Dahlias Summer 2015

On potted dahlias, do you still lift and bag for winter, do you water in winter, where do you keep them? indoors? garage? greenhouse (my greenhouse occasionally does hit freezing)

I thought about that but I think I'm still going to remove them from the pots and store them using the methods I've been using the last couple years. Plus I want to look and see how they did in the pot over the summer as a few might need to get upped to a larger pot.

Had a loud downpour last night. I had planned on watering today but no need now. Have to get out and do some staking but too humid for a few days. It was a spectacular storm with lots of lightening and thunder. It awakened many patients at the hospital.

Wow, sounds like it could have been nice rain. Too bad it woke patients though.

Glad to hear somebody is getting rain, it is terribly dry here. We really need a little rain.

Yeah it's super dry here too. We've had 2.74" since July 16.

It's been hot, humid and very dry here. I have some mowing to do and there's no use in putting it off since the temps have been '80's all week and according to the forecast will continue through at least next Wednesday. The slight chances of rain this week haven't produced a drop. It's overcast now and will probably pour just as I take the mower out of the tool shed. lol

I haven't seen a JB since last weekend. PLEASE! let them be gone for the rest of the year!

I have a few new blooms and some better looking repeats.

1) Alpen Pauline. Early stages.
2) Corn Supreme. All my big yellows look alike. Good thing since I'm a klutz at labeling.
3) Color Spectacle
4) ?? This looks like a water lily type from last year. Didn't think I saved any, but ....
5) Brookside Cheri

Here are a few more repeats that I've posted before.

1) Homer T
2) LaLuna. Thanks again to Mary.
3) Alpen Bill

After the JB last stand, I haven't seen any in at least a week either. I've been letting the grass go for almost 2 weeks between cuttings because of the drought. For some odd reason it hasn't browned out much yet.

Your blooms are looking lovely.

Thanks Jeff! I have several more that are opening for the first time this year. But with my labeling, I can never be sure what I'll find when they open. lol

Haha...well you sure have a lot to keep track of. I label when I put them away but that's it.

It was 1.8" and there was a shower this morning too.It certainly does help with the gardening chores.I think a lot of the prepackaged dahlias I purchased this year were mis-labeled. There are a lot that just don't match the package pics which I saved. I like them but their not who I thought they were and some of the colors would not have been placed where they were had I known. LOL!

Dan your Dahlias are spectacular, I can just imagine what your yard looks like right now with all those blooms. That is what I like about Dahlias, they make such an eye catching display. I have another new white one blooming called 'Iceberg'. It is very large, but the first bloom is in behind some foliage and I couldn't get a good pic. Maybe I can get one later.

Dan, it would be great to get a pic of your entire dahlia garden. I'd like to see how big this thing is.

Hostages, you're so lucky to be getting rain. It is soooooooo dry here.

Thanks Nanny! They're not nearly as good as in the past, but have been looking better recently after a terrible start. Then I heard on the news this morning that we are due to set a record for the hottest first nine days of September in our area's history. And with only a very slight chance of any rain during the period. I didn't need to hear that.

Jeff, I don't have any pics of the gardens this year. I like to wait until most of the plants are full. This year it seems that as you're waiting for a new plant to bloom, an older one goes south. The backyard garden is about 25' x 75' but I'm only using about 2/3 of it right now. Hmmm. These photos are from last year and believe me, they are nothing fancy. And as I always say, please excuse the weeds. lol There are a couple more beds that I don't have photos of.

1) Raised bed in the front yard.
2) Along the back of the driveway.
3) Front of the driveway.
4) Part of the backyard bed.

Beautiful gardens Dan!

I was feeling so relieved that I hadn't found any JB's lately. I went out this morning to check this Ferncliff Illusion I had been waiting to see. I noticed little black droppings and expected to see a JB. Then I noticed this Cucumber Beetle inside the petals. I hadn't forgot about them but don't usually see them until later in the fall. Consider yourself fortunate if you don't have this pest around. There is a spotted version and a striped one. They do damage to the plant and foliage like the JB's and they produce a bacteria in their stomach which can spread to the plant and cause bacterial wilt. It might be time to get out the spray. Just when you thought it was safe to "get back into the water." lol

Thanks Nanny. Sometimes it's hard to maintain enthusiasm for gardening. Between the weather and the bugs, it seems something is out to "get" me 24/7. lol

Those dahlia gardens are great. What a nice show to have every year. It would be nice to be one of your neighbors; getting to enjoy the fruits without the worries and the work!

Every August it seems I go through a period of despair about the garden. That time is usually when I have insect damage, drought, something dying, plants flopping over, and whatever else happened earlier in the season load up on my at once. The despair goes away as I stubbornly muddle through the negatives to gardening.

I think we all struggle with the same things this time of year, maybe just in different degrees. Bugs and weather seem to be the biggest of those Issues. I have some of those pesky little beetles. I agree it might be time to break out the spray.

I watered the beds in front this morning. There's a "threat" of rain this afternoon and tonight so I'll hold off until tomorrow morning to water the ones in the back. We're headed toward 87 today so any rain would be welcomed. There doesn't appear to be any cool down until Thursday. Today starts the first weekend of college football and I'm not moving off the couch, heat or no heat. lol

These blooms have opened the past couple days.

1) Blackberry Ripple. Looks like a baby size version of the Alpen Pauline that I posted a couple days ago.
2) Clint's Climax
3) Danum Meteor
4) Ferncliff Illusion The bugs haven't found this one yet.
5) Canby Centennial

Odd name but the Clints Climax is really nice.

It rained a lot again last night but it didn't cool us down like they said it would. The air is so thick you could cut it with a knife. Supposed to be some severe storms tonite which is supposed to cool us down for a nice Labor day. Spectacularlighte ning and thunder again last night.

Before you know it autumn will come for you up there Hostages. I'm sure not getting the rain down here.

Awesome pics Dan. I like Client's Climax, too. but I wouldn't mind having any of them in my garden. Your Dahlias may have got off to a slow start, but they are clearly making up for lost time. No

Haha yeah that's for sure.

Rained again last night. Gorgeous out today. The humidity has dropped and a sunny 80 day. Who couod ask for anything more?

Thanks for the kind words. My dahlias are popping open a lot of blooms but I also have a few "dogs." Some are slow to bud (may be late blooming varieties) and several have a lot of yellow leaves. My Trooper Dan started with a big pretty 8" bloom and the next 8 or 10 were barely 4". Now the plant looks like it's drying up. My Tahiti Sunrise looked diseased a few weeks ago. I cut it back to about 12" and removed about 90% of the leaves. I gave it a couple heavy foliar feedings of fish fertilizer and Miracle Gro and it's back to almost it's full height with nice green leaves. Hopefully, I'll see some blooms. Dahlias like stable weather and this year has been anything but. If the dahlias can stand this weekend's heat and tomorrow's high of 88, they should be able to stand about anything.

Our weather experts have forecast rain four of the last five days. We haven't got a drop. Now they're calling for a chance of rain tonight and every day through Thursday. My personal forecast says the only water my plants will get will come from the hose.

I have noticed that this hot, humid weather is starting to take it's toll on the Dahlias. And no rain on top of it all. I have a few that are losing foliage and looks like they are drying up as you said. Do you think I should cut them back? I think having to water so late in the evening may be causing an issue. I noticed this evening that some of the leaves look like they might be getting powdery mildew. I read somewhere that you could use milk as a spray for that. Anybody ever tried it?
What kind of fungicide is best for Dahlias? Just in case that becomes necessary.

Other than deadheading the spent blooms, I'm not really sure I'd do any cutting or trimming right now. In this miserable weather I'm sure the plants are somewhat stressed. I'd wait until it was a little cooler. Some of mine show signs of wilting during mid-day but perk back up by morning. I've cut back several plants over the years and had pretty good luck with re-growth. I've cut a couple all the way to about ground level and I believe one or two have bloomed by season's end. I can't remember for sure. Of course, that was earlier in the year than this. A foliar feeding might be something to try before doing any cutting. I'd take off any yellowing leaves and mix Miracle Gro or something with high nitrogen at half strength and give the plant and the soil around it a good soaking. My Tahiti Sunrise has responded well so far but hasn't budded yet.

I've always heard that watering late in the evening is a no-no but I've done it occasionally. Sometimes you've gotta do what you've gotta do.

It's terribly hot and humid again today. The chance of rain is now for tomorrow instead of this afternoon and tonight and is 70-80%. Promises, promises! lol

I did mix up some Miracle Gro and watered them well. We are expected to have rain tomorrow or the next day, hopefully a good soaking will help with the wilting. It is so dry that watering just isn't getting it.

I forgot to say the only spray I've used on dahlias a couple years ago was Bayer's Advanced Disease Control. I still thought the foliar feed or cutting them back turned out better. I've heard of the milk remedy but haven't tried it.

I think four of these blooms are ones I haven't posted before.

1) Elma Elizabeth. My first bloom on EE in three or four years of trying.
2) Vera's Elma. The tag says it's VE but I'm not so sure.
3) AC Paint. I think? lol
4) Lilac Time
5) Babylon Purple. Much darker than the photo shows.

I think I've posted most of these before.

1) Gitt's Perfection. I love it but I'm disappointed it's not showing any pink at all.
2) Bodacious. Opened a few days ago and looks more ragged than normal.
3) Danum Meteor. Not quite as big as the 10" ones last year but more full.
4) Lady Darlene. Each new bloom is showing more yellow and less red.
5) Lady Darlene

Dan, I also have trouble getting the Purples to show true to color in the pics, although I am not sure why. Gotta love that EE! They all look great.
Next year I think I will install soaker hoses in that bed before I plant the Dahlias, and see if that helps.

I like the Lady Darlene, very pretty. My Tahiti Sunrise has not yet bloomed either. It is more shaded than some others though. It's right next to a Bloomerang Lilac and a vigorous zinnia. I'm not sure it will bloom this season. Hopefully we get some rain this week. They are calling for it but I only believe what I see fall out of the sky this time of year.

Our local experts are calling for an 80% chance of rain today. The forecast from the National Weather Service has me scratching my head. It says, "A chance of rain and t'storms before 11 AM, then rain and t'storms likely between 11 AM and 1 PM, then a chance of rain and t'storms after 1 PM., otherwise cloudy with a high of 78." Huh??? What did I just read? Isn't that pretty much the same all day? I feel like I burned up a few brain cells reading that. And I didn't have any to spare in the first place. lol

Nanny, I've read that several of the vendors on the Big List have an impossible time with showing the true colors of reds and purples. I don't recall the reasons why, but as far as photography goes, anything other than "point and shoot" is over my head. At least we're not alone with this problem.

Our forecast is calling for "beneficial rain" DUH! We haven't had rain for almost 2 weeks, so I expect anything we get is going to be beneficial. The good news is the temps are going to be in the uppers 60s to low 70s which will be a good thing for the plants, along with rain, that should perk them up. A huge improvement from the weather we have had lately. The weather front that is coming in extends up into Indiana and Ohio so hopefully You will get some of this too, Dan.

It was muggy this morning and we were still in the low 80's. It's cooled to 77 now and very overcast. We had two "showers" earlier, neither of which lasted more than a few seconds. I lost count after the first 10-15 drops. I just saw that the latest "look out the window" forecast has dropped the chances of rain from 70-80% down to 30%. Being an outdoorsman and gardener, I know that I harp and whine about the weather and forecasts more than anyone. They can't give you an accurate daily forecast yet try to detail it by the hour like the idiotic thing I mentioned this morning by the NWS. I'm sure forecasting was more accurate 20-30 years ago. Supposedly, five days in the past week with a chance of rain and so far not a drop until today and then not even enough to need the windshield wipers. This is getting totally insane.

Raining right now here. It rained a bit yesterday too. Highs supposed to be in the low 60's this weekend. I don't count on the forecast much anymore either. If it seems like things need water I go ahead and water. Rain is a bonus! lol