With six days of bright blue skies and freezing temps behind us and just a couple days ahead before a forecasted thaw, the more tender plants at Coppertop have withered and browned. A week ago, I wandered through the dahlias, pausing to capture the last blooms while remembering our flowery, colorful summer and fall.

This variety is one I’ve been bringing indoors all through the fall. Its colors seem to proclaim “HARVEST!” and combine well with others in autumnal bouquets.

What remains of the dahlias today:

I’ll cut these back, cover main stems with overturned plastic pots, and mulch with straw as well. This way I can leave the tubers in their raised beds through the winter without them getting too soggy and rotting. I learned this tip at one of the Clallam County Master Gardeners’ lectures. What a helpful group of fellow botanophiles!

Meanwhile in the unheated greenhouse, annual and perennial flowers I started last month are relatively protected and snug.