Dahlias Summer 2015

Beautiful day here. A bit windy but that helps a lot with the mosquitoes. I got the lawn mowed and did some staking as well. Cherry tomatoes are starting to produce. A really nice rain yesterday. Everything looks fresh and happy.Supposed to drop into the 60's tonite, what a relief!

New pictures
Pic #1 is BlueBell
Pic #2 is the new Dahia bed and Kelvin Floodlight is almost 5 ft tall. So I guess it is safe to assume that the Dahlias like it there.

This message was edited Jul 29, 2015 7:53 PM

Quite the phlox collection you have there Hostages. You should post a couple pics of them in bloom. I hope we get rain here today. We have a 60% chance. We got .35 or so Sunday and our chance today but after that we don't have much chance for the next week or so.

Dahlias are looking good Nanny.

I'm glad to hear your dahlias are doing well, Nanny. Are any of the ones in the photos ones that were blown over by the wind a while ago? If so, it looks like they've recovered nicely.

I found more JBs today than I've seen all year long. Almost all were on the few blooms that have opened. I gave some a little spray of diluted insect killer. I thought I was going to escape their wrath this year. But after reviewing some photos from the last fews years, I see that I'll probably have them through most of August. They were just a little late getting started this year. I have several blooms but they look a little ragged. I'll try to post some photos if I can get to a bloom before the JBs.

The shower we had last night was so light it didn't reach the soil under the plants. The ground was bone dry this morning. I watered again today and it doesn't look like there's much of a chance of any rain for the next week. I'll probably be watering every couple of days. I like that the forecast is showing temps of around 70 for next Tuesday and Wednesday.

We got about 3/4" of rain yesterday, which was a welcome surprise. I thought we were doomed earlier in the week because you can never really 'count' on a 60% chance. It's funny to see a dahlia bloom with all its petals gone due to JBs but the bees are still going nuts over the center part because that's still viable. I'm counting down the days Dan until JB season is over. I have a new dahlia opening up but they were already up on that to the point I can't get a good pic of it.

Actually that KF is one of those that was blown down. As well as Purplelicious and Bluebell. I lost one stem of KF that broke off at the ground, but the rest of The plant seems to be OK. After I Staked it, the second time it has really taken off. I have been battling those cursed JBs too. I can't wait for them to leave! I have several other Dahlias that are really slow to form buds and bloom, hopefully they will get caught up now that we are having some sunny days. I need to give them a good shot of fertilizer, now that the torrential rain has subsided, they might actually get some good from it, instead of it washing out into the yard.
I can't wait to see some of your all's pictures. Dahlias are still pretty even when they are a little ragged. Mine have been ragged this year too. No help for it under the circumstances.

Yeah the bees still enjoy the dahlias even if they have no petals. I guess right now, that's all they're good for until the JBs all die off.

I hope to start posting some photos soon. I have 20 or more plants blooming and more ready to pop any day. Many are not very photogenic right now due to the JBs ravenous appetites. I'm still not seeing as many of them as usual but they gather in little groups and create a mess.

We had rain early this morning so I got a little break from watering. Next rain is forecast for Thursday. Temps are showing 70's all week.

If I counted correctly, I have exactly 150 plants in the ground and three in pots. I also have a section where I planted a dozen small plants that I hope will produce some tubers. I don't believe they'll bloom this year. I just didn't want them going to waste. All these plants wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for all the re-tying higher on the stakes every other week or two. WHY do I do this to myself?? lol

Wow Dan! That is a ton of dahlias. I could never keep up with that many plants. I've been trying to get my dahlia pics the first day or so of bloom before the JBs realize they are there. A few of my dahlias are taking a break right now between blooms, which I'm cool with because of the JB infestation. I have a volunteer dahlia that is probably going to bloom in a week or two. Does anyone know if dahlias come true from seed? The seedling appears to be like my Sandia Shomei but we'll see.

Jeff, I don't know but I've always heard that dahlias from seeds do not grow true to name. Even dahlias from tubers will occasionally "sport" but are more dependable. I like to experiment so I may trying growing some from seeds one of these days.

Hmm...well I guess we'll find out. I have two that I think will bloom this year. There are a few other volunteers but they aren't doing as well.

You might get some interesting results, growing them from seed.

Please bear with me as I attempt to post photos from this new computer for the first time. Slightly more complicated than clicking and dragging from iPhoto like before. Anyway, here goes.

1) Vancouver
2) Group shot of Vancouver.
3) Firepot
4) Canby Centennial
5) Painted Madam

Hooray for the "computer illiterate" guy!! I guess even an old dog can learn a new trick or two.

1) Kogane Fubuki. I hope it gets more pink like the catalog photo.
2) Winkie Colonel. Only 5" now but should get much bigger.
3) This is a mis-labeled one that I think is named Water Colors. ?
4) Pot Luck. This is a small 2"-3" bloom I received as a freebie. Looks odd among the "bigs."

Wow, Firepot is a stunner, Vancouver as well. I'm excited that you're finally putting up some pics.

Great to see you all getting some blooms to show off. Very nice!

Thanks, Nanny. Here's a few more from today. Some are not quite filled out yet and are still being abused by the beetles.

1) Fluerel
2) Kelvin Floodlight
3) Kidd's Climax. The sun washes out some of it's color in the photo.
4) ? I didn't order this one but I think it's Bert Pitt.
5) Clair Obscur

This is Apache and it's a big disappointment because all three of my plants are open-centered. I had this dahlia years ago and didn't know it's name. I finally found it this spring and ordered several. Open-centered blooms can be caused by a number of weather related issues (too much rain ? or heat?) or by unhealthy tubers. The second and third photos are from years ago. This is the most prolific dahlia for blooms that I've ever grown or seen. I don't think it will improve this year. I have a few other varieties like this so it may be partly because of stress from all the rain we had. I have no idea.

Opened center or not, they still look lovely.

I hear you about the JBs. I have 3 different purple/Ble dahlias but in the photos they all look the same, even though they are different. I guess the camera can't capture the subtle shades.

I really like your Apache. Do you recall where it came from?

Thanks, Gary. If I recall correctly they came from Holland Bulb Farm. It was a late season special and I bought three or five clumps for under $10. I remember the shipping charges were more than the cost of the clumps. I had this one years ago and was so impressed by all the blooms that the following spring I ordered from two different sellers in case one was sold out. They sold it by the name, Witteman's Best. Strange thing was both places sent dahlias that I found out later to be Arabian Nights. After years of searching, I finally found the true name this spring. I wish the plants performed like the ones years ago. I hate that open center look. Since all three look the same it was probably poor stock.

We're having a nice cool day so far, following a cool night. I didn't check temps but last night was forecast to have a low in the 50's. Ah, sweet relief! I watered early this morning because our scheduled rain keeps getting moved. Now they're saying Monday and Tuesday. The really good news is that I didn't find any beetles this morning other than four dead ones in the petals.

I have a lot of plants with buds partially open. The first two photos are from this morning. They're the first blooms on the plant that haven't been chewed on by the beetles. I had labeled this plant Akita but it's definitely not. It looks like a gallery dahlia named Pablo. I didn't think I had saved any of the tubers when I dug last fall. But I do have a special talent for mis-labeling. The third photo is Pablo from a few years ago. Judging by the colors and the plant's 18" height, I think it's a match. The colors are not exactly the same but I've seen variations from year to year.

Wow, you sure are lucky with your JBs. If those dahlias were at my house, they'd be raggety on the edges from JB chomping. Very pretty.

Dan, I acquired several new dahlias last spring and one from Home Depot has me very curious. My plant doesn't look like the photo from the package. Actually, my plant looks like the photo you posted of Vancouver. Anyone else get this (Capraz Pizzaz) from Home Depot or other place? The 1st photo is from the package. The 2nd photo is of the plant in my field.

Welcome to the world of mis-labeled packaged tubers! Just kidding, Alan. After growing Vancouver for the last four or five years, I'm willing to bet that's what you have. I've seen packaged CP clumps in a couple different stores. In fact, I would have bought it at a local garden center this past spring but it was mid-May and the clumps were really dried out. The photos I've seen vary so much that I can't tell if it's supposed to be red, purple, burgundy or ? I know the disappointment of getting mis-labeled tubers. But the one you have is a winner.

I had another really nice rain today. Everything is still so lush and green. It has not been necessary to water but a few times this summer. Dahlias are blooming well. I deadheaded them yesterday and there are still plenty of buds to look forward to. There are only about 6 that I haven't seen bloom already this season and all but one of those has buds.

Wow Skalan, that's a bummer. The red one on the left is gorgeous. Too bad that one didn't come in the package.

I actually had to water the dahlias Saturday. A couple of them looked a little thirsty so I watered them all. The sky hasn't been very generous with the rain for the past couple weeks.

We had at least half a dozen 3-5 minute light showers yesterday evening and a little heavier one just after dark. This morning, the soil under many of the dahlia's leaves was still dry. With all the dark clouds and thunder yesterday afternoon I thought we would get a good soaking rain. I was disappointed since I had raced around trying to fertilize 150 plants before the rain came. I'll probably have to water again tomorrow.

I have a few more blooms opening but not full enough to photograph. Here are a few group shots of some I've already posted. These are among my favorites because they're dependable and always have a lot of big blooms.

1) Fleurel. A little taller than last year with a lot of blooms and strong stems.
2) Kelvin Floodlight. This is one of the earliest blooming large varieties I've seen.
3) Vancouver. I love the color of this one.

We got shafted for rain too. A few scattered showers over the last two days amounting to .39"...woopdie doo. I watered my dahlias for the first time in a long while a few days ago.

Nice group shots.

Nice blooms Dan! I have Fleurel but it hasn't bloomed yet.
KF is always blooming before anything else for me, with the exception of Otto's Thrill. Thomas Edison finally started blooming in multiples. Also Dr John Kaiser and Rebecca's world which are new this year. Thanks Mary!

Pic # 1 Dr John Kaiser, pics 2 & 3 are noid, 4 is New Dimension, 5 is group pic Thomas Edison in front.

Note to myself: Make Dahlia bed BIGGER next year. lol They have exceeded my expectations as far as growth, both height and width. Not complaining, just a little surprised at the difference in location.

You've got a few nice ones there Nanny. I especially like #2 and #3.

Thanks Seq. I wish I knew what those two are, but they are still pretty whatever they are. I may have to find a nickname for them lol
I have a "Dahlia Jungle" growing out there, gonna be fun trying to dig those up I'll bet. Kind of like trying to untangle a bowl of spaghetti. lol

Thanks, Nanny. My dahlias have gone through a difficult year, like those of many other gardeners'. We've gone from dry/wet/dry conditions and the plants are finally starting to come around. I hope the next couple months are more stable.

It's generally accepted that the large and giant dahlias are the last dahlias to bloom every year. That may be true of some or even most. But my KFL are among the first plants to bloom every year. I think I have at least six of them this year. Love 'em!

You have some very nice blooms. The third one looks like Fuzzy Wuzzy. I ordered it one time and received something entirely different. It's a very pretty color. Dr John is on fire!

When you make the bed bigger next year, be sure you make it (them) much, much bigger. It will save you the trouble later when you are adding dozens more each year. lol You can't have too many dahlias.

Thanks for the possible ID, Dan. It could very well be Fuzzy Wuzzy. I had a few small tubers that Mary sent me. The one with the tag That I know was Fuzzy Wuzzy was a victim of the weed eater and has never come back out. So it is possible that this is the second tuber, and the dog lost the tag. I have some metal tags that I am going to use that should solve that problem.
As for the expansion of the Dahlia bed, I would have already done it, if it had stopped raining long enough to work the soil. So it is definitely on my list. Hopefully sometime soon.

Yeah good luck indeed for digging them in the fall. That's going to be rough. How's your soil? If it's mostly clay that is going to be a good time.

We had a lot of fill dirt put in the yard so it is pretty good dirt. Not a lot of clay in it. So maybe it won't be so bad.

Oh that's great, hopefully they will come out easy.