071231 - Imperial dahlia

Here's a view from the gardens of the Pacific Ocean on New Year's Eve, 2007.

The imperial dahlia, also know as tree dahlia, had reached a height of about fifteen feet before going into bloom.

I remember this day as sunny and warm.

Only a week or two later, though, we had a massive winter storm, with lots of rain and hurricane-strength gusts, which ripped this imperial dahlia in half.

I scavenged its flowers to make a nice arrangement in the front room.