My earliest blooms ever

Yes, they are perverted and I've caught more than 3 at a time engaging in "togetherness". Obviously we run gardens of ill repute, Dan!

Peaches 'n Cream opened today at about 3.5' tall. The package says 18" for height. Glad I checked when I bought them and didn't plant them at the front. The colors are accurate but my tremors resulted in a blurry photo so I'll try again tomorrow. Now it's a fun trip to see the dahlias every day.

Well, shoot. I uploaded four pics and hit the wrong button on the fifth but it should have uploaded the four. Hmmm.

1) LaLuna is really a bright yellow, but in the shade this morning it looks lime green but shows the striations in the petals really well; 2) NTAC Eileen 3) Verrone's Taylor Swift 4) Pattycake 5) NTAC Patricia

1) Giggles 2) Helen's Alvin, Jr. 3) Sandia Shomei 4) Rosemary Webb 5) Falcon's future

All are glorious, Mary, but Verrone's Taylor Swift is absolutely magnificent.

Opsss. In seconed panel, Pic 1 is Rosemary Webb, pic 2 is Giggles, 3) is Helen's Alvin Sr., and 4) is Sandia Shomei. Not sure how that happened. I try to label after the pics have been loaded since they shift the order between loading and actual posting. Yes, I loved Taylor Swift when I saw it. Not fully open and the petals are not as slightly recurved as shown online. Several of the waterlily forms which I particularly like were photographed against black background which greatly enhanced their form and color but they are still lovely I think. I am cutting away all extra foliage and new growth to try to extend the blooms. Have several that haven't bloomed yet.

I've just begun removing a lot of lower leaves. I don't like how weeds can grow under them so easily.

I'm also a waterlily and formal decorative fan but the wilder looks ones also hold appeal for me.

I still have several that haven't bloomed and many with just one bloom but many buds. It appears Jamaica will be one of my favorite plants this year. Now it has about 6 blooms and many buds. Thank you, Dan!

I was working on my photos today and already have a few earmarked as gifts for my son-in-law for his March birthday.

I think Dan also sent Jamaica to me two years ago. It blooms constantly.

Joy! I have so much to enjoy!

Wow Mary, what a burst of colors! I like all of them but especially Rosemary Webb, LaLuna, Taylor Swift and Patricia. TS looks sort of like I remember Lady Darlene looking a few years ago. What size is Patricia? Very nice blooms. I'm anxious to see your Grand Prix to compare with mine. Mine continues to bloom but I can't help believing it isn't GP. I'm glad to hear Jamaica is doing well for you and Arlene. The one in this photo from a few years ago had as many or more blooms as any plant I've ever had. I'm still going out a couple times a day and shaking the beetles into a jar of soapy water or angrily squeezing the life out of them. I hope their cycle ends soon.

Good grief. I thought my Jamaica was prolific. Yours is amazing. Yeah, Rosemary Webb really is a great dahlia. Nothing mind boggling, just really pretty, with lots of flowers. Patricia is about 30" tall and the blooms are about maybe 3" across. Haven't measured the blooms yet. Should get on it as soon it will all be over. It was 48F this morning. The day was clear though and really warm and balmy. Great day to clean out the garage. lol. Gardening stuff, fishing stuff (DH worked to repack his fishing truck. I did the rest of the garage and the shed. Hmmmm. Doesn't sound like a good division of labor. But tomorrow I will start on the garage shelves. Today was just cleaning the main floor. I have to get lots of room for the dahlia tubers. I have really good mesh to stretch over timbers to keep them off the concrete and drying. I have three LaLuna so if you want one let me know. I will send an entire plant tuber. You were so generous with what you sent me it is the least I can do. I don't expect huge tubers from RW, TS and Patricia this year though. If I am surprised, I can share them too. Same to you Pirl.

wow... that is just crazy... I am sure you are enjoying those blooms.

Yes. Dr. John Kaiser is ready to burst fully open, as is Blue Marble and one or two others. Now that I can see the colors I will know better where to put them. Also height. I planted by height from online but it rarely works. Depends on tuber size. I put Pattycake next to Rosemary Webb and they are very similar in color if not form or height. Although the waterlily form sends great long stems for the flowers so while the bush is fairly short, the stems extend above and spread out to look airy. Would look great in front of lilies. have to remember that.

Wow.........these are all so nice. When our 100 degree heat hit, mine stopped blooming. I am hoping they start again when it cools.

Dan - that was one wild blooming machine. To think I'm so happy with my six or eight blooms now. I may have to sleep in the garden!

Mary - cleaning is an ugly part of what we have to do to make room so we can enjoy our blooms next year. I may use two bags to hold them over winter so at least I can try to keep checking the favorite tubers.

For the one that sends out long stems that you're considering for in front of the lilies - would those lilies be blooming at the same time or do you want to hide the old lily stems?

The package of three Peaches 'n Cream said the height is 18". They've past 3' now. The color is exactly as it was shown to be on the package.

Mary, remind me next spring and maybe we can do some trading. I plan to dig and store more of my tubers this year. Not that I can do it better than my friends but at least I can quote Sinatra and say "I did it my way". Arlene, that Jamaica photo was snapped just after a wicked Fall windstorm blew through a few years ago. That poor plant was nearly split apart. That's why the blooms look so ragged. At least I was reminded why staking is important. lol

Dan - I quote Sinatra, too, when I see shriveled up or rotten tubers: "That's Life".

I'd never have guessed that Jamaica suffered through a storm. I had Blown Dry well staked and secured one year and a storm ripped the stem from the ground but the poor plant was still standing up. The tubers were total losses. I do hate the autumn storms with the wicked winds.

I went to school in Jamaica, NY so there's a soft spot in my heart for the plant anyhow.

Both favorite songs. My mother was a Sinatra nut.

Dan, sure thing. I am going to try really hard to keep all the tubers healthy. And if not splitting them into a bazillion pieces does that, then I will wait til next spring to do the cutting. Better chance of having healthier tuber bunches rather than wimpy little guys.

Arlene, I laughed out loud when I just opened this thread and saw your "That's Life" comment. Very good line. I never listened to Sinatra but couldn't think of anything the Rolling Stones ever said that fit or made sense. Although I got no "Satisfaction" when I saw our shriveled tubers this Spring. Mary, I would much prefer to divide the tubers in the Spring, too. The trouble is that the whole clumps take up so much room. After I was "instructed" on dividing in the Fall, this method seems the way to go for me. Especially since I have over 100 dahlias this year. I've had very good luck storing so far but I won't count my chickens before they hatch.

Last year was pretty much a disaster for me tuberwise. Had over 150 cut up and by spring had maybe 60 left. Had multiples of many so the lose wasn't too bad that way but did lose many dahlias I loved. Fortunately I have pictures of most and may replace them. I may change my mind on not cutting in the fall when they are all up covering my garage floor. lol. Will depend on how the tuber looks.

Figured I would stick these out there; the blossoms change daily and so does the light.
1) Marble Ball 2) NTAC Eileen replete with bees, 3) NTAC Patricia, 4 & 5: Pattycake

Sorry Arlene. I missed your question. The dahlias and lilies bloom overlapping. Lilies go first but the larger ones are still opening. But either way, hiding those knees would work well. Just have to pick well as some of the dahlias would hide the tallest lily. Also, the dahlias do well in the front yard and most of the lilies are in the back yard so good blooming takes precedence over good garden planning. Or maybe they are the same thing. And your Peaches and Cream is a winner. Mine are usually shorter than advertised with a couple of exceptions

We're even, Dan. I've never heard a Rolling Stones song but Elvis was my first love...along with Perry Como. How's that for divided loyalties?

I'll give fall division a shot since it's supposedly easier to divide in fall that in spring when the stem is brittle. If I meet a problem I'll quit and revert to my old method of hoping they split by spring.

Mary, I can't imagine losing that many in one season. Do you know what went wrong or is it still a puzzle? I enjoy the one with the bees. They always make it appear that the flower they're on is their personal favorite.

I wondered if your lilies were still blooming. The heat got most of ours during that horrid 10 days in July just at the peak of lily bloom time.

When all three of the Peaches 'n Cream are in bloom it should be a lovely backdrop for the noid reddish one I love so much.

Still waiting impatiently for Fidalgo Julie and Bodacious.

Since this one leans to the orange family and has no name I'm aware of, I call it Compost Orange. For one plant it has several colors so I'm glad it backs up to one of the compost bins and doesn't conflict with any of the others.

Let's hope by the end of 2013 we can sing along to Sinatra and, "It Was a Very Good Year" and not "Something Stupid" for our tuber storage over winter.

Wonderful memories. I hum along in my head as you mention old songs. I tried Dan's mixture in bags and it didn't work so well for me. Not sure why. I think it is tricky. Lots of rot. So I will retreat to my prior method. pack in peat or vermiculite and let them sit.

I'll stick with the Shredded Straw since only the wimpiest tubers didn't make it for 2013.

Now I have to go out and take a few shots of AC Rainier (from Dan) that I spotted the first bloom this morning as it was raining.

In early May, before all the strange weather we endured, I bought some colorful geraniums (pelargoniums in reality) and tiny dahlias. I planted them all as edging plants on May 5th. The odd weather didn't bother any of the plants and the tiny dahlias are really cute. They'll never be the big ones we all seem to love but perfect for where they are.

Hi you all, hi Arlene, I have been looking at your nice dahlias, but nobody has any white one. My white dahlia is in bloom, this year the blooms are smaller but I have put them in the tomato cage and they look more contained then before.
Also have some Lowes kind but no name, but will be looking better next year. I hope I can find them better place in spring so will be more showy then now in the corner. Etelka

I like the edging. Never thought about getting some. I need tidy edging. I have lamium, short campanula, arabis. the two spread fast and I just trim them with scissors. The campanula gets 24: tall and I have to cage it as the flower parts tend to fall this way and that. Golden Feverfew is a nice tidy plant (self seeds like crazy all over the garden like little flash fires here and there) and so bright it really lights up the shady areas and apparently will take sun also. At least our sun.

Shredded straw. So if I bought a straw bale I should run it through the shredder?? Or is a bale of straw already shredded?

I am waiting for Iceberg which is white to open. Innocence is white with pale rose tips but they don't show very well in our sun. I really like your last one. I got two from Lowe's: Marble Ball and Mardi Gras. Marble Ball is really interesting with a batik sort of look. Just barely open at this point. Not sure where Mardi Gras is.

Arlene, do you think this is the same dahlia I just found at Dans, it looks like it, kind of frilly and solid white. The name he has is Snowbound. Etelka

I love the petal shape. Not the usual well formed ball. I like the 'wildness' of the style.

Thanks for joining us, Etelka. Looks like yours are tall ones! Nice colors. I may use tomato cages next year. I just hate the look of them as we wait for the dahlias to grow but I may see if they sell them in dark green or just spray paint them.

White dahlias are known to attract earwigs, Etelka, so while I have a few that are white with some other color in them, I don't grow all white. I can't stand the earwig destruction.

It was impulse buying that made me buy them and I'm so glad of it. Haven't spent a total of five minutes tending that area, Mary. Edging plants are the most difficult for me to select. Either they grow too big or sprawl more than I want, or self-seed, or develop some issue I don't like.

The Shredded Straw is sold in big compressed packages here, Mary, and it's already shredded - "less work for mother". It feels like the old Ivory Flakes to handle. Boy, am I ever dating myself!

I couldn't even guess, Etelka, since I don't investigate white ones but it is pretty. Like Mary, I love that carefree, almost wild or untamed look.

(Mary - it may be that wild and untamed taboo from our school days that we enjoy!)

I love seeing everyone's dahlias. Please keep posting the pictures. Arlene, if you decide to divide your tubers in the Fall, it might be a good idea to store in several different mediums to see which works best for you. I talked to a lady who says she stores some in peat moss, some in vermiculite and wraps some in saran wrap. In case something might go wrong with one method in a given year she doesn't lose them all. The first year I stored I put the clumps in bags with saw dust. I didn't add enough moisture during storage and by Spring they were really dried up. I've seen pieces of driftwood on the beach that had more life. lol

Ha! Do you think this was once a tuber? It's 8' long.

Dan - just the digging/shaking/washing/drying and maybe dividing is a big enough job for me so I'm sticking with the shredded straw (that we already have unopened in the shed) and just won't try to "save" tubers that don't deserve the honor. I had better than a 95% survival rate and those ditched really didn't deserve to be saved since they were iffy at best.

I'll return tonight with Raz Ma Taz (big disappointment with color as of now) and AC Rainier that appears magnificent with just one bloom right now but soon enough it will have many...I hope.

We haven't had any rain for at least a week and a half. Well, today it absolutely POURED! My bigger dahlias and some with weaker stems really took a pounding. These blooms opened in the last few days. 1) Kidd's Climax. Not fully opened but I wanted a photo before the beetles had it for lunch. 2) Warm 'n Fuzzy is cool 'n wet. 3) Roque's Starburst. 4) Alfred C. is going to have to get it in gear if he's going to be an "A" size bloom. Only about 6" right now. 5) Homer T. I can't wait to see this one fully open.

That driftwood looks much healthier than the tubers I stored in saw dust. lol Where did you find the shredded straw? A chain store? Up until a few weeks ago it was impossible to find baled straw anywhere around here. With all the rain in July, no one was mowing. I finally found a couple bales after calling 5 or 6 places.

Arlene, I meant to add that if you're batting at a 95% rate you had better keep doing it that way.

Mill and Feed sells bales of straw here. Might have to run it through my grinder just hope it won't be too fine.
Dan, your dahlias are to die for. So many varieties and colors.

I am going to make a note to get some small dahlias for edging or maybe for the mid front area of some of my beds. I invariably put in something too tall. Or it is supposed to be 18" and grows to 30" as you have found out Arlene.

Today is errand running day. Yuk. So puppy is going to get beautified so I can be out and about with a clear conscience. I have to crate him while I am gone. He gets really anxious when I am gone if left out. Then demonstrates his stress level with gifts in front of my DH's bathroom, always missing the potty pads that are spread out in hopes of catching him in a cooperative mood. Worse than a cat. No. Nothing is worse than a cat. lol

A few more. 1) Sea-Oro. 2) I finally got a yellow Hollyhill 6-in-1 Yellow. 3) This soggy one looks much better in real life than it does in a photo. As the petals unfold, I'm a little more confident that this really is an Alpen Parfait. I had my doubts when it first opened. 4) Either I received the wrong tuber or this is the ultimate misnomer. I wanted a giant red dahlia so I order a "Big Red" from Michigan Bulb. It would be a stretch to say that this one is 3" wide. So what's your definition of "Big"? lol 5) John Bramlett. It irks me that I can't show the true dark purple color of this one.

Thanks, Mary. By the way, how is your Grand Prix doing? I'm still not sure that's what I have. Every time I get a new bloom the beetles get to it before I can get a photo. I didn't want to spray again but it looks like the JB's will be here forever if I don't.