3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias
Rowansmom:
Boy do I wish I lived out in OR....the heart of dahlia country! I would suggest you go to Swan Island
and talk to the Gitts who run the place. They are a wealth of knowledge on dahlias and can, I'm sure, answer all of your questions. In addition, I would join the Portland Dahlia Society. There you would have access to many experienced growers who could also assist you.
Good Luck,
DahliaBoy
Where are you in Michigan? I am in mid-Michigan and my dahlia results have been iffy. Some are great, some not so great, some pathetic. I blamed it on the heat, because the best performing ones get more shade than the others. Yours, however, look beautiful. I love bodacious.
Yes, I use hot water. However, I also use a drop of clorox, a tsp of sugar (sometimes some aspirin) and then put the flowers in a cool, dark place to drink water for a few hours or overnight(but I condition all of my cut flowers this way).
Bacteria is the biggest enemy of any cut flower. Change the water every day and if possible, clean the container or put just a drop of the clorox in everytime you add new water. Keep your arrangement out of a hot, sunny location.
Yes, I find all of the above makes a difference.
poochella hmmm got this from a garden center, threw out bag, these flowers are 9 inches.
The red flower? good question, beats me what it is....... although the flowers are medium sized 5 to 6 inches, and the type is Anemone.
misslucinda
Look just like yours! especially the first photo. Very nice. but if the color is represented correctly, then we are just close... My camera is dead on in color.
In my opinion I think you should dig them up. I am in NJ zone 6b, I have tried leaving them in the ground but they never made it. This year I am digging up all 40 and storing them in the basement..they are just too pretty to let die again. Plus, I suggest in the spring you start them in pots indoors. I don't know how the squirrels are by you, but here the lil buggers dig up almost everything in the spring, even if its only just to 'practice dig'.
They drive me insane, anyway..I say start them indoors in the spring then when they have decent amount of growth plant them in the garden.
Good luck,
Daniella
First of all I would like to say that your dogs are beautiful!!! I enjoyed looking at all your flowers too. You certainly have a green thumb. If I were you I would plant the Dahlias and leave them in the ground. But I'm not sure exactly where you are located. I am in zone 8 and they would be fine if left in the ground here on the west coast of Canada.
Thank you for your response. I guess I'll try them in the garden. I am not sure if they are viable anyway. I can't see any 'eyes' on any of them. Not sure if the person who gave them to me knew to look for them. If they don't make it I'll definitely be looking for some in the spring. I've been looking at pictures; I never knew how gorgeous Dahlias were before!!!
I'm glad you like my puppies; they are my joy.
Roxanne
ok. you are new to dahlias; I sugest you do some searches here. you will find great info.
In short, generally either there are no seeds or you wouldn't want them anyway. The plant stores its energy in a tuber underground. Cut off the stalk to 2 inches and carefully dig it up and get all its parts. This is to be replanted next spring. Store the tuber, cleaned off and dried, in an open plastic bag (keep it open slightly) packed in peatmoss, spanish moss or the like. The point is to retain the moisture content of the bulb, without letting it rot. Be sure to store in a cool dark place. Temps around 40-50 F.
You bet I cut the first flowers! CAn't wait to get my hands on them and arrange them. No flower is safe from my flower snips! The sad part is when an arrangement I really like does not sell at my stand.... I feel so terrible for the flowers! I had one that was so delicous I wanted to eat it the other day....Grandma June (small dainty pink flowers with just a touch of yellow in the center), arranged with pink and yellow snapdragons, and pale pink English roses and lime green nicotiana....no one wanted pink anything that day or the next and it withered away in the sun. Meanwhile the purples sold readily. Atleast I get first chance to play with them all!
Mirek, it is so enlightening to talk to fellow gardeners from "the other side of the world" about these beautiful flowers which we all love so much. Thanks for sharing with us your wonderful photos of your beautiful flowers.
My secret is to start them early inside, and gradually get the young plants acclimatized to the sun. When all danger of frost is past, then I plant them in a sunny location. I admit that I do feed them regularly with a fertilizer with a higher middle number to stimulate earlier blooming. I stop all fertilizing at least a month before frost comes in the autumn. Then they are carefully dug up, cleaned, dusted with a fungicide, labelled and wrapped, and finally put into my cold cellar with does NOT freeze for the winter.
What are your secrets?
Two of the best secrets of growing dahlias are to pinch out the tip of the main stem while the plants are still small. See: http://dahlias.net/dahwebpg/Topping/Topping_1.html
AND to disbud the flowering stems before the side stems overgrow or crowd into the single flower you want to keep. See: http://dahlias.net/dahwebpg/disbudding/disbud1.htm
Nice Pics Daniella!
The blooms are beautiful and the leaves are so green and plush. When or how long ago did you take the pics?
It looks like you've had just about the right amount of moisture and nutrient care. Like many across the country, we too here in Central New York (Syracuse) have had a lack of rainfall plus something like 14 or more days of 90 degrees or more heat this summer and our average is 5 days. It wouldn't have been bad except for the lack of rain. And my water bill was almost double.
But I won't complain as I know in many places like the Albany area who have been on a "Water on certain days only." edict.
It's finally raining today and I hope it stops long enough so I can get a few pics in myself as even the plants look look happy instead of the 01:00 PM droop they've been experencing almost daily.
When I woke up yesterday morning it was 82 degrees at 05:00 AM and I don't ever remember that high of an early morning temp happening before.
Thank you very much! :)
The dates that I took the pics are right above each picture. I was watering every day for awhile, but now I water every few days. I think the trick to the 1pm droop, which i experience too, it to water about 12:30 1:00. just at the base of the plants, and they perk right up. All I use on my dahlias is water, I never feed them. And I didnt even doctor up the soil before i planted the bulbs at the end of June. I pulled the grass & weeds, dug the bed, went about 6-8" down, then plopped the bulbs in. I've just gotten lucky I think. was hot here yesterday too, almost 90 at 8:30 pm. But thats how i like it.
Heres some more i took this morning.
9-09 This is my fav so far.Don't know the name, they were mislabeled..Any clues?
9-09
9-09 I'm not supposed to have white ones either..Any clues on this one?
