Great dahlias!!!! Love the junky backporch. Makes me feel at home. Steve in Baltimore County.

FWIW, someone stole a Papageno flower today!! I don't know whether to feel flattered or violated.

Cheers,
Russ

Boy Russ sorry to hear that. I have though about how safe my flowers are out front. I have used the heaviest pots I have to deter theift.

I'd be your neighbor any day, Vikingcraftsman. That lavender and white is a sight to behold.

Russ, that is horrible! But I guess you should feel both flattered and violated. Do you have a plan to deter such activity as you prepare for your showing? A theft as that time approaches would really be an insult.

poochella I would love to have you as a neighbor. Just think how we could dahlia up the neighborhood. I have two of my neighbors growing them. I am just starting. By the way the dahlia you are refering to was named after you. A touch of Class.

It was only a single bloom, not the whole plant, albeit the only Papageno bloom in the road-side bed at the time. That bed was filled with my left overs. Everything that's up there is also in my water-side beds, and nobody is going to steal from there (5 dogs = effective alarms whenever anything comes into view on the water-side.)

I'm cautiously watching my disbudded blooms mature. What would you recommend to keep earwigs from cutting holes in the petals?

Cheers,
Russ

Viking, you silver-tongued dahlia grower LOL! I think you are going to start a dahlia movement in your neck of the woods. It's easy to do once people see the results, isn't it?

Russ, I have been using Sluggo Plus for earwigs and slugs since May, but just in the past few days have seen 3 earwigs, and found some maddening holes in otherwise pristine petals. I don't use anything stronger than insecticidal soap, so I hope some other dahlia show people will help you on control of earwigs with a show looming.

Good luck. Will be following your journey and all that you learn and experience along the way. And, I'm glad the thieves only took one spare bloom, and that you have 5 alarm dogs on site to protect the other plants. A good dog cannot be undervalued!

Russ- you're lucky they only took a bloom. A friend got a whole plant stolen on Sat night. Her Fairy Queen was gone on Sunday morming. She was really bummed out about it -- all they had to do was ask & she would have gladly shared a tuber with them come digging time. There's no accounting for crooked people!