3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias

Thanks Triple b it was hard walking the garden today. Things are starting to get woody. Depending on the weather tonight this might be the last bouquet from my garden this year. I am going to miss it. We had a great year. It will be better next year just because I will have way more to work with. Even if I only double what I have I will be looking at over two hundred plants. There is a good chance I will have four hundred plants.

Please don't tell me they are ending. My plants have so many buds. I was putting protek cloth over them last night but it was flying off in the wind.

You've got the growing and the uploading down pat! I agree with Viking: Bring the photos on- that is a beautiful sight.

The hardest time of year is seeing all those stems and buds go to waste, either with lack of sun, or frost, or both putting an end to their productivity. So I'll pull for eastcoast global warming for you.

You should have seen me last night. I was trying to drape fabric over the dahlias for frost cover. Some are 6 ft. high. I would get one side on and it would blow off. Gave up and started looking for protection covers. There is a Plant Protek that comes in various sizes. It comes shaped with a tie at the bottom. Of course we could make them, but I don't have the fabric or the sewing machine. The fabric is light enough that it will not break the stems.

Great idea Pdshop, I have some neighbors that don't like flowers. I will break their heads off and put them in a bird bath. Make great decorations for Halloween.

neighbors that don't like flowers? what the hell is WITH some people?? I can't understand that. Ambivalent sure, but NOT LIKE?? I wouldn't trust them on anything then.

I checked page 42 of my Swan Island catalogue. I agree it looks like Funny Face.

Hi, thanks for looking. The name isn't on my records from any of the sellers! I just hope it is on the tuber as I have never had a dahlia that holds so long.

Triple B - I'm in Canoe, outside Salmon Arm! We were in Vernon last night at Kello O's for my son's birthday. My email address is:

myrlet@telus.net

It's exciting to know someone on a forum is near. I'm usually on the Hosta forum. Tropic lover - I'm not sure how close they are planted. I'm not good at following rules or allowing enough room for anything. This small area for dahlias (shown in the series of pictures I've posted on this forum) is really temporary. We built these planter areas last year on a whim. Now we want to build, with the same materials, a much more extensive set of raised beds on the opposite side of the stairs that lead up to the seat.

I gave up vegetable gardening several years ago as I got more and more into the hostas and shade. This - future - area is the only place close to the house that has enough sun to grow cutting flowers and vegetables. We hope to work more on this next year.

If anyone wants to see more of the actual garden where I spend the majority of my time. Go to McTavish on the Hosta forum or look at "my page".

Thanks everyone. McTavish

McTavish,

FYI, in my experience with mini-ties (which is pretty extensive here on this property) they cause mushroom growth. If that's what you want, its great, but when they push through parking lot pavement, its a pain in the but.

I am gradually replacing all of my mini-ties with stone, and will do so until its all gone. Most of mine is now 8 years old.

Cheers,
Russ

Oh I would love this so much! I hope to someday have the opportunity to make people that happy!

Oh no plantlady now the drug administration will have to check all dahlias over A size for steriods.

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like Olympic dahlias.

triple b the wife is totaly disabled. I have to cook all her food for her and other things. But you made me laugh so thanks. She put up with me all those years when the public drove me crazy. She also picks the flowers that I grow so we complement each other.

oh, bless your heart Viking.

Sadie_flowerlady,

I can't speak to whether cuttings will keep a variety from dieing out, a cutting is a clone of the original plant, but if its taken from a new tuber each year (which they typically are) then each year the variety has the possibility of changing. Of course you stand a better chance if you take a cutting from a tuber that produced particularly well.

This year all of my Dahlias were grown from cuttings. I took >400 cuttings and grew >150 here in my gardens. I rooted my cuttings most successfully in 4" pots of Miracle Grow Seed Start with "Rootz" hormone. The cuttings were taken from tuber sprouts, when the sprout got 3 sets of leaves or more, or was >4" tall. That meant I was taking cuttings on average 42 days after I took the tuber out of storage.

I kept my pots in trays under lights with ~1" of water. While I had some losses, I got more cuttings than I needed.

Good luck!

Cheers,
Russ

Here is a link that might be useful: My Dahlia garden pictures

yes, Jroot. we are a thrifty (miserly) breed aren't we? :-))
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I prefer to call it FRUGAL: (from someone with a very Scottish maiden name)

Whereas my husband is so wasteful it makes my blood boil sometimes. NOT frugal.