3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias
The wife got sicker than she normally is and I did not have time to store tubers properly. So I had nothing I could post. I will have to get the posting info when they bloom because I have lost all that also. Thanks for asking.New dog so will be in the back gardens nost of summer.
Early spring follow up: I dug up and stored the dry, wrapped tubers in the garage and after an incredibly mild winter I took them out to check them last week. Of the 3 clumps only one had an eye and the other two had rotten sections (really gross btw). Not sure if they did freeze during the 2 really cold days we had, or if something else got them. So I potted up two pared down clumps in hopes of some growth and this morning was rewarded with tiny stems and leaves in both pots! Next fall I'm going to have dahlias and begonia tubers to figure out what to do with...maybe the attic this time? My garden is too small for 5 foot plants with 8 inch flowers, or to grow hundreds of tubers but this year I ordered tubers for a type called "Star Wars" that has the dark foliage I love so much.
Here is a link that might be useful: Star Wars Pot Dahlia
2 of the dahlias that never bloomed last year formed eyes. The 3rd didn't even grow much of a new tuber...too skinny to make it through the winter (although I haven't given up total hope, yet!).
Honnat, yes, the ground could be frozen here 2 weeks after first heavy frost. Normally, no, but last year we had an unusually late first frost. And the year before that, it was even later, but frozen ground was earlier than normal. I didn't get all my dahlias dug last year, as the ground just wasn't thawing out during the day. When we hit 25 at night, but 40 during the day, we're far more hours below freezing than above, and the sun just doesn't win. I've planted bulbs in the snow, too, but for us, snow in October usually means warmer weather than sunny skies do.
I would be concerned about them rotting if they were under ground. Maybe if there was plenty of peat-moss and air (an inflated zip-loc?) around each tuber, so that any "sweat" would be absorbed they would be ok, and you would certainly need to make sure water couldn't get to them.
i dont know when you can usually plant them out in zone 7. I usually pot mine up about a month before they can go outside, but here thats not for a while. It would allow the roots to get going, and you can snip down the stalks when you plant them out.
I chose it because I seem to have trouble with purple dahlias and I do love my purple ones! My Midnight Dancer was a bust last year and my Imperial Wine gave just a few small blooms.
My favorite is Purplicious. But like MD, it never grew the first year and the 2nd year it was mediocre. Last year though, it came through with dozens of the purplest blooms I've ever seen and they were gorgeous.
I knew TE was an old time favorite but I had no idea it was THAT old. Hopefully it will anchor my 'purples and blues'
plot with years to come.
Unfortunately VM got such a late start last year that I never got to see much of a performance. But it already is as far along as it was last year in May...and no magnifying glass needed, either. YAY, I should get to see some spectacular blooms this year!
STL, I'm also a pretty novice gardener...live next to Kansas City now but used to live in St. Louis. I came to dahlias by way of Mystic "Illusion" found in a local nursery. It's much shorter than most of the dahlias and has black/purple foliage. I've been growing them for two years in a half barrel, this winter I tried storing the tubers (fingers crossed, haven't had the courage to check on them yet). I know my apt in StL had AWFUL soil so maybe one of the smaller varieties would be good to start with. Boy, I wish I could go to the MO Botanical Garden sale...miss that place!
STL_novice, some of the mail order companies are indeed good and I've had good results ordering from Swan Island, but mail order in general tends to be expensive and can be hit or miss on quality depending on the company. For a novice I would actually recommend just going to Walmart or Lowes and getting whatever they have in packages. Often the packages are transparent and you can sometimes find tubers that are already sprouting in the package so you know they are viable. The varieties will be very limited but for a novice this isn't such a big deal. I've had great success with Arabian Night, Kelvin Floodlight, Akita, and Onesta from chain stores. Plus if they don't sprout the chains are good about giving you replacements or refunds. Once you get hooked you can always explore the near limitless varieties in the catalogs.
I leave my dahlia tubers in the ground and mulch heavy for the winter and have had good luck with this method. However this year one has put up a shoot through the leaf mulch. This was a new tuber last year but I've never seen a dahlia break dormancy this early. It has been a mild winter but not that mild. Has anyone ever seen this--I've been growing dahlias for 30+ years and this is a first. I think I'll just wait and see what it does.
I would pot those babies up in gallon pots and let them start making roots. And I would probably keep them in the greenhouse. Just don't overwater. I pot mine up about now and keep them fairly warm, but barely moist. Make sure they do not freeze or drown. If they grow too tall before planting time just pinch them back. I do this with all new dahlias and get blooms about a month earlier then usual.
I see no one has answered; so I'll take a stab at your question. Other more expreienced growers can correct me an my ego will not be damaged. :)
I checked my 1976-2011 Composite guide book from ADS and my 2012 Classification guide book. Only Karma Lagoon is in the 2012 ADS book. It is classed as a 7309 (Waterlily = 73, Purple = 09)
The other two are not in either book. That means, either they were introduced before 1976 (not likely) or they have never been "introduced."
"Karma" dahlias are patented. That's a much different legal process than "introducing." A patented dahlia is not necessarily "introduced" by ADS; but it could be. Having a patented dahlia means is there are some hoops to go through if you want to hybridize them, and you CAN'T sell them without permission.
If a dahlia has never been introduced - that means they never scored in a trial garden, seedling bench, or won at least two blue ribbons in an ADS sponsored show during any one growing year. That does not necessarily mean it's not a good garden dahlia - it just hasn't been shown and/or it has not been successful at shows. Karma Lagoon has been sold a few years; and just now showed up in the guide book because it won a couple blue ribbons in 2011. It will stay in the guide book next year. It might also stay in 2013 - but only if it continues to win.
Why does anyone want to know the number? One (or two) reasons.
#1) You want to show the dahlia; and want to know what category it would be in.
#2) You just want to be able to better describe your dahlia; so that you know what size, form and color it will display.
If your answer is #1 - At the show, you will need to bring it to the judges; and they will "classifly" it for you based on how YOUR bloom looks. You can't just take the description of the seller.
If your answer is #2 - Check out the link I have below. It will help. You'll also need to know the difference between formal / informal decorative etc. And some of the color names are up for debate. But it's a starting point.
Take Fremont's Memory for example. Swan Island sells it and calls it a B ID Purple
B=2
ID = 1
Purple = 09
So Fremont's Memory is likely going to be in the ADS class 2109 as long as your's grows to the same size, form and color as Swan Island's. If you took it to a show, and it looked "pink" to the judges - they would put it in 2104 (04 = pink).
Anyway, that' a really long answer to your simple question. Hope it helps.
Here is a link that might be useful: ADS Classification
I've grown York & Lancaster, I live in a pretty hot & dry climate during the summer time and the first year I grew it in a pretty sunny spot and most of the blooms were an pale red and as the season wound down I finally started to see a little bit of variegation in the blooms.
I grew it again last year but this time in the shade and that seemed to help quite a bit with the variegation and I saw a lot more white petals on the blooms right at the end of the season there was quite a bit of variety.
I've gotten some sizeable clumps of tubers from them but the tubers are quite round and dividing them is a crapshoot. I happened to buy mine from a seller on ebay and not from Old House Gardens but I'm guessing the seller had originally purchased her tubers from Old House Gardens because she had a few varieties I'd only seen offered on their site.
Viking, How long have they been potted up? I have 15 currently in pots and I am just starting to see a few sprouts poking out of the dirt. We are going to have some really nice weather for the next week so I am take mine outside for some real sunshine.
Linda
Just a week in pots. But I had the bag for a couple weeks just laying on the floor in the kitchen. It was warm there so they all sprouted. Still waiting for farmer john to arrive. Wynn,s can't feel the excitment I am feeling.