3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias

Sorry to rain on your parade, Russ, but tomorrow ( zone 5 southern Ontario near Guelph ) the forecast is from 2C to 4C. I would wait until after that, or be prepared to cover them on Tuesday night. I know that I will be covering all of mine tomorrow night (Tuesday).

Jroot,

There's forecasts, and then there's forecasts...;-]

I'm 50' from a fairly large lake. It does all sorts of things to forecasts, especially considering it is currently 25C at 8:00pm.

My Dahlias will be within 5' of running water, which isn't going to get any colder than 5C no matter what the air temp goes to for an hour or two.

Anyway, I'm not putting anything out which I only have 1 of, so if it all fails misrably, I'll just do it again when I have time...;-]

Cheers,
Russ

and don't use bone meal because the dogs dig it up.
* * *
I have a girlfriend who lives a few miles out of town. Whenever she uses bonemeal, all the dogs in the area (fenced in thank goodness) start barking and when she uses bloodmeal all the feral cats visit her yard.

Mt thoughts on fertilizers. Nothing..NOTHING. can beat a good 3" layer of compost. I heap it around my plants to a min. 12" diameter. The worms move it into the earth, create air holes, and it helps retain moisture. This stuff is magic.

We built a new bed last year. It was junk until I added 3" of compost in late July and then it just exploded.

CrAzY LaRrY

still working on how to do that. Thanks!

It's pretty simple email me and I will try to explain how!!!

yes the catalogue got it wrong. One assumes it to be LULU as it is a more common name.
Keeping my fingers crossed. Actually maybe I will gently lift it out and let it dry a bit then put it back in again.

Everyone is doing just ducky, soaked or no. I guess the drainage is sufficient after all.

Wow, great pics. Thanks to both of you for your help!

I stand corrected. :o)

Hi Poochella and Russ, Success!! This morning the first leaf has popped through. I have been looking every day and finally there it was. Have a good day's gardening.
marni

Great news Marni!!

Cheers,
Russ

I'm too tired to have anything uplifting right at this point, Phyl! Any day one wakes up is a good day to me. How can one have an aching achilles tendon planting dahlias? It isn't an Olympic activity. Perhaps I need a consult with Dr. Scholls.

Busy time of year, but when I go by all the stakes and read the labels of planted dahlias, I get to experience the annual thrill of anticipating what splendid wonders will unfold in a few months' time as a result of the effort. That's uplift enough.

The sound of your roses and complementary dahlias is heavenly. The winter tasks aren't that daunting but are a must in your zone. I will say right now, you are smart to stick with just three to start, because already ALREADY I'm dreading digging up what I'm just planting in now! LOL. There are so many gorgeous flowers forthcoming though, I hope, that that is reason to get up with the birds and start all over again tomorrow.

I hope you have a camera for Fuzzy Wuzzy and the others in all their splendor. Don't forget to post them in the Gallery section of this forum if you get a chance.

Happy growing!

Thanks again, poochella! I finally DID reposition the dahlia tubers the other day...and it has rained off an on again since then. I am SO TIRED of rain & grey skies. But I am excited to see small buds on about 1/3 of our roses (20). We need some sun & heat around here!
Yes, I'll have to take some pictures this summer. :0) Phyl

I want to move to where you live!

Thanks sturgeonguy. I think your Id might be correct. I will write that name down and keep it for reference. I like knowing specific names for different cultivars just for reference in the future.

Triple_b, that red one is "Berger's Record". Im sure some nursery carries it. I bought it from a street side vendor in San Francisco's Mission District. He had TONS of different colored Dahlias, cymbidium orchids and palms. I also got this Cymbidium orchid from him for $10.

That's it. I am going to move to W. Virginia.

W. Washington!

That Canadian dollar kills us nowdays Triple B! Ferncliff does have a very wonderful reputation, but there are a couple east coast dahlia sources that have good feedback as well.

Shipping isn't that much more expensive, I don't think, from one coast to another, but if you run across exceptional service and quality tubers or cuttings, please let us know.

Ferncliff Gardens Reviews B.C.
http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/195/

Endless Summer in Maine
http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/4109/

Hilltop Gardens in N.C.
http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/5062/

Pleasant Valley Glads and Dahlias in MA
http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/367/

Ednie Flower Bulb Co. NJ
http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/3279/

There are others on the east coast without reviews or feedback, some not specific to dahlia sales, but still with good reputations. Check it out. Cut and paste the URLs into your browser, visit their websites, but order soon.

I have no reason to leave most of our NW vendors because many of them know dahlias like the backs of their hands. It pays to be vigilant though, and the Garden Watchdog is a valuable source for feedback on personal experiences from the public.

yes well although our dollar parity make it cheaper to buy some things in the US the taller shipping expenses often soak up the savings. One thing I have learned.
What kills me is NONE of the US rose growers will ship to Canada because of phytosanitary stuff and disease control. And you guys get some killer deals that we don't.
The good and bad of it all I guess.

I always remember a May 24 a couple of years ago where the temp as zero. I also am reminded by a couple of plants I did put in my pond this year which have completely died back.

IOWs, patience!

None of my 200+ plants are yellow, and they aren't getting gobs of light. They are getting tons of water.

Remember, it only takes one night of too cold whether to kill months of effort.

Cheers,
Russ

Everything is in today. Just have to wait and see. I was surprised by having 5 mushy tubers from Swann. I either didn't store them right or they ship too early. What I need to know is the ones that had eyed up, some had dried. Will they come back? I just put the tubers in peat when they came and let the little heads peek out. Misted now and than but not wet.

I've ordered from Swan Island, Connells, Arrowhead and Cowlitz River. They all had excellent service and tubers were in great condition when they arrived. The cuttings from Corralito's are also very good. Teresa from Cowlitz replaced a tuber for me that I turned to mush out of my own stupidity. On top of that, got another free one with that replacement. Can't get any better than that.

I use Swan, Connells, Ferncliff, and Container gardens. Had 5 mushy ones from Swann this year. I think it is because they all ship so early. They usally replace if they have the tuber.