My First Dahlia Bloom.............

All my Dahlias are planted in pots this year. This is my first bloom.

I do believe this is called "Bitsy" from Swan Island

Great color and a terrific photo!

Thank you.....I keep taking pics as it unfolds.......love to watch it!

Here is today's

It really is picture perfect, Morgan. Enjoy it!

Thank you.

It is beautiful. How big is it?

Not so big at all.....plant is about 18 inches high....flower when open about 3 to 4 inches across.

It is really too hot here for Dahlias, so I tried for pots this year......on the porch in a cooler location. But I think it's still too hot. Several plants have croaked already.
The flowers I just love though!

Beautiful. I am a dahlia nut also. No matter how many we have , we want more. :) I like the way my peonies bloom and about the time they are petering out the dahlias take over. I am a good two to three weeks behind your bloom season.

I might try Peonies!

I think peonies want a cool winter and I'm not sure how cool your area gets but please check it out for yourself.

Most definitely peonies need a real cool (think cold) snap in the winter and require some cool in the summer. Steve grew peonies (hmm, where has Steve been lately) in Texas but I don't know what part.

Well, shoot :-((

Oh, I remember because of his signin name. FtWorthSteve. So is Austin near Ft. Worth? He had gorgeous peonies.

My first new dahlia to bloom is Vista Lindsey courtesy of Psudan. It is a beauty though didn't attain its full height this year. I am sure it will next year. Hockley Maroon and White Fawn bloomed a few days ago. I have had them for a few years.

Oberon46 - So pretty......are they in pots or in ground? Don't you love taking photos of them?

Austin is south of Ft Worth area......another zone warmer I think.

I have both. The yellow is in the ground and only gets sun from maybe 1pm on, and the other is in a pot and gets sun about the same amount of time. There is no doubt that the ones in the ground get bigger and have more blooms.

It is so hot here that my Dahlias are not so happy with me....but every time I get a bloom I just want more.

This is Border Choice, and All Triumph just starting to open.

Beautiful! Since I believe they are native to Mexico, they should do well for you. They enjoy the heat more than many humans do.

the white one almost looks like a mum. I love the color of the first. A very different red.

Here's the white - All Triumph - almost fully open.

My dahlia's are really starting to bloom now. Here is a sampling.

BeaHive - OMG......you have enough blooms to cut? If I did that it would denude my plant... :-)) While I wouldn't want to live in your weather, I am always envious of how the Dahlias grow there....sigh. You have some gorgeous flowers there. Do you have their names?

Gorgeous. Mine have just really started except for the older ones that I started (well, they started themselves) in March in the garage.

Mine are just coming into bloom. Lots of pink cactus dahlias and now the real beauties are coming!

I really do not have so many blooms that I can cut them often, but I heard that cutting some helps with more blooms. Here are few that are in bloom now.

They are all wonderful.

Gorgeous

I cut mine and put in arrangements and I generally get quite a few.
Those are lovely!

haighr - Show-off! :-))

BeaHive - Beautiful!!!

I planted 4 special Dahlia's this year in honor of my daughter's engagement this spring.
The first to bloom below is called First Kiss. The three remaining are : Prince Charming,Bride to Be and Marry me. (coming soon)
I also sent the grooms parents the same selection. They are growing in West Virginia , but no blooms yet.

What a lovely and generous thing to do. I wish them both the best of life.

what a wonderful idea. I wish them (flowers and happy couple) long life and happiness.

Thanks Pirl & Mary.

That was a great idea! And love the first kiss!

Here is my Kaiser Wilhelm (with much reduced red tones from 2010), White Fawn and Blue Star

Oberon - stunning blooms.....and so many at a time!!! So envious. Are these in pots? If so, how big and what soil were they planted in?

Yes, these are in pots. I also have many in the ground. The pots are around 4-5 gallons and filled with a potting soil I get from a greenhouse. It comes in shrink wrapped bales and is a mix of soil, peat, compost. But I believe that the reason I have so many blooms (the Blue Star unusually so) is because of our very cool weather. We run 55-60F in the mornings and it rarely sees 70F. Thanks.

70 degrees is our low overnight.......90 to 100 during the day. Yeah, I'd say Dahlias don't like heat :-((

they can probably handle it okay, but I suspect the blooms don't last very long

Edited: they are also very slow to bloom; mine only started a few weeks ago and the majority are yet to open; then they all go at once. They are loaded buds so I suspect that they will also provide quite a show with multiple blooms.

This message was edited Aug 10, 2012 11:30 AM

It has been very hot and dry this summer for us in MD and mine are thriving quite well. All have blooms and look really healthy for the nasty weather we have had.

This first one is my favorite as it just gets speckled with the burgundy and then some splotches too.

This message was edited Aug 14, 2012 6:48 AM