheery flowers.

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    • L. Marie, forget what the little garden nursery tag said, so far the consensus is that this dahlia is pink, not purple. Best of luck on your deadlines. Here’s to the positive power of happy dahlia thoughts!

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  23. Your beautiful dahlia looks cheery looking and I am happy the deer didn’t bite off the blossoms like the ill-fated pansies. It is good advice to bloom where planted but reach for the sky whenever possible too.

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    • linda, nice addition to the saying. I’m sure that these [purple?] dahlias are reaching for the sky as they’re growing quickly. Just can’t figure the story behind their color [pink?].

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      • I think the blooms are more pink too. I wonder if they mistagged them? I bought annuals in the past and they weren’t in bloom yet and a few weeks later, well “surprise, surprise, surprise” as Gomer Pyle would say. Especially if salmon impatiens didn’t really go with your color scheme.

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  24. Pink (Truth in advertising? HAHA. Beauty in eye of beholder, so as pink and purple are both beautiful, it’s not a big thing? Cheery is good.)
    Across town they had over 9 inches of rain in 6 hours – more coming for 24 hrs. We’ve had some and it was cloudy so I was able to get out and do some dead branch trimming off the hedge (we are really into scaling back spring planting and are encouraging the plants who mostly take care of themselves this year – just other things to do) – and we’ve managed to have the dog out between rains, so it’s all good.

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    • philmouse, I can be happy with either color of dahlia. Who knows maybe as the weather gets warmer and we have more sunshine the dahlia will become purple!

      You are getting so much rain and that, of course, leaves little time for doing outside gardening. We’re doing less this year, too. Although in our case it isn’t the weather, it’s that we’re getting older and lazier. But appreciate what we do more.

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      • They always say in fashion that simple is more sophisticated. Let’s apply that to landscape, too. (other side of town is treading water, so far we’re having enough time between storms that water is draining. Glad I didn’t put out the new mulch last weekend – see, it’s not lazy, it’s cautious Ha Ha)

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  25. New ideas and new skills, people to meet, places to go. I may rest longer in between as the years go by, but there’s always something new to see and do.

    This week? I’m going to help my daughter move into her new house. And … oh, yes, celebrate my birthday. I won’t mention which one.

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    • Behind the Story, you make a valid point. There’s more rest involved now between each learning and growing experience, but ever onward we go.

      Your daughter has a new place to live? That’s exciting and lots of work to get her there. Plus HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Numbers are overrated, so enjoy it whichever one it is. 🎂

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  27. I like your theme about blooming and growing (i.e. learning). As for annual flowers, it reminded me that in order to maximize blooms, you must do the deadheading. Get rid of tired, worn out memes and attitudes, you know.

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  28. purply pink – or pinkly purple, but very pretty! I’m wearing blue today as it’s voting day today and that (my) party’s colours are blue. Am hoping that the soil of this country will withstand all that is planted in good faith – gorgeous pic Ally Bean.

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    • Susan, as the summer progresses I wonder if this little dahlia will begin to look more purple. Different sunlight, different watering. We’ll see. I can, and am, happy with whichever color it wants to be.

      Your voting analogy is apt. Good faith is rare these days. I hope for your sake, for all our sakes, that the results of your election grow into the kind of hope that we all need.

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  30. I actually had a lovely Tuesday, which was day two of a lovely week overall. I must confess, I saw no dahlias, purple or otherwise, but I did experience contentment. Happy to you, Ally Bean 🙂

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  31. These were Tuesday thoughts but good for any day – and it is Sunday – raining and had a crazy week and this was refreshing to read…. the outreach reminder too – so nice

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    • Thanks, Prior… I like that dahlia and now that we’ve had more rain here it is looking more purple! It’s an ornery little plant that has charmed me. I care not which color it is.

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