Other dahlias I enjoy working with...well, some of the big guys! Our customers seem to love them. One of our favorites for years now has been Cafe Au Lait. Its colors blend well with almost any other. Our customers go nuts over Procyon, a red and yellow blaze of color. Chilson's Pride has been around for a long time and is a flower factory of sweet baby pink dahlias. I also like the pom poms to add shape variety. THe Barbarry pom poms and balls are very good and come in striking deep colors. I have over 120 different dahlias so hard to think of them all just sitting here staring at the snow! I am sure every cutter has their favorites.

What to avoid may be more the question. And that depends on how you display your dahlias. IF you have an outside stand where sun and wind hit the flowers, stay away from the fimbriated ones as their tips will dehydrate. I love them passionately but have learned to enjoy them in my garden. Most waterlily ones are very nice, but I found that Fern IRene did not hold up as well as most. Hillcrest KIsmet is one that we all love and is well worth seeking out. I like Barbarry Ball, and Barbarry Dominion a lot also. I bought mine from Corralitos Gardens along with several others last year.

Be a bit wary of any with white tips on the petals. Earwigs love to climb up and eat the tips off!

Besides Corralitos Gardens, Swan Island Dahlias is my favorite. THey have an excellent catalog with ones that make good cutting dahlias marked, and They have been the most healthy tubers I have ordered. Connell's is near me and I love going to their open house but have found I lose a lot more of them then of Swan Islands, consistently every year.

Last point to can think of....Where will your flowers be displayed? In what Kind of lighting? My business partner and I run two stands. Hers is in the bright sunshine and wind all day...She can sell any color there but often the lavenders and pale ones that don't sell at all in my mostly shady situation. MY flowers last much better but hers sell faster, Anything in the bluish tones just looks too pale and washed out for most people unless I can add a lot of warm colors to it for contrast. But I can sell anything in tones of yellow, orange and red or hot pink! THose really glow and catch their eyes from the street.

Well, hope this helps. It kind of comes out all jumbled from my winter color starved brain. Bring on the dahlias, I need them! (Temperature 25 degrees this morning)

Flowerfarmer - wonderful pictures! I sent you an e-mail - if you don't get it can you try sending one to me?
Thanks,
Kirk

Dee

I just found my list of dahlias so here are my favorites for cutting from it, excluding the Karmas:

AA-A

Spartacus
Snowbound
Cafe au lait
Vera's Elma
Golden Years
Bracken's Palomino

B

April Dawn
Nenakazi(fim)
Xenon (Fim)
Centercourt (White)
James Albin (Yellow)
Ripples (Deep purple)
Beverly F

BB

Ala Mode
Bana Rama
Chilson's Pride
Imperial Wine
Koppertone
( wonderful autumn fire colors!)
Procyon " " " "
September Morn " " " "
Just Peachy...a real favorite and great producer!
Stars Favorite.. prolific pink cactus with curved petals
Grandma June(much more prolific then Gay Princess)
Gay Princess
Kari Fruit salad (Prolific and cute!)
Keewatin Pioneer

Miniatures

Angel's dust
(white wl with lavender dusting)
Brandon James (apricot bi-color) very prolific!
Ruby Red (Red waterlily everyone loves!)
FuzzyWuzzy (Hot pink with white tips.Really cute!)
Rebecca Lynn...I vote with Flowerfarmer on this one! (Goes well with Fuzzy-Wuzzy)
Razzmatazz
Edinburgh (grape and white bicolor)
Fidalgo Blacky

Pompoms and Balls

Barbarry Ball
Pineapple Lollipop
Little Matthew...(Prolific little 1" purple red balls on long stems)
Cornell
Jomanda
Barbarry Dominion
Barbarry Intrepid
Hillcrest Kismet

Waterlily

Alexander Brodi
Mazama
Painted Desert
Wildwood MArie
Ethan Troy
Pam Howden

I also have a few Of Dutch Gardens Spider dahlia collection that have been extremely prolific and good cutflowers for years now. I have thinned down to my favorite of the salmon/ yellow combinations in a pastel and a darker one, a cream colored one, and a pink and white. THey make excellent cut flowers.

THese are not all I have but are the best for cutting that were producing well for me last year.

The people at Verwer, who developed the Karma, Melody, Gallery, and other dahlias, are better at grouping their dahlias together into marketable groups than other growers.

Excuse me????

Kathy's original question was, "Why are Karmas any better for cut-flower production than non-Karmas which are classified as good cut-flowers? In my experience, I have not noticed any significant differences. Those of you who grow huge quantities of both types, any comments?"

The Karma Dahlia Series was originally introduced for the cut flower grower who grows under protection of cover in a heated or unheated hoop house. The original intent was to get the grower out in the marketplace early with cut flower dahlias.

Many cut flower growers have grown the Karma Series in their market gardens. And, as Kathy indicated earlier, have discovered the plants to be shorter. The Karmas need to be pinched back hard when grown either under cover or in the field; otherwise, the plants tend to bloom on a short bush. We've seen bushy plants with blooms tucked way down in the plant. Pinching back causes the plant to grow taller; and, they will go on to produce as many as 20 long stemmed blooms per plant if grown under protection of cover; otherwise, 14-16 blooms if grown in the cutting garden.

All the colors are vibrant in the Karma Series; and, the time from plant to bloom is quick. Usually around 45 days. The vase life is long....sometimes up to two weeks.

The VerWer Brothers are to be commended for their marketing. They have introduced a cut flower dahlia with colors ranging the spectrum (except blue), and meets the demand for dahlias early in the season extending until frost.

I wish you a wonderful dahlia growing season!