3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias
Poochella thanks and LOL at the giant bees! Yes they are between 2-3 inches. I have six plants (and because I went back and looked at that winter sowing picture from March I see that I planted about six seeds! Each one is different but they all formed clumps about 2.5 feet tall. They started to bloom well in July but now they are completely loaded with buds and flowers. I haven't cut anything (so happy with how the garden turned out this year that I didn't want to spoil it), but finally made one arrangement this week and I included one of these Stargazers. So far I'm on day four and it looks exactly like it did the day I cut it.
Andrea you're writing a book? I'll have to hear more about that! I probably won't save the seeds (I still have most of the package left from this spring) but I really am interested in saving the tubers of these guys because I love them so much. I failed miserably last year and I'm hoping to figure it out this season. The verbena combo sounds lovely.
Willow, Lauren Michelle is 5 ft tall, blooms from 3-4, maybe 5 inches across. Really a lovley waterlily- the highlight for me being the edges all surrounded in the darker purple of the underpetals; something just a little different.
Pitimpani, email me which ones you get Red X's on and I'll email you a photo.
Keeb, probably earwigs. Dahlia is especially liked by earwigs and is a good enough reason to think twice about trying to take flowers inside for your vases.
If you do, try this approach, hang the flower upside down in a pail of water and watch the earwigs exit.
Its possible you could have a caterpillar in there, but again, the upside down technique can be tried for them too.
OMG! I am as bad as my husband. I thought they were clematis LOL! I should have known better with that foliage, but the MG only got a cursory glance as I was 100% fixated on that K K K Katie.
Thanks for letting me know Willow, I sheepishly crawl into my corner now.....
"Dinnerplate" is an old term still used by big commercial - usually catalog places that don't know any better- to denote the size of the bloom. It used to be the AA sized blooms-- 10" & above. The term referred to the fact that the plants put out blooms that were large across but really shallow. The AA sized blooms brought out in the last 20 or so years are NOT referred to as dinnerplates as they are almost as deep as they are wide- in fact, when we AA dahlia hybridizers hear that term used by a retailer of dahlias it really sets our teeth on edge as they are most likely selling flat, AA sized dahlias to the poor unsuspecting public who then try to show them & wonder why they don't win in any show! Bah! It also gripes me when catalogs come out saying a dahlia is "exclusive" to that catalog when it's been on the open market for upwards of 15 years! (Whew- glad I got that rant out of my system!)
It really could be one of many but perhaps it's Sierra Glow. I grew it along time ago and it looks very similar. Here's a link, take a look
Good Luck
Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.dahlia.org/cgi-bin/guide/dahlia.cgi?SIERRA+GLOW
A windmill- I never would have guessed! A wonderful sight to behold. Lovely, lovely. And is that an adorable white goat I spot in the background? You have it all as far as I'm concerned. My husband gave me a marine water spinning reel for my birthday. I have fished in saltwater exactly twice in my life. I returned the favor and got him a sporty green wheelbarrow for his- as if he would use it! All's fair in love and war.
What a cheerful array of blooms you have- enjoy them all.
Good advise re seed collection. Personally, I prefer to multiply with the tubers. ...get good strong plants quickly. I actually cut off the flowers so they don't drain the energy to be stored in the tuber. However, for a lot of plants you could try the seed method. But, as the plantlady says, don't expect the seedlings to look like the parent. Cross pollination may create some interesting forms.
Very pretty. Hissy Fitz, an interesting name. Like the Lavender Perfection. Hmmm Gorgeous.
I can't see the last three, though.
All my Beverly F rotted so did many others so I don't know what they would look like.
Thank you for sharing. :-)
Jroot- my garden isn't even near big enough to hold that many blooms let alone my table. How many blooms do you guess, to fill a 360 degree bouquet 3-4 feet x 3-4 feet?
How do you think they anchored them all? A king size block of oasis? Individual volunteers holding individual vases and hiding inside the flowers? LOL
I had alot of cut flowers with heavy rains setting in over the weekend: I heard wind/water in the early a.m. and bolted outside to begin the harvest before the breakage began. Almost too many cut ones to deal with, but I managed.
You can spray them with the same thing that you spray your roses with. We frequently use the Rose Pride stuff on our dahlias.
This year, the powdery mildew is HORRIBLE in my area. I have seen it on so many different plants all over town. I tried a solution of 3 parts water to one part milk - it worked amazingly well...went out to spray again a week later, and noticed all kinds of lush new growth, and a huge decrease in the mildew. I have treated twice, and now it's pretty much all gone. Maybe give it a shot?
Michele