3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias
Thanks Linda,
So are you in Utah? Thats the only place I can think of with UT. lol! This old brain doesn't think to hard nowadays.
I do like not having to dig them up because my lazy self probably wouldn't do it. I am the one that just plants something and then moves it around three times before it finally gets in a perfect spot. Not the best of practice for sure.
Thanks for giving me your feeding program. Obviously it works great from the looks of your pictures. They truely are gorgeous. I bet next year it will be even prettier with all the enlarging you are doing. Good luck with your trade.
Take care and thanks a bunch, Judy
Sorry, Tropic Lover. I have never grown either of those two whites. I really don't like the balls quite as much as some of the other types of dahlias. The only whites I am growing this year are Bowen and a very small white one I can't think of the name of right now. I used to have several of Connell's ball shaped dahlias, but they are long gone.
Dahlias submitted to trial garden must have names or they are rejected. The names are only known by the trial garden director. They are planted in the garden with only numbers to ensure anonymity. The results of the judging is reported to the American Dahlia Society and those varieties that pass with passing scores are published in the ADS Bulletin in December. In the past, some trial gardens have printed some lists after the judging has been completed. This has not been the case in recent years. The policy recently has been to keep the entries anonymous until they winners are published.
In England, all entries are listed on a sign at the trial gardens and the judges can see the list before or after they judge. Probably this is better for the public but worse for the quality of judging.
Beautiful, Beautiful! I only have Sandra and Pam Howden of those and poor Pammy is really having trouble with bugs eating her petals this summer for me also. But when she gets what she wants she can be so beautiful! Sandra is a real favorite of mine. Thanks for sharing your photos!
I've had that too with some of mine. Especially Taratahi Glo. It starts blood red, with a bit of yellow; then washes to more of an orange. This year, it started late; and started with the orange flowers.
I believe it is weather related. I think some dahlias thrive on warmer temps and more sunlight. When mid August, september roll around, my neighbors giant Maple starts to shade my yard for most of the day. That seems to dampen the color on some dahlias.
Just my theory anyway...
Sorry I didn't get a chance to see these beautiful pics of Fire and Ice sooner. I didn't have access to my computer for awhile. What a surprise I got when I saw your post. Just what I've been looking for. For me the flowers are delightful and the height of the plant is just right. Thanks for remembering me. Looking forward to the tuber. I'll get back to you with my address and other details soon. Thanks again.
I havent been on the forun for a long time, and ive just reread all the responses which i had been reading all along, mind you, but ive really enjoyed reading them again. The White dahlia that was the favorite amongst every living noxious insect, slug etc is named "Snow Country". it has thrown some tremendous, large, pristine white blooms. I will grow it again just because of that, but will be more vigilant as it starts to bloom..thanks again!
Linda, I got everything started late this year due to focusing on my expanded vegetable garden, so everything is blooming later than I usually get.
I dont have blooms yet from either of the ones you mentioned. And I have found it that at least 4 of the tubers I got in the trade last year were mis-labled, (I know I got some mixed up myself so I am not worried about it). I hope I get blooms from everything so that I can at least make sure the ID's are correct, and can send you an amended list. We are dipping down to a low of 39 tonight, but then the lows go back to the 50's for a while, so hopefully everything will have a chance to bloom.
I dont have a green house either, but I do start them in pots inside. I pull them out of storage mid April, and if they havnt developed any sprouts, I put them in baggies with a little damp peatmoss. Some take a few weeks to develop anything, After potting them into 6" pots (I chop down the tuber if it is to big) they take at least two weeks to develop anything above the soil, sometimes longer. They then get moved to a window , or outside and then back in if it gets to cold. I never plant them in the ground until June 1st here in WI, but getting a little jump on the weather helps. This year they stayed in pots to long, because I got behind, so my blooms are later than last year. I usually expect the early bloom mid-July, and late blooms by the end of August. This year I still have a few that havent bloomed yet.
If you leave the dahlias in the ground you always risk loosing them, but For me, after 20 years of raising them, it comes down to two things....do you have good drainage? Do you cover them at least 6" with mulch or soil? I loose a few but probably not as many as when I tried digging and storing.
It is predicted to be as bad a winter as last year or worse. I did loose a few dahlias but not as many as I thought. Some sprouted late, probably a tuber on the bottom of the pile that was protected by the ones above it. Some of those probably won't bloom this year and they are still only about 1-2' tall...but I hope to save them and have them bloom next year.
I wish you good luck with how ever you decide to preserve yours this year!
Thank you lizalily.
If I remove the tubers, how would I store them? Do you place them in a paper bag and store in them in a dark place for the winter? should they be dried out before storing? and when would I plant them again? Please forgive all my questions as this is the first time I've ever planted dahlias? Your help is really appreciated.
Yes I use a trellis system on my small plot of dahlias because they are in front of my house I don't like the look of a stake garden in MAY and early June. It has worked good for me in the past but huricane irene snapped the wire trellis and i had to improvise some fishing line. I probally got alittle greedy this year with how many i planted in such a small area too. #2 I got allie white from steve Thomas a friend of mine and the dahlia guru at our society. #3 kenora wildfire was easy to grow for me although did not make the same huge flowers I have seen at dahlia shows still and awesome red. I also like drummerboy same red but more decorative.
Hee hee! Thanks, Angela! Today I sprayed mine with neem and tied them up again, before leaving on a 3 week vacation.
I will miss my beauties :-(. Sure hope my pal leaves enough on the plants to blow me away when I come home! She will be cutting and selling them while I am gone.
Carol - A lot of people have trouble with the white Dahias, This is the first year my whites have looked so good. I havent used any poisons, but the pic I posted at this link (at the bottom of the thread) may explain why mine seem bug free this year.
Here is a link that might be useful: White Dahlia Protection
Thanks for the information. I was leaning towards L'ancresse, but if it is hard to grow, I think I will choose something else. I will check out your other suggestions. I should have realized that when Swan Island says they are 4" inches that they wouldn't be quite that big because they never are.
Thanks again,
Linda
The first time I grew L'ancresse, it didn't do that well. This year, the plant itself is over 8 feet, and it's constantly blooming with multiples. So had this year been the only year for L'ancresse, I would have scratched my head at Ted's indication that it's not easy to grow. I do like my L'ancresse, but since I've never grown some of Ted's other suggestions, I can't say that they aren't better. Easier is always a draw for me!