Russ, your dahlia garden is lovely and I have the feeling that you're going to get a lot of pleasure watching it grow. This is my first year NOT having a Dahlia garden (due to health)& I'm jealous... LOL. Hope to see more photos as it grows and matures. Pat

Gorgeous landscaping, Russ! And if you completed the all that landscaping by yourself, you're the man! Woohoo! I love that window of yours too. I could double my orchid collection with one of those windows. BTW, your cute pooch looks like mine...spoiled.

Great setting and gardens Russ. Lovely place to relax and tend dahlias and be a dog! Will you cut larger holes in the ground cloth to water and what will you use for support of the taller plants? Can't wait to see the fruits of your labor.

Calpat, sorry to hear about health woes or any woes precluding your garden time. No effort to enjoy photos though!

Yes, those beds really work with your home, which I assume is a contemporary, and the huge window. Very handsome - can't wait to see the finished product!

Love your 'lil furry pal..poodle?

I'm a pretty lucky guy, except for the fact I'm single...;-]

My Bichon (one of three, this one named Caesar) is sitting in front of one of 8 sections of the 500 sq.ft. of thermopane that makes up the sunroom bordering the Dahlia beds. I've ~800 sq.ft. of windows more or less facing the lake (which is beyond the beds.) Each main thermopane is 73"x74", but the room's walls are all 10' tall almost all glass, the rest cedar.

While I'd love to take credit for the incredibly hard work that went into everything, all I can really take credit for is the design (and the Dahlias!) I pushed a wheel barrow a while and picked up garbage...;-]...oh, and brought beers!

Calpat, shame about not being able to have a Dahlia garden. I will post my variety list soon and you can pick one that I'll dedicate to you and keep posting regular pictures of it so you can try and enjoy it a little.

linht, don't forget, the window faces NNE, not sure if that would really keep your orchids going. I get ~1500 lumens in the daytime, but because I'm facing north, that doesn't give me much of a growing season relying on the sun alone. I have put in 12 x 4' 40 watt T5's and could only get 3-400 lumens out of them at plant height (I put the lights on the 10' ceiling.) I plan to try again in the fall and make some sort of adjustable lighting frame and/or multiple shelves on a side wall with the lighting mounted underneath.

Poochella, the cloth has a "X" at each hole, and it is porous and will let water through. It's "nursery grade" garden cloth, not some sort of plastic (in case that's what you might have thought.) Do you see me having a problem with it? I tried to leave as little space open as possible to avoid weeds. I also wasn't planning on covering it with anything. My beds should be so dense that you'll barely be able to see the cloth once they're in bloom.

As for support, I have "permanent stakes" from Lee Valley, both 70" and 35". They worked well last year and so should do again this year. Since all of my Dahlias are cuttings, I didn't need to put the stake in right away (because I'm not worried about hitting a tuber.) I am waiting for the arrival of the sprinkler folks to do my new sprinkler design for these beds. Once they're done, I'll put my stakes in. In the interim, every Dahlia has a 10" hardwood stake with the name and a code number that tells me everything about it (tuber year, date cutting taken, date of first bloom...when that happens, etc...)

misslucinda, I never understood the different names of house styles. Mine is cedar sided outside but without any decorative bits. It's designed for people inside looking out, not for people outside looking at it...;-] I took the same approach with my beds. People who live lakeside often call their lakeside lawns their "front yard" because they believe its the side other's see more often, and the one they want to look the best for others.

Anyone passing my place once my Dahlias are in bloom will likely only be able to see some 10 or so of the 60+ that are in the beds. That's because I put all of my tallest the furthest away from my viewing position...in the house. So they'll be screened, but I'll be able to see everything. Never did understand the term "curb appeal"...;-]

Thanks everyone, I will try and keep the pictures up-to-date, maybe as each plant gives its first blooms.

Cheers,
Russ

Russ:

What beautiful gardens...you must be so proud. This is just a guess, but are you by any chance an engineer or architect? Your beds are so well designed and it seems as if you are very methodical about raising your dahlias.
Your little bichon is so cute...bet they all keep you hopping. I can't believe you are single...some gal who loves gardening would consider you a prize!Am looking forward to more photos once your dahlias are in bloom.
Thanks for sharing....

Cookie, I had the same thought: "this guy must be an engineer or accountant with all that recordkeeping!" You will make easier work of managing them all with your accurate notes, Russ.

No, no problem at all on the ground cloth that I see. I was just curious about watering, and if it's perforated or porous, that answers that question. Should be pretty weed free as well. Speaking of, I need to go weed and fill in holes on the little emerging dahlias. We need some warm days, but even in the 50's or low 60's they are coming along daily!

Poochella and cookie--my thought as well but with a moniker like 'sturgeonguy' I think Russ just might be in the caviar business (I say the word and my mouth waters).

I would be in heaven if I had two more like Caesar. Give your pooches a hug for me.

Blush, you're all incredibly flattering...;-D

I've done many things in my past, including all that you've mentioned...what I am, however, is pedantic...;-]

As for the moniker, I live on Sturgeon Lake...;-]

Cheers,
Russ

I love that cloth. Where did you get it. What a wonderful way to not have slugs. Beautiful place. It is raining here so the slugs are probably feasting away. I just envy sitting at that window. I guess I can't be your single gal as I have cats!

There's a link to the cloth manufacturer below. Quest Plastics 'Select' - Silver. 5 year guarantee. They have 4 grades, this is the second lowest and called 'Nursery Grade'. Higher grades have a 20 year, or 'infinite' guarantee, but are considerably more expensive (C$5, $9, $14, $30) Comes as a 3' x 50' roll. Stuff to hold it down is extra.

I bought it at Canadian Tire.

BTW, my dogs and I get along with cats...;-]

Cheers,
Russ