Dahlias - Summer's End/Storage 2014 Part 2

We came from here:

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1375638/#new


This message was edited Oct 12, 2014 10:23 AM

Putting a note here just to try to get the Part 2 above the first part (I can't edit the title of the other thread).

When people stop posting to the old thread this one will be on top anyway. Thanks for the new thread.

Etelka - yes, that Pineapple Sage is late to bloom but such a beauty! Ours ended up about 5' across and about 4' tall. I was late planting Black and Blue so just got my first bloom last week.

I hope the peat dries out enough to save the tubers, Mary.

Outside the earth is saturated and it's rough to find a dry spot to work.

That pineapple sage is beautiful. I think that some will be perennial here.
I just looked it up and it is only good to 20F. Ah well. No idea wehre I would put it. I like that blue also. A salvia? Agastache?

Salvia Black and Blue. Most years the salvias don't return for me here in zone 7.

Huh? I wonder why not. I have salvia's. I realize there are probably a gazillion kinds of salvias. Mine are pretty much 'garden variety' from the local nursery. I imagine there are many that wouldn't grow here either. Is it because of your cold or heat??

Due to the cold. We can grow the standard nursery salvia but not the fancy ones. They just don't want our winters even when they're mild.

Not sure how this will show up. it is the report, by dahlia of what went into storage. I did a print screen to word, then cut out the extraneous background and enlarged.

Well pooh. It will only let me send a .jpg or .gif for such. Oh well. I thought it had worked before.

I don't know what's going on with this site. I tried to post some photos but the box for the photo is blank except for a question mark in it. More problems here lately than I've ever seen.

Arlene, I went to Tractor Supply this morning and the salespeople I talked to never heard of shredded straw mulch. I told them their web site showed it on clearance for 99 cents a bag. They said they had never carried it. The site did mention it was only at select stores.

The dahlias you posted a few days ago were beautiful. I really like Tartan. The Lady Darlene looks a lot like my Pinelands Princess. I can't believe all the mistakes I've seen this year. I could understand maybe a vendor or two but I've traced mine to four different dealers. This is getting really ridiculous. It seems most of the mistakes are the pre-packaged tubers.

Mary, I really envy you having your tubers dug and divided. On the other hand I'm happy to still have blooms. As fast as I deadhead I have new buds popping up. Some of the buds are on plants I thought were done for the year.

Arlene, the store you mentioned in Cleveland that had the shredded straw is only 20 minutes or so from here. It's actually in Mayfield which is close to Cleveland. I'll take a closer look next spring. Thanks for checking.

I came home from my grandson's hockey game and was so pleased that Damien had moved all my dahlia boxes and my pots to the crawl space, loaded up other pots on the rolling cart in the garage, raked up the front yard, and brought the rakings into the garage to dry for grinding. I asked him if he had stacked the dahlia boxes and he just gave me a look. No, he said, I cleaned off the concrete footing that runs down the middle of the house, put each box and pot one by one on there and made sure the bags were open not folded down.

Now, I ask you, what more could a poor gardener ask. So I am cleaning up the garage for winter now. Got a fair amount done then sort of pooped out. A fold over peanut butter sandwich should fix me right up. Think I will knit for a bit.

Here are a few pictures of my less than aesthetic operation. First three obviously in the garage. Last two are the vertical ladder to the crawl space, then the boxes lined up. He even put a thermometer down there. It shows 58 which is too warm but as the temps drop out side, it will get down to 50 in the crawl space. I could always have Damien leave the vents open to assure cool air. I think that is a joke remembering Dan's experience with an open vent.

This message was edited Oct 13, 2014 1:56 PM

So many problems here, Dan.

I hope the Agway in Mayfield has it. You could always call rather than waste gas.

I've had Pinelands Princess and it's red/yellow but the phony Lady Darlene's are definitely pink. I hate color echoes and can't allow myself to be tempted by the big box stores again.

You did a great job, Mary, and Damien did a super splendid job! He's "Husband of the Year".

We have a full set of normal steps from the inside hallway of the house to the unfinished second floor and in the garage we have those vertical steps to the attic over the garage and dining room. I avoid them! I don't have photos of them.

Arlene, by chance, did you mean Pinelands Pam instead of Pinelands Princess? I know Pam is red/yellow. Princess came from Wal-Mart and I've seen it at several big box stores. I think it's supposed to be pink but with my history it might have been mis-labeled, too. lol

You got it, Dan. I had Pam, not Princess!

Here's NOT Lady Darlene #2.

Then NOT Lady Darlene #1, with the label showing it to be red and yellow. Taken 10/05.
NOT Lady Darlene #1 taken 9/05. They change so much during the month!

I bought mine at Walmart. Generally theirs have been labeled correctly but not this time. I will keep both of them but will put them with the pink or pink to lavender dahlias, not with the hot colors.

I thought I'd post these while the site is allowing me to post photos. I just wanted to show the dramatic change in this dahlia. The first photo was made around Sept. 25th. All the blooms on the plant have looked pretty much like this since it first opened in early September. Now all the blooms look like the one in the second photo. I have no idea what the name of the plant is but if I didn't know better I'd swear it was Duet or Mystery Day. The red or burgundy color has seemed to spread outward.

Rats! It eliminated the first photo!

Here it is:

Yes, huge changes in one month!

My Duet, which was supposed to be Seduction times 3, was not nearly as red as it is now.

Lady Darlene has gone through many color changes. It's now the color I like and the reason I bought it in the first place. I was disappointed when the first blooms were nearly all red.

1) Lady Darlene
2) Wyn's Bewitched. It got bigger and thicker until it reached 11" wide. It's really dark purple.
3) Ferncliff Inspiration. Latest bloom is almost all white.
4) Shiloh Noelle. Not!! No lavender tint and the form doesn't look right.

I just looked up Lady Darlene at River's Dahlias and it is as reddish as can be. No sign of yellow. So what is the deal. I love the one above and figured I would buy it but not if it is the color it shows online. Dahlia Divas is much closer to yours but still predominantly red not yellow tipped in red. The closest I have found is at American Meadows. Gag.

Your Lady Darlene is gorgeous and not at all like the one I had originally.

(Anyone lurking must be labelling all three of us as insane with all these versions of one dahlia.)

Here's the one I had, below. I like yours better. So when I order one do I tell the company that I want a Lady Darlene like Dan in Ohio has? Too funny.

I don't measure my dahlias but I guess I should. Add guilt to my to-do list.

Ferncliff really underwent a big change there. Odd how they lose color or change color.

I don't know the real Shiloh Noelle so that one looks very pretty to me.

I like the one at American Meadows, Mary! Now, if links are working today, everyone can check it out: http://www.americanmeadows.com/dahlia-lady-darlene?___store=default

So is the picture you posted your Lady Darlene. I actually rather prefer that one to the one at American Meadows. Doesn't matter. I got caught up at Swan Island and just dropped another $38 on four dahlias.

Croydon Masterpiece - Item #002
Sherwood'S Peach - Item #069
Maniac - Item #072
Steve Meggos - Item #050

I got hungup on peach. I think next year I will try to plant in color groups rather than by height. Assuming I can keep the tall big guys in the back.

I looked for Lady Darlene (obviously) and also Wyn's Bewitched. Then read about that terrible fire last year. Those poor people.

Mary, these photos of Lady Darlene show the color changes from the first of August until the end of September. Too bad that it took two months to get to the phase I like which I posted a little while ago. That phase has been in bloom for about two weeks. Maybe the photo from River's was an early bloom. This is my first year with LD and I didn't know to expect this. Is this normal? Maybe, since both of my plants were the same.

Here's the page on Lady Darlene from Corralitos, where I originally obtained it.

The height varies so much! Dan's Alpen Pearl was low last year but mine was 5'6" this year. It ended up knocked over despite being tied FIVE times. It's a loss.

Peach, and all the variations, is where I always get hung up, Mary.

It probably is normal, Dan. Bodacious is a circus of buds now but I bet they'll be yellow for the last blooms with no red present at all.

Arlene, these two photos show the real Shiloh Noelle. The fake SN I posted doesn't look anything like it. Except that it's white. At least they got that right.

I got an e-mail from American Meadows last week. The were having an early 50% off sale on dahlias and some other summer bulbs. Don't know if it's over now. I'm sure they'll have this same sale early next spring. Depending on how many, if any, tubers I get from Firepot, I may be ordering some of those. I'm beginning to develop a phobia about buying pre-packaged tubers. It's known as NOID-itis.

Huge difference, Dan.

I thought American Meadows sent packaged tubers, not loose as we get from other places. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

The tubers (clumps) from AM are pre-packaged. They are probably the best of the packaged ones I have received. I don't recall any mistakes coming from them .... so far. The only problem I have with them is when they have a sale the regular price seems to go up. After the discount the price is about where it should be to start with. I seriously doubt anyone would consider paying the regular price of $26-28 for three packaged tubers. That's about twice the regular price of three tubers from Easy-To-Grow-Bulbs and many other vendors.

I agree about the price. Since I've only gotten one or two from them, and there were no errors in names, I shouldn't be concerned but after all the mistakes we've both had this summer I do not want a repeat performance.

While "just looking" I have seen some unbelievably wild prices for 2015.

I tried to count my "mistake" tubers last night and I came up with 13 or 14. That's inexcusable.

I can remember the second or third year I grew dahlias and I ordered from AM. I got brave and divided the clumps. I ended up with seven or eight healthy plants from three clumps. I gave most away. Sometimes clumps are a real bargain.

Five mistakes here and still I find it unethical. Those who do the initial packaging have to know they're putting the wrong tubers in the package.

That's fine for those who have the time to spare along with the desire to do it. Once I get to the garden to plant, I just want to finish but I won't skip any steps to get the job done.

I guess I have had less bad luck with noids. Only three this year and they must have come in a package as they were all the same. I also looked at AM and just laughed to myself. Yes Dan, who would pay their jumped up 'original' price. Their 'sale' price is about what I would expect to pay, maybe a little less, as an ordinary price.

It is perhaps more because of my database that I get grumpy(er) when a flower doesn't come out as expected. I enter them all when I order them including a picture from the vendor. It helps me identify any misplanted (my fault) or mislabeded (again, my fault) plants. But as we saw with Embrace, no way it was our fault. So there I am with this plant in my database that I don't have and one in the garden I can't identify. My OCD just goes nuts. lol. I am leaving Embrace as names but have substituted a picture from my garden as soon as possible for identification (and to avoid copyright infringement). I like it as do you and that name will have to do until/if I ever find out what it really is. The three red noids went into the DB just that way; "NOIDS, red". They aren't special but prolific and bright. I am trying to branch out more as I look at your (and Arlene's) gorgous blooms. No 'just a pretty face' among your flowers ! All are stunning and 'individual.'

I may indeed have screwed the pooch. I just realized that four of the peach ones I ordered are 'late bloomers.' Not good. I will go ahead with it but plant them in pots and then put them in the sun in the back garden where they get maximum sun and warmth.

I just discovered Verrone's Pride of the Prairie Dahlias. What a lovely selection. I reordered three I really liked that actually didn't do so well. I am hoping maybe it was the vendor not the tuber.

So many choices there!

Well, winter has arrived with three moose in the front yard. A mama and two babies (one a yearling and one from this year). Could be twins but one is definitely slightly bigger than the other. Tromping through my gardens. Nothing to pull up or eat except a little iris to which they are welcome. But their big hoofies can do damage to stuff underground as the ground is now thawed out. Have to mix up the Planskyyd to repel them.

You have winter and we're back to summer with 76 degrees, blazing sun and I'm busy tying dahlias, some for the sixth time. The width on some of the plants is incredible and I end up tying them in sections. We're due for a big, long rain tonight through tomorrow but I'm more fearful of the winds doing damage.

Here are the little darlings standing in one of my front garden beds

Yeah Pirl, it's super windy here and we've been getting plenty of much needed rain today. Too bad it's coming down so fast it's all running off but I'll take it any way I can get it.

Ober, I can't believe those moose come right up to the lawn in a neighborhood like that! We have deer in our area but they would never come up in the neighborhoods.

Mine must be related to the deer that Dan and Arlene have. Not bashful at all.

76F !!! I drool with envy

Those moose are huge! The deer come right up to homes here and confront drivers in the driveway, refusing to move!

Too hot! I just took a lukewarm shower to try and forget the heat. I couldn't even get all the dahlias tied up - way too hot.

We've had so much rain in the last two weeks that I shut off the irrigation system. The ground is sodden. Hope you get to keep some of the rain, Jeff. It's supposed to last for many hours.

Last night I only remembered I didn't have up the trellis to block the deer so I went out at 1:30 AM and put it in place. No deer sightings and no "gifts" from them either.

We got 3.62" at my house so that was a nice relief. I think we're up for some more next week but not like this soaking.

It's pouring here and the rain will go on all day. It's nice to have a rainy day off.

It's so noisy!