3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias
Does it always have the large center w/ pollen? If so it's not a waterlily & therefore not Bliss. I think you've probable gotten hold of a mass produced dahlia from somewhere like Home Depot that while pretty in the garden wasn't named other than "Dahlia". It doesn't comform to any of the regular dahlia forms if this is how it looks all the time.
Thanks for the advice guys.
DJeff: Thanks for the heads up on the tuber sales and the growing info. Might try that next year if these bargain basement things can grow in my selected site.
Poochella, thanks for the sun advice. Right now, that's the best place I have. The others are already taken by daffs, iris and tulips, and as well all know, a wet summer does not a happy bulb make. However, my east-side exposure does get almost a full half day of sun, so it would at least be 4-5 hours. My azalea and hydrangea are very happy there, so I am at least hopeful. Also, I look forward to more pix. Wow, but you sure know how to grow 'em. Every time I see one of your shots, it makes me want to dig up the front lawn and make it a Dahlia farm.
Thanks again, and I will keep y'all posted on my success.
My first 2 dahlias I ever grew were from our local hardware store (and I didn't even really know what a Dahlia was! lol) Also, I planted them in the front of our home that gets the morning sun not the full 5-6 hrs straight. I must be doing something right! Last year with the amounts of rain and lack of sun we had I still had a 13" bloom on my Kelvin Floodlight (yellow dinner plate purchaced 3 yrs ago) .....So long as they look healthy when you put them in the ground....I'm sure things will be good :)
Redd~
Anne, here(link)is the closest thing going on Garden Web, only two pages of posts though, so capacity is limitied and posts would be bounced off fairly quickly if there was any volume.
Why don't you just start an official trading post here? That would give people over 100 posts to go back and forth, or email each other.
Here is a link that might be useful: bulb exchange
I'll vote for a Chocolate Dahlia any day! The reason we named it King Salmon was because we couldn't think of a name for it & it was being sent to Whales, UK to a trial garden in 2004. We were at a Federation of NW Dahlia growers workshop & after asking for ideas for names we weren't any closer to naming it. Then Dick Ambrose who is the originator of the "Camano" dahlias (& who knows Walt goes fishing for Kings up in Canada) said "Why not just call it King Salmon?? ...& a name was born!
Now we have to think up 6 new names for 2006 introductions!! Yikes!
Hi this betty, It's hard to tell how many eyes a tuber will have, but aim for one. Rub out or cut off more than one eye that sprouts from the tuber for the healthiest plant. Or cut off extra shoots that emerge from the ground as mentioned.
I'm not sure what you mean by pruning dahlias. You can "top" them, by pinching out the center growth stalk, and you can disbranch them by several methods, but I like laterals: laterals = flowers and if you don't care about size of bloom, then the more the merrier. They definitely call for support, or your flowers will end up on the ground.
The link below might help you. And it might help me too, so I am going to read it thoroughly LOL.
There's another website I've read that addresses contolling the laterals. If I find it, I will post it.
Here is a link that might be useful: Dahlia care
Thank you. Poochella, I should have said 'pinching back' instead of pruning. Perhaps I do this too early in the season & end up with too many stems - and then I pinch those, etc...
I always stake or use the inverted tom. cages or both. Someone had a comment about the cause for huge hollow stems, - often happens for me on the larger varieties.
All help is truly appreciated.
Oooohhhh very pretty! I just looked it up and here's what it says about Garden Wonder:
-Plants are a tidy 2 feet tall, perfect for border use. Plant in full and enjoy lots of color from summer through fall. We ship plump premium tubers primed for growth in your garden. Order soon, especially for quantities.
And for Duet:
-An extravagantly colorful bi-color. Duet is a very choice garden dahlia. Plants grow strongly to just under 3 feet tall, and produce loads of red-purple and pure white 4-inch flowers. The base of the petals are red, the tips white. It is a showy specimen for cutting, and an eye-catcher in the garden.
Hope that helps! I started Dahlias about 3 yrs ago, and this year I'm making a HUGE order (for my little yard lol) They are a very VERY addicting flower specimen. I know I'm hooked! I'll be getting ones that are 13" accross (the flower that is)
Enjoy!
Redd~
I have successfully grown dahlias in containers. The nice thing about them is that you can move them where you want them. However, you should use as large a container as you can muster. Mine were about 20 inches across and at least a foot deep. That way, there was room for the tubers to develop, they did not dry out as readily, and I could add lots of nice nutritious soil to them. I will use them again this year near my patio. You do have to water more frequently I found ( daily ), and staking is more difficult, thus the deep pot. Mind you, I had the 4 foot varieties in these large pots. If you are only going with the short ones, then staking won't be such a necessity, but you still have to be aware of watering needs.
Actually, I do not find it difficult at all to get the tubers up if planted in the ground. Just remember to use a large gardener's fork, and gently work the soil loose by digging and lifting about a foot away from the plant. Then get your hands into the soil and gently lift the plant, tubers and all. When up, then you can trim the stem back.
Take some photos and post for us all to enjoy once you have them in bloom.
A good place to find out about container gardening is Steve Nowotarski's site- lots of good container dahlias, how to grow them, care for them & some pretty mixed containers to give you lots of ideas & some cool dahlias to look at in the middle of winter!
Here is a link that might be useful: container gardening
Hi Broomhildah, I think in your zone you could have easily had success overwintering tubers in the ground; not just that particular burgandy variety. Freezing and too much moisture are about the biggest enemies of tubers left in the ground.
It will probably be impossible to tell exactly what that particular bloom was but you might get lucky. A starting point would be to identify what form and size your blooms were. Check the link below, it has examples of each dahlia form. From there, you can check lists at www.dahlias.net It has photos by size/shape but there are only a small percentage of all dahlias pictured there. If they were bought in a retail store,they are likely not pictured there, but maybe. Someone here might very well have bought the same package as you and remember the name.
A photo of your bloom posted here would be a good start too.
There are thousands of other dahlias to choose from and I bet you could have equal success starting over anew.
Here is a link that might be useful: Examples of dahlia forms here
I often wonder if they put them out so early because they are starting to grow to early. But the lights and the temp. in the store will bring on more growth
quickly.
If it's down to 28 degrees I'd be checking. Sure don't want to loose those tubers. If they freeze they will be history.
Thanks so much.
It got down to about that so I pulled them in for the night but don't want them to start growing in my house in Jan either! I guess it will be just a constant putting them out and pulling them in for a couple of months?
Thanks for the info everyone
when i plant my dahlias i usually put a wooden stake....bout 4ft one alongside the tuber....then as it grows i tie the plant to the stake....but we also have made 4ft cages out of concrete wire....to put around each dahlia....so when they get really big i can control them pretty well within the cages.......for the really tall ones i put up metal green posts up around the plant and tie plant to several sides of the post to help secure from the kansas winds....
Hi Stan,
I'm pretty sure Park Princess is amoungst the smaller (BB) dahlias. They grow approx. 2' tall and very pretty! Be sure to post pics later in the summer when they're in bloom! :)
Redd~
Pink Princess is a BB semi-cactus pink. It was originated in 1978 so it's an oldie- quite pretty, too if I remember back to when the husband allowed small dahlias in the gardens! I think it might be lacinated but that might be Park Princess- my brain is failing me - it's late!