surrounded by orchards and trees , the house drowned in a vast garden , and as claire walked next to ven down the twisted path from the aerial landing pad , a sea of dahlias bloomed on both sides of her : peach , orange , yel ow , blood-red , deep purple , blue fringed with white , some large , some smal , some with wide petals , some with narrow frayed florets , others a mere single ring of petals around a flat disk in the center .