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annabeth_gw

Any Orange suggestions?

annabeth
17 years ago

Hey everyone. I am new to this forum and have only grown Home Depot Dahlias but would like to venture more into Dahlias next year, especially after looking at your beautiful plants/pics. Specifically, I would like to plant some beautiful orange ones to round out my color spectrum in my planned garden for next year. I want to be planting:

Red: English Daisies (Bellis perennis)

Yellow: some sort of Coreopsis

White: Santolina ericoides (Lavander Cotton), Casablanca Lilies & Shasta Daisies

Blue: Convolvulus tricolor "Royal Ensign", Dwarf Delphiniums

Purple: Heliotrope, Salvia 'Plumosa', Lavander (Lavandula augustifolia 'Sarah'), & Viola 'Queen Charlotte'

Orange: ?????

I'm envisioning some sort of dark or bright orange-like an orange oriental poppy color. If anyone can point me to a good website where I can search by color, that would be fabulous too. Thanks.

Annabeth

Comments (18)

  • plantlady2
    17 years ago

    Look in our albums at this site. There are some really pretty oranges-- & I can't believe I'm saying that as orange is my LEAST favorite color--- but dahlias in orange are great! I did our daughter's wedding a couple of years ago in all fall colors with a lot of orange & it turned out gorgeous! Also you can look on the ADS site or the Colorado Dahlia Society site to see lots of pictures. Suggestions-- Moonlight Sonata (a cool blend of dark pink, orange & yellow), Dauntless, & Wyn's King Salmon if you're looking for large blooms, Camano Susan & Ms Kennedy if you're looking for smaller ones, Pam Howden if you're looking for waterlily type.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Wynne's Dahlia Albums

  • annabeth
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Plantlady2:

    Thank you very much! I will check out the suggestions and the tips! But I'm not sure what you mean by "albums at this site". I did look at the link you provided-beautiful by the way-but is there somewhere on Garden Web to find albums? If so, I've missed that feature of Garden Web so far. Thanks very much for responding to my inquiry.
    Annabeth

  • plantlady2
    17 years ago

    Don't know about pict. albums on Garden Web- these are the albums that I put together of our blooms & the shows & gardens that we see during the year. Next show we go to I'll take some "orange" picts. for you & put in one of our albums- haven't got a clue how to do it here- last year I managed to get one picture to show up on Garden Net but this year I can't seem to master it.

  • reddscarlette
    17 years ago

    I have a few orange dahlias almost ready to bloom, I'll be sure to post some pics when they do. Also they're Dinner Plates of rather generous size :)

    Nikki~

  • chrisrobt
    17 years ago

    I have three orange dahlias: Bright Star (an incurved cactus), E L Fawn Z (lancinated-supposed to be yellow-pink, but mine is light orange and very lovely), GAy Triumph (A ID).

    I'd be glad to send you a tuber of any perhaps as part of an exchange next spring? I don't sell my dahlias but trade with them.

    Here is my photo site; it has a picture of Bright Star, but not the other two. I'll post them when they bloom (I have some bronze colors too)

    http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2103341635

    Christine

  • Poochella
    17 years ago

    What form and size are you looking for in Orange? That would help narrow it down a lot.

    I highly recommend Jomanda as a ball form about 4 inch diameter. A lovely flower.

    {{gwi:649371}}

    Ala Mode is a tremendous bloomer in pale orange with white tips- about 5-6 inches across.
    {{gwi:628472}}

    Reedly is an older orange waterlily, bright orange with tinges of yellow. It opens further than the photo shows to a nice 4-5 inch fluffy waterlily.
    {{gwi:649374}}

    Pam Howden is a well known dahlia and winner at shows for good reason- it's gorgeous. Medium orange and yellow for me.
    {{gwi:649376}}

    Pompon? Little one-inch globes of medium orange is found in Pearson's Michelle.

    {{gwi:649378}}

    Nicole C was a new little cactus for me, or maybe semi cactus in pale orange, pastel orange. 3 inches across.
    {{gwi:628433}}

    Robinhood, also a ball I think. Overall appearance is a lighter pinkish orange.
    {{gwi:628462}}

    Pooh is a bright orange and yellow collarette.Maybe Red and yellow. It was another mislabelled tuber supposed to be lavender and hot pink LOL! Still cute though.
    {{gwi:628480}}
    Barberry ball has tons of blooms on a big brutish bush 5 ft tall here.
    {{gwi:649379}}
    Hy Lustre! OOOH Deep orange and Red underpetals. A ball and very sturdy.

    {{gwi:628477}}

    Here's Brightstar a bright orange incurved cactus about 6in across.
    {{gwi:649380}}

  • Noni Morrison
    17 years ago

    I would like to add to Poochella's suggestions, Coppertone and Beverly F. Coppertone is a large waterlilly type, and Beverly F is a little lighter but also a large one. I picked a whole bucket of various oranges today and they included these and many of the ones Pooch recommended but also Kingston, a lovely little ball with yellow and raspberry and orange, some un-named Orange and yellow incurved cactus ones of 6-8" diameter, and some orangy reds...magnificant together!

  • reddscarlette
    17 years ago

    Here are some that I have growing (not in bloom yet....well..one is blooming now, just not fully yet and it's GORGOUS!!! That's Aztec Gold

    Aztec Gold
    {{gwi:649381}}

    Ben Houston
    {{gwi:649382}}

    Clydes Choice
    {{gwi:649383}}

    Desert Glow
    {{gwi:649385}}

    The above are all Dinner plate size and the other I have is Longwood Dainty
    {{gwi:628363}}
    And this is a dwarf (really cute flower)

    Hope this helps!
    Nikki~

  • reddscarlette
    17 years ago

    I absolutely LOVE this one

    Aztec Gold (here are 2 different pics of the same bloom)
    {{gwi:649387}}
    {{gwi:629523}}

    The second pic is more true to it's REAL colour. It's just beautiful!

    Nikki~

  • plantlady2
    17 years ago

    Wow-- two of our introductions in one post- we love to see that our babies are loved by others & do well in other gardens. (We introduced Aztec Gold in 2001 & Desert Glow in 2002)Our Desert Glow has been especially gorgeous this year. You might want to check out Wyn's Safari Sunset for that deep poppy orange you were looking for - you can find a supplier in the Big List on the Colorado Dahlia Society site.

  • reddscarlette
    17 years ago

    The pic shown of Desert Glow is from Ferncliff Gardens (where I purchased my tubers this spring) I got DG as a bonus tuber and we're quite excited to see it! I just hope I'll get to see it before the frost comes to town.

    I'll be sure to post more updates on the remaining plants to bloom.

    I still have Desert Glow, Ben Huston and Clydes Choice yet to bloom, Oh... and Heatwave

    But Rest assured there will be photos...no matter what ;)

    Nikki~

  • annabeth
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Wow! Thanks for all the photos and suggestions! I know it took time and work to put together your responses. All are beautiful!

    I think I am drawn to the Waterlily type Dahlias. I want to give 'Pam Howden' a try. Also, I found another type Dahlia on the Corralitos Gardens web site I liked as far as color goes. It is a "Miniature Informal Decorative" called 'Orange Cushion'.
    I am still looking up all your suggestions and trying to decide, but you have all given me great food for thought and good research tips. I'll let you know what I decide eventually and maybe next year I can post some pics!

    P.S. In the process of looking at "The Big List" I found a Dahlia that had my late grandmother's rather unusual given name: VERDA. It is not orange, but I've definatley decided to try it for a memorial tribute. I like getting plant varieties that share the names of loved-ones. I'm quite excited to find Grandma's name when I wasn't even looking for it!

  • crdahlia
    17 years ago

    A few others to add to the list: Woodland's Wildthing, which is an 8" informal decorative, Creekside Marge, orange waterlily and Papa's Benji an 8" laciniated variety. If someone would tell me how to post pictures on this site, I'll be happy to show you what they look like.

  • Poochella
    17 years ago

    Oooh Aztec Gold! Lovely soft color.

    I saw another nice orange waterlily at the Puget Sound Dahlia Association show last weekend.

    Charlie Dimmick: about 5-6 inches across, bright orange and yellow. Great bowl to display a waterlily,isn't it?

    {{gwi:649388}}

    Teresa, Photobucket is an online storage service that is so easy to use. You create albums from your harddrive's uploaded photos, can resize them, name them, add comments to each photo and easily copy/paste the TAG line to post them on this forum.
    Check it out at photobucket.com I think the basic use is free, but for a nominal fee annually you get oodles of storage for all your pretties. And I want to see them!

    Otherwise, with your assumed permission, I'll try to steal a photo from your website and put it here; standby...
    {{gwi:649389}}

    It works. And I chose a pretty one! If I violated any copyright laws, I'll email my defense attorney's name too.

    I'll email you simple instructions @msn on how to do this so we can see your orange dahlias.

  • annabeth
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Plantlady2:

    I looked at your albums again and I do like Wynne's Safari Sunset. I also really like Wynne's King Salmon! Maybe it is more pink than orange but maybe that is ok if mixed in with some other orange ones. Thanks a bunch.

    A question: One thing I haven't seen a lot of photos yet is dahlias mixed with other flowers in beds. I've seen some drop-dead gorgeous photos of your (and others') gardens, but they all seem to be just dahlias. (It seems you are a dahlia breeder and I understand that they are your crop but even in the garden shots you showed, I didn't pick out any dahlias in the mix. I could've missed them though. ) Are dahlias are so captivating that that is all most dahlia lovers want to plant or do dahlias not mix in well with other plants? I guess I'm asking if my original scheme of mixing dahlias with perennials and roses is a good idea or not. Does the whole bush look good or just the flowers? Any thoughts Plantlady2 or anyone? :)

  • msbumble
    17 years ago

    Ruskin Gypsy is a beauty. It's a pompon type with 4" blooms in an intense burnt orange color. Would look good among the larger-flowered varieties.
    Annabeth, I planted my dahlias among other garden plants. Only the ones that are front and/or very tall are producing well. I guess they want sunlight from their heads right down to their feet. The ones sharing a spot with Irises and lilies aren't doing so well - not sure why. I wouldn't expect those to be hogging soil nutrients, but who knows?

  • reddscarlette
    17 years ago

    Poochella, if ONLY my camera could capture more of Aztec Golds TRUE colour. It really is a rather vibrant kind of coppery orange/gold. Hard to discribe, but simply wonderful and I'm thankful I purchased it this year.

    Nikki~

  • plantlady2
    17 years ago

    You can plant dahlias in beds w/ other flowers but we don't because our garden surounding the house is in the woods & dahlias need a lot more sun than our yard gets. So they pretty much get stuck out in the big garden in the field- which has to get plowed & disked every year so permanent stuff can't get planted out there. What to do??? Cutting down trees isn't in the cards- the husband has cut down all he's going to & topping was supposed to be done a few years ago but is still waiting to be done- so, the inner gardens have the shady stuff in them & the outer gardens have the sun-loving dahlias in them
    Sometimes they can surprise you, too & a plant that was 3' tall one year so you put it mid-bed can end up 6' the next year & tower over the plants behind it. The whole bush does look good & they do well in the mixed gardens of friends of ours.