Dahlias - Summer's End/Storage 2014 Part 2

Oh beautiful. Every bit as nice as the real ones I received. Thank you. Thank you.

Dan. is that Otto's Thrill? I simply will NOT order any more dahlias this fall. lol. And that rose is so delicious with the sky as a backdrop.

It's not Otto's Thrill. It is actually named Surprise. I think it's really a little more yellow than the photo shows. Another of those that seem to change color later in the year.

Since you say you're not ordering any more dahlias this fall, does that mean you will wait and order more this coming spring? lol

Here's another shot of Surprise.

Lovely. Dan, your are an enabler par excellence ! NO. I have planted every square inch in the back and front with lilies and peonies. I have barely enough room for the dahlias I have; at least in good spots, e.g. full sunlight. And I am fearful of planting them too close together. Sometimes those tall ones don't grow tall and get sandwiched in and over shadowed, so they don't do well. I figure I need at least 18" (?) between. Lilies and peonies are so easy it is very simple to just keep planting them and making ground no longer available for dahlias. I know I could use pots and may indeed have to next year. I already have pots I am overwintering with lilies, some small peonies that broke from bigger ones, geraniums, spring bulbs. It is getting ridiculous. And I need to get my car into the garage. Snow is still on the ground. And heated seats only go so far. opps. Guess that didn't come out right. lol

Not much going on. Still getting blooms but many plants are really going south. I guess that's to be expected in late October. I did have a Peach Delight open for the first time. Only one bloom and it looks pathetic. At least I have a positive identification so I can label it. Several plants didn't even produce a bud. I don't know if they're worth saving.

We're supposed to have mid-70's temps today with rain and some snow flakes for the weekend. That sounds like tuber digging weather for sure. I'd just like to get it over with.

I had Peach Delight last year but it never budded either and the tuber rotted over winter. No a keeper I guess.

I can't imagine it being mid-70's. It is about 27 here. How can you have mid-70's during the week and snowflakes on the weekend? That sounds bizarre. I am sure you look forward to getting through the process with the dahlias. I need to go down stairs and check on mine. Have only checked on them once thus far. Been a bit under the weather for a bit so not to inclined to move from my recliner. lol. Damien has been a good husband and has done so much work for me outside. And I am getting a good pampering inside. Better not get used to it.

Good to hear from you.

I'm with you, Dan. The Nor'easter hit over the weekend and though we only got the end of it, we did get the winds. Thankfully, I took many photos last week because when I went out yesterday I wished for frost to get it all over.

Some really look great now! One Giraffe is history while another, 20' away, is fantastic. Anna Marie is gorgeous and sits right next to Onesta and Paul Smith. They all play nicely.

My biggest shock was to see Zoey Rey, which looked hopeless, managed to grow and is now in bloom. Makes me wish I could post 10 photos at a time!

I've been cutting off big branches and then removing the blooms to enjoy inside because it's just a matter of time before they're gone for this year. We're due for 70 degrees today and 48 for Saturday, with rain. Some areas north could get snow flurries.

Dan - I have many plants that grew through to the other side of the deer mesh. They no longer have buds and I seriously doubt there are 6' rabbits around here.

We can have mid-70's and snow the same week because it's Ohio. lol The lake plays a big role in our weather. Some good things, some not so good. Like they say in California, If you don't like the weather, wait 15 minutes. I like the fact that while we get our 50-75" of snow every year, areas less than ten miles south typically get over 150". We also get frosts several weeks later in the fall.

Arlene, it's such a shame that those huge "rabbits" have developed a taste for dahlias. I can only hope that doesn't happen here. Some people from a church near here are starting to hunt a small woodlot close to here. I'm praying for their success. I cut several dozen blooms for my mother's birthday party last week. I filled six vases. Someone asked if it was a birthday or a funeral. lol

Those blooms are beautiful!

Our dahlias as still blooming a little. The two strongest bloomers this summer are still going strong, unfazed by the wind. The rest are not blooming but the foliage still looks good. This weekend will likely be the demise of them all though. It's supposed to get below freezing one or both nights of this weekend. Two of our dahlias have blown down but the stems haven't snapped. I think next year I'll stake them in more directions than just one. Lesson learned.

Filaly, I have my Yoro Kobi blooming, it is very nice, about 2 1/2 feet tall, but did not stack it, so it is all over the ground. Next year, I will get more organized. Promis. Etelka

Very nice! Reminds me of one named Jamaica.

The dahlias that are out in the open are history, but I still have some blooming that are more sheltered by the house. Will be digging soon.

From Maine to Alaska, California to Florida and Texas as well as Arizona I've heard that "just wait 15 minutes" line. It's certainly true when the sun begins to set and the temperatures plummet.

I can't imagine why they're suddenly eating some of the dahlia buds and yet they leave other dahlia buds alone. It's easier to give dahlia tubers, or extra plants, to others than to know they'll be devoured here.

That's sweet of you, Dan. Good line about birthday or funeral! That's like my kitchen now.

I'll also be staking in two or three directions next year, Jeff. If my planning goes well I'll have the stakes in place before the dahlias arrive, then it's just checking they are tied up every two weeks.

Good job, Etelka! It also reminded me of Jamaica!

Dig we must if we want them again next year.

As I was out working a couple stopped and the woman came over to me saying they had to go around the block again to see the dahias. She asked if she could go into the dahlia garden and I told her she could but I couldn't move or I'd never get back to work. Then she got her husband to go see the dahlias. They returned filled with praise and said they grow them but don't have enough sun. They also have deer fencing. As she was leaving she turned and said, "You really love your garden, don't you?". I just smiled and said I do. I was thrilled.

What wonderful compliments. Appreciative gardeners are the best people.

I checked my tubers and am glad to say that , other than the few I pitched right away, the rest look good. Not shriveled and no fungus. Several have eyes and even one or two short stems. The crawl space is really too warm. Might reconsider the garage.

I have pots of iris, lilies and peonies in the crawlspace also. No room in garage. Two of the peonies (too late to go outside-were broken from another plant accidently) have pips already at the bottom of the stem. I will go check the pots in the garage now and water as needed. I was told about 1 cup per pot about once a month.

It does feel great to be acknowledged, Mary.

Hurray! Temperature is so vital and I really don't have the ideal spot for them so I'm counting on fate - whatever will be, will be.

Seems like you could use a garage condo for storage!

A cup a month? I never raised one, or had to keep one in the garage, but that sounds like a lot of water. I'd check Peony Societies in your own area or Minnesota just to have a second opinion. They can't lose much water in the garage. Maybe I'm just too afraid of too much water.

Well, the pots are at least three gallon but I see your point. I will check around before dousing them. I really hate it when things are going well and I bollix it up. :)

I'm guessing we've all done similar things. One year I divided a daylily I see from the kitchen door so each night I'd fill up the coffee pot with cool water and give it to them - all through November and December. I killed it with kindness. Then I bought replacements and now it's a lovely sight again. At least I learned my lesson.

I did look at the University of Minnesota's site and some other peony site but not a word in any of the articles about holding them over the winter in a garage (or anywhere).

How about using a soil moisture gadget? Home Depot has them for around $12.00 and they also test for light or pH.

I have to make one more round before the weekend to make sure everything that is in pots that won't survive freezing temps is inside. They are calling for snow flurries and temps in the upper 20s this weekend. :( And then I start digging. Maybe one last tour around the yard for some pics. Because this will be the end of it, I fear.

It's always a sad time to say goodbye to fall. Then comes the long wait for spring.

I was looking up the Mystic versus the Bishop series of dahlias and found this quote in the Yakima Magazine. It was too good not to repeat to our group of dahlia lovers:

But life has not always been charmed for the dahlia, which has often been snubbed by more sophisticated gardeners. Perhaps it’s because influential English gardener Gertrude Jekyll commented that “the dahlia’s first duty in life is to flaunt and to swagger.” She may have had in mind “dinner plate” dahlias, which sport flowers that can be more than a foot in diameter. If their names are descriptive — “Kelvin Floodlight,” “Bodacious,” “Babylon Red” or “Gladiator” — she may have had a point.

I'm all for a plant being able to flaunt and swagger! What about hibiscus, brugmansia, many lilies, daylilies, Joe Pye weed and even, dare I say it, delphiniums!

I agree they should flaunt and swagger. Why else would we grow them?While they are late to bloom we all enjoy other flowers and plants but when it's their time they steal the show.

I will be digging this weekend. Even those nearest the house are gone now.

I totally agree. Though I love many plants with tiny flowers they can't compete with the giants.

How sad. It has to happen to all of us but I'll miss the view through the window in here, just a few feet away.

Amen. Three of my beds are right out my front window, one only the width of a sidewalk away. Now all sadly covered with leaf mulch for the winter. But I see three deep hoof prints from a moose. Looks like it missed my peonies. @#$%^&*() Moose.

I must admit that I would be torn between dahlias and lilies. And lilies don't take as much work by a long shot. Maybe that is what makes dahlias so special. What we put into having them and preserving them. Fingers crossed (and toes and eyes) for this winter's storage.

My good buddy in California has been plagued by raccoons...many of them. They are worse than deer or moose in that they rip entire plants out of the ground. If that were to happen here I would have to get a taser gun!

Lilies are easier but many do not return as well as the sites would have us believe. Dahlias have so much impact and that Giraffe, the very orange one, is like a beacon at the front (outside) of The Park.

Trick or treat!

That cannot be the little boy who (seemingly) was born so shortly ago. Adorable. And Giraffe is spectacular and particularly appropriate for this time of year.

He's 13 months old already!

Giraffe is right in tune with Halloween. The one inside The Park is in sad shape as are a few others.

I have a question for all you Dahlia growers that have crazy weather like We do. I have not dug mine yet, been so busy, But tonight the temps are supposed to go down to 25*. It has been raining and we had snow last night, not a lot, but enough to cover the grass in spots. It is very wet,though. Do I need to try to dig them today or can I cover them and dig them when the ground dries a little more? We usually have a very dry Fall, so this cold , wet weather has taken us a bit by surprise. Any advice out there? Thanks for any input you might have :)

How deep are the tubers planted? Generally speaking, it would take a good bit of cold weather to freeze the ground deep enough to damage the tubers. That's assuming they're planted 5-6" deep. Watch your forecast and play it by ear but I can't believe one night of cold would hurt. If you're not sure, it wouldn't hurt to cover them. Our forecast is calling for mid-thirties tonight but warming to highs of mid-high fifties most of next week. We don't normally get frosts/freezes until mid-late November because of our close proximity to Lake Erie.

I just found out our temps could go as low as 21* tonight. As for the depth of the tubers..most of them are at least 6" deep, but the dogs have been digging around after a chipmonk, so I will have to check that out. I also need to check out the 10 day forcast, I guess. Thanks for the info!

Also what do you recommend to cover them with? I sure don't want to lose them, so I will have to take precautions.

I vote for everything Dan said.

You can cover them with anything waterproof like a drop cloth you'd use for painting, or a good quality vinyl or plastic (no holes). You do not want freezing rain to get into the stems!

My plants still have flowers on them. Am I right that I don't dig until the stems are black and mushy above ground? We had snow flurries this morning, but haven't had a true freeze yet.

This is my first year with dahlias and I don't want to screw up!! My G/F already dug hers up. Is there any hope that she will have anything next Spring to plant?

Mine are also still blooming too, we haven't had a hard enough frost to kill them back, yet. That is why I haven't dug them , but after tonight I am sure that wont be a problem. ;)

Waiting til they freeze above ground, then waiting about a week or so longer really makes a difference. Doesn't mean they won't survive (some of them) but they do seem tougher and less prone to rot or desscication that way. I agree with both Dan and Arlene. Leaves are a good protection, several inches thick. The plastic will keep the rain out and the leaves will keep the tubers a bit warmer.

Thanks everyone for the emergency Info. lol

Good luck to both of you.

I've had local people dig their dahlias in October and they still got flowers the following year.

Thanks! I'll be keeping my fingers crossed!!

The guy who owns Hollyhill Dahlias has been digging his tubers since the first of October. He has mentioned several times that there's no need to wait for a frost. When you stop and think about the size of many of the dahlia operations, I would imagine they have to start as early as possible to be finished before the really bad weather. Some of these places are many acres in size. I don't know how much hired help they have but the Hollyhill owner says he hopes to be done by Thanksgiving. That's two full months of digging. That said, I'm waiting for a frost, simply because I always have. lol

Well, I have dug early in prior years and I really feel that this year, by waiting til frost then two weeks, my tubers were in better shape -- not so green. Maybe there is something else in his process that offsets the early dig. Certainly he has very temp/humidity controlled environments for the tubers. I guess time will tell for me this year

We're all in this learning process that can end up being painful or with great success. Just the thought of digging acres is a nightmare to me.