October in the garden has not ended in a whisper this year. The brilliantly-colored principals in this lively arrangement are Dahlias ’Jersey’s Beauty’ and ‘Thomas A. Edison’, English rose ‘Abraham Darby’, Chrysanthemum ‘Gelatino Red’, and staghorn sumac leaves. Both dahlia beauties are from Old House Gardens in MI, which likely offers the world’s most extensive array of lovely heirloom dahlia stock. Since discovering their fascinating catalog more than a decade ago, I’ve looked at dahlias differently. While I definitely appreciate some modern hybrids and use them in bouquets, I find many of the beautiful old varieties with their grace, array of color and form, and interesting pasts are the ones I choose first.