Dahlias - Summer's End/Storage 2014 Part 2

I LOVE the sound of rain. At work we have a metal roof and when it's raining it sounds so delightful. I used to have a skylight in my bedroom as a child and always enjoyed the sound it makes.

We've had off and on rain the past few days. Mostly during the night. Tuesday afternoon we topped out at 79 degrees. UGH! Way too warm for me. Last night I remembered 9 iris rhizomes I had forgotten/ been to busy to plant. They were in paper bags and look a little dry. I have them soaking in a bucket of water. I dug up some soil in a raised bed and brought two wheelbarrow loads of top soil to replace it. Hope I got rid of some weeds, including Arlene's favorite, chameleon plant. lol I was half way finished when the showers returned. It's only 57 degrees but really humid. Wish it would clear up so I can go bowhunting tomorrow but the forecast shows at least two more days of rain.

Lol....I didn't read who the poster was for your post Dan but I assumed it was Pirl. Then I read about bowhunting and I was like what!?! LOL

You didn't know Arlene was a bowhunter? She keeps it quiet. Doesn't like to brag. All her neighbors have noticed a drastic reduction in the deer population. lol

: )

...and a drastic reduction in the neighbors who leave their homes!

It's been raining softly and hardly (???) all morning. I also enjoy the sound of it, Jeff. My dad was a roofer and we had a tin roof over the back porch. It was great for sleeping. The winds were really whipping around this morning and leaves were flying so I looked at the dahlias feeling a bit tense but I guess I had them tied sufficiently because they were not harmed.

I'm still planting my bearded irises, Dan, and just have 6 to go. They're also soaking in water and I hope to plant them tomorrow.

Chameleon plant? It makes me cry! The fastest I move in the garden is when I spot a sprig of it and go running for the poison.

LOL

Just when I thought the blooming was starting to wind down, it seems like many plants are making a comeback. The first photo is Wyn's King Salmon. It started to open two weeks ago and is still only a 4" bloom. This is supposedly an A or AA size dahlia. I had one last year that didn't bloom until October and never got bigger than 4". I love the dark peach/coral color but not enough to wait four months for a small bloom. I may try it one more year in another bed. The third photo is Bonaventure and I don't understand the speckling. I have at least a half dozen lighter colored varieties with this. I've never seen it before.

1) Wyn's King Salmon
2) Kelvin Floodlight. I thought it was done but recently four big blooms opened.
3) Bonaventure
4) Shiloh Nicole. I like this one so much I could have an entire bed of it.
5) Nick Sr. ? I'm not sure what it really is but it looks more like Akita than Nick Sr.

Bonaventure looks interesting. I like the Wyn King too.

Oh no! Does Bonaventure have Ebola?

All beauties, Dan, but the last one is on fire and I like it better than Akita!

I sent a note to A&D Lilies. My order was just shipped Monday. He sent a followup note to say that a severe cold winter was expected for the PNW. I should wait until the ground was frozen, then mulch the lilies well. He said if I mulched before, the mice would move in and live off the bulb all winter.

Still holding in the 40's. Dan, would you consider all of those pictured late bloomers? Or are they just continuing to bloom all summer and fall. With the exception of Wyn's King Salmon.

Most lily places say to wait to mulch until the ground freezes. Now I know why they say it.

We're due for 70 tomorrow and Saturday followed by more normal fall temperatures in the high 50's, which is fine with me.

I wouldn't consider any of them late bloomers except maybe WKS. In fact, KFL and Bonaventure are two of my first blooms every year. King Salmon has definitely been a late one, at least for me. The tuber I bought a year ago didn't look the best and the tuber I saved from it shriveled a little during storage. That might have a little to do with it.

I've mentioned several times how much I like Shiloh Nicole. You'd think I'd remember it's name is actually Shiloh Noelle. lol

I finally got the iris planted between rain showers. I'm anxious to see how they perform. I'd like to eventually use more of them to replace the few lilies I have left. I want to remove everything else I have that's on the deer's menu.

Mary, I'm pretty sure that NOAA is predicting a warmer than average winter for your area.

Just so I can get this straight for myself; mulch lilies after the ground freezes because if you mulch first, then the ground won't freeze as well and animals will eat the lilies?

The mice would move in and live off the lilies over winter if you have an issue with the mice. I've mulched before the ground froze and, when I could, after it froze but I don't have the problem with mice so I don't see a difference.

As I recall, last winter was milder than normal for Mary while many of us were up to our necks in snow

After a week not going in the back garden, today I have discovered my Jenna dahlia is blooming, she is all spread out mixed with the Trailing Red Lantana. When I tried to stake it, it started breaking, so I left it on the ground. Also have a purple Dahlia in the front mixed in the Sweet potato vine, It almost looks like another Jenna, I cant find the tag in all that mess. Things are still blooming, but I realized I left thing going wild this year. Maybe next year will not plant the sweetpotato vine, it always takes over. Etelka

In the third picture it looks like the poor little dahlia is crying "help, help, I am being held for ransom." lol Still, the potato vine is really pretty against the poor little dahlia's pink.

I can tell you don't have deer, Etelka. They adore eating our sweet potato vine!

When I tried tying up the dahlias (some for the sixth time!) earlier this week, I also had branches breaking so I just removed them. Others are lying flat on the ground so I'll try and rescue them today. I guess by early September they all need to be tied to the stakes again or we risk having them sprawl on the good earth.

One that got much too wide and too tall just broke from the base so I'll have to buy it again next year and give it three stakes and maybe a big tomato cage as well. Here it is before it fell.

Mary, I agree that the poor dahlia looks like a captive.

Gorgeous dahlia, Arlene. What is it? Even if it broke at the stem, wouldn't the tuber be okay?

The entire stem ripped off the base - no hope for the tubers. It's Dan's Alpen Pearl...or it was.

I'll get a photo of the base before it heads to the dump this afternoon.

Bummer. Well, easily replaced.

Had to locate them in the truck and made it just in time.

Someone is trying to locate seeds for a specific dahlia but needs the name. Perhaps one of you very nice dahlia people could help:

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=9961177

I have never seen it before. Sure is pretty though. I would place money on Dan perhaps IDing it.

Thanks for the input, Mary.

You know. Having your husband 'help' you is a very two edged sword. Especially if you are not in tip top form. 9000 Questions. Including what to do with all the mulch he is making from the bags of leave the neighbors gave us and all the garden detritus. Since I don't want him burying some stuff that might not appreciate it, I have to go out and lay out the mulch myself. Plus cut down the stuff he didn't know what to do with. Plus as long as I am there, straighten up the garden shed, tools invariably laying around the yard, pots, buckets, etc. I guess I shouldn't complain. It would all be laying out there next spring in all likelihood left up to me. And as long as I AM doing it, then obviously I am able to do it. grumble grumble

It isn't always easy, and sometimes we may think it's more trouble than we want, but he is trying to help and he is learning along the way. By next year maybe you can stay inside while he does it by himself. There is no law against grumbling.

I cleaned out the shed in five minute segments a few weeks ago but the chipper is still there so I got him to call the very nice guy, Patrick, who always serviced our mowers/edger/chipper and the guy will be over tomorrow to pick it up. It's a gift from Jack to Patrick for all the help he was to us. It will be a very bittersweet moment when that chipper leaves the property. It's really the end of Jack's gardening days.

Oh pirl, for some reason that just seems so sad to me. The day I have to give up gardening, well I can't even think about it without getting emotional. Being fairly new to this site I don't know Jack's story, but I feel like everyone here is extended family because we are all connected by our love of gardening ,among other things. Everyone here has been so kind ,offering advice , sharing plants and seeds and sharing little pieces of their lives along the way. You can't help but be be part of this great community at DG.

It's just age, not illness, Nanny, so I'm thankful for that. Still, I'm bound to cry as they take away the chipper. Sounds silly but "the end" is so final.

Happy belated birthday to Mary/Oberon!

I don't think it is silly at all! And I am glad to hear that Jack is not ill. I guess we will all have to face that kind of thing if we live long enough. My mother is 84 and still lives alone, and is able to care for herself and I am thankful that she is still in reasonably good health, but I dread the day (if it ever comes) that she loses that independence, it will be hard on her. She is so used to doing things for herself. And she really doesn't like to ask us for help.

Jack is also 84! It is sad to face the things we can no longer do or no longer wish to do.

Thanks Arlene. I can understand the emotion connected to the chipper. The picture really brings it home. I look at it as a choice to no longer do something that isn't as rewarding as it once was. And a choice to to other things that are enjoyable with less stress on us.

I can hear Damien chipping away. Actually he is running bags of leaves through the grinder. He simply doesn't understand why I say I will take all the leaves I can get. Leaf mold is great stuff. I was just going to let it rot in the bags til next spring (I read you can do that) and then spread it around. He said that it would make more sense to grind them up and spread them now throughout the garden. It does seem to make more sense. I managed to get a 33 gallon can and my garden cart emptied of mulch. I put it extra heavy at the bottom of the fences in the back of the flower beds. Trying to keep the neighbor's grass from invading under the fence (and the visqueen wrapped 4x4's that i set up against the fence last year (laid them down with news papers and such to try to keep the grass from growing under them. I think next year I will carefully apply roundup between the 4x4's and the bottom of the fence. Hopefully it won't hurt their side too much.

Yes, he reads instead of gardens...8 hours a day. I like to read but enjoy it more as the snow flies.

Some folks do use leaf mold for planting anything that wants moist soil or around shrubs that can appreciate the value it has. I may do that with some of the empty compost bins. At least they'd be of some value. One dearly departed neighbor used to faithfully rake and bag his leaves and Jack would take 25 to 30 bags at a time.

Trying to keep a neighbor's grass or weeds on their side of the fence is a life occupation. I vote YES to using whatever it takes to keep your garden your own and not have the neighbor's grass invading. Do it!

thanks. I was feeling a little guilty but now will 'attend to the problem' guilt free. The birch tree they have allowed to grow right next to the fence is another matter. The people in this house are fairly new. The previous neighbors were good to work with, we even shared the cost of replacing the fence between us and raising it a foot. I cut down a fair sized birch tree on my side right next to the fence which allowed more sun to their house and a lilac that was languishing for lack thereof. I did it more because it was a dirty tree, dropping junk on my garden and looking ugly. Now there is a new tree growing not 10 feet down the fence on their side. It is only a few feet taller than the fence and I have considered burroughing under the fence a bit and shooting some brush killer its way. I know. Not very nice. But it serves no purpose there and will eventually nudge the new fence askew. Guess I should just talk with them but if they don't remove the tree sapling then it would be pretty obvious if it suddenly sickened and died. the birch also are home to horrible aphids and leaf curlers in the summer. Almost as bad as the cottonwoods across the north street that cover my garden, flowers and pond with floss part of the summer. Pernicious weed.

I'd definitely talk to them. You can tell them it could ruin the fence and that would be an expense FOR THEM. Maybe that would get their attention. If they are not agreeable then you must take action to save your sanity.

Yes. Guess I need to 'man up' and talk with them. While the tree is still small and easily taken out. Thanks Arlene.

It is an easier on the mind solution and you'll know you tried your best. They'll probably take care of it without a problem. "The things we worry about most never happen" and it's true.

amen.....

Happy belated birthday, Mary! I just saw Arlene's post. Here is a birthday "Surprise" for you. I wish you many, many more!

Now why didn't I think of sending Mary flowers? I am blonde.

How about a rose instead?

Hope it was another wonderful birthday, Mary!