Poochella's: Starting with purples, my favorites!

And Granny, to answer your long ago question about Kari Blue and Lauren Michelle colors here: No, I wouldn't say they are true at all. Purples are hard to capture- I read a long detailed reason why ( has to do with sensos and prisms tricking some color receptor in the camera guts. We can put a camera on mars on a dune buggy, but can we capture purple here on Earth????)

Kari Blue, in real life, is a fairly rich dark lavender with undertones of blue- a blue toned lavendery medium purple let's call it LOL.

Lauren Michelle is fairly captured above- a bit richer toned in the real world.

I saw another knock out 'edged' dahlia on another board: "Clearview David" Does any one grow Clearview David and care to comment on it?

Jennifer's Wedding: deep purple split tips, 4 ft plant 6 inch flowers. I can't make my camera get the color when it's alone, but if you smush up it next to oranges you get a better glimpse of the true colors.

Annie:
Who is that yummy orange that you used for contrast? I think I need it.

The yummy curly one? Brightstar. I sent you one according to my records, but perhaps it didn't have an eye? The waterlily to the bottom sides are Reedly.

Late and disappointing this year after a stellar performance in 04: Elizabeth Hammet- so many reliable 2-3 inch pale lavender blooms last year, and this year: one half open, two buds to go. I don't know where I went wrong, but it's going back to last year's location in 06.

Granny- here is a better representation of Lauren Michelle- I struggle with that dang camera so... push buttons til it works!
Taken today...

Finally: Camano Grace has opened up. Medium large cactus in pretty lavender with white. Tall sucker too: 5-6 feet.

I've waited and waited for a better Optic Illusion to open and this is what I got today. Marbled lavender/pinky on white; about 4-5 inches across, but only a 3 foot bush which I think is because it was so slow to get started.

Lupin Bernie is changing color tones a bit, but still as nice the second time around. It took a long while for the second flush of blooms to get going.
Here's September's Bernie.

Wow, Annie,
Those dahlias sure are pretty!

I have noticed for some reason some of the short ones are late bloomers.
I need to start organizing my dahlia by early, med., and late blooming better next year.

So, is it just by each individual's experience (subject to location and weather, of course) that dahlia varietys can be organized by early, med and late blooming. Or, is there some larger generalization that can be used to determine bloom time, such as plant size, bloom size, flower color or form?

Sure, you can arrange the dahlias by what you have listed. It is up to whatever people want to do.
I think all of us find out the first year with the dahlias on their size of plant, bloom size, maturity, etc. the hard way at times. I have found out that some don't like the shade very much and take a long time to get going, the ones planted late are so different from the normal planted ones, etc.
You learn so much each year about them, I think. Even the ones you don't like anymore, hehe.
I think it depends upon the area you have designated for dahlias too. You need to plant the tubers according to their height, size of plants, and maturity so they will do their best growing and producing lots of flowers.
Just my 2 cents.
Carol

I think the biggest generalization I've heard is 90 days from planting to average bloom time. Some will be blooming at 70, some at 120 days. Some are notorious late starters like Thomas Alva Edison- oooh I want to see that one really bad too! Emory Paul was slow too- I got rid of it. Hissy Fitz is slow for me, even though it's in good sun and growing robustly. Ditto for Yvonne- haven't seen one yet, buds have been on plant for weeks. I think some of them are just slow period.

As Carol said, plant to accommodate height so all plants get the best shot at sun possible. And even then if you have a partially rotting tuber or bad soil, that will slow them down too. Throw in some funky weather and it's all a crapshoot! A lot of dahlia gardeners have repeated how much of an off season we've had here in the NW: cool and wet longer than normal, not so many hot days once Summer did get started.

Thank you Carol and Annie for your insight. I guess I better get going with my dahlia journal so I don't have to trust my memory (which has its "moments") from year to year.

BTW, I bought Thomas Edison from Select Seeds online this year and it is blooming now. If I get too close though, my camera can't seem to record the true color. It is a rich saturated deep purple. I have found Thomas A. Edision at dahlias.org and dahlias. net and the 1929 date is the same. Are Thomas Edison, Thomas A. Edison, and Thomas Alva Edison three different dahlias, or the same? Have you had similar situations where the name is slightly different?

The Select Seeds Thomas Edison is at http://www.selectseeds.com/cgi-bin/htmlos.cgi/0019.2.5588048437276037479
but I'm pretty sure the "50 feet" comment is a typo. LOL

Oh man, that is really a heavenly purple! I hope mine will at least start to open before it freezes- thanks for the post.

I think TA Edison, Thomas Edison etc are one and the same.

Geez, you guys sure are late with 'Thomas Edison'.
My first tuber opened up a long time ago, tho it is stuck in the back row and gets only like 2 1/2' tall. The 2nd tuber I have of it was planted late and it opened up like 1 1/2 week ago. It is in more full sun and in the front row and still is only like 3' tall. I do like the color tho, so nice deep purple
My "Hissy Fitz' has been opened for a very long time too. It was planted medium late but is in full sun in the front yard where it gets lots of sun and reflection from the house I bet.
My 'Emory Paul' was one of the first ones to open this summer and is still going, tho slowly now.
I am surprised on you guys certain dahlias just opening up. Tho the 'Emory Paul' was overwintered in the ground. 'Hissy Fitz' wasn't.

Carol

Here I am two weeks later with a photo to show of Thomas A Edison.
Too bad it suffered in recent rains and cold weather. My color is nothing like what I'd expected, but I will start this monster early and hope for better blooms next year.

Hi all.... I drool at all these dahlias - I'm on the northern California coast, and I think I mentioned to daisyruffles once, next time I head north, you folks are going to have to put up with a visit from me!!! :o)

I have a nice purple that I was told was called "Elise". Attached is one of my latest (and nearly last) blooms.

Sanna

Sanna,
That is a very pretty bloom.
Yes, you can come visit. Come up next summer to the Swan Island Dahlia to take a tour then if you really want to see dahlias. It will overwhelm you for sure.
We may also have a RU in the spring so you should attend then too.
Carol

Poochella,
If you have a digital camera, you should have a setting on it for the size "email"

forgot the most important part - as a purple dahlia freak, those are just the most delicious looking blooms ever! love that first one, and the Lauren Michelle.

Sanna, that is lovely indeed. I love the delicate blend of white and purple. The trouble is I love pink, white, red, orange and yellow and purple and lavenderTOO!

Daylily2 Zeus, I don't know that I've seen that feature on my camera- am still trying to figure out all the features and really wish I could better capture the true purple of some flowers.

I got a little October surprise the other day on returning from Vacation to survey the dahlia patches: Have had a 'mystery' dahlia growing where tubers had previously rotted last spring. I tried to save a rotting one and figured I had just plunked in some spare tuber instead. Well it turned out the rotter WAS saved and went on to grow.
It is a wonderful prolific medium3-5 inch rich purple with no name, but I am so glad to have recovered it as it was the last of those tubers. It will look pink or red here...

sorry, on mine, the email size is called VGA. try looking in the instructions under "image size" - and I try adjusting for the lighting conditions if colours are off - you can adjust for sun, cloud, different types of lighting, etc. this may be called "white bal"

Yes! That's it: white balance is what I've seen referred to by dahlia photographers, but I can't find that either (yet) I have no time to do it this season but over winter I hope to study up. I have my pixels set at 640x 480 or SMALL now rather than 100,000 x 65,000 or Big Enough To Eat Your Harddrive.

Thanks Daylily.

the blind leading the blind as far as this stuff is concerned!

I have Emory Paul too: a giant in medium to dark purple with a faint hint of gold on the unopened petals. The buds are huge on this sucker! This one had been beated by rains and wind, so see Doss' photo for a better flower of it.