Poochella, don't keep us suspense!!!

I am waiting for reds, yellows, and oranges. Come on girl, what 's taking you so long? LOL Joann

HA Joann! LOL I was just working on them, lamenting that photobucket or something in my computer is hopelessly sooooooooooooo slow! I have new pictures- just be patient. New blooms opening daily.

here's a little appetizer for your dahlia dinner to follow...

Allie: a bright 2-3 inch yellow ID. Grrrrrrrrrrrrreat for brightening up a bouquet or your yard.

More: For the bright and bold fans: Brightstar med. sized ~ 6 inch diameter, Incurved Cactus in bright orange. It's crazy! I keep an eye on this one to see if it will walk or move around in a vase someday.

The lovely 5-6 inch Cameo. Palest of yellow waterlilies and so fragile looking. But it is very sturdy indeed among its bolder cousins.

Let's wake you up with a bit of red: it's Cha Cha; an older dahlia. Better sun this year is kicking out 4 inch blooms in red/white tad of yellow cactus shapes.

Lenjo, was it you who noted cactus didn't hold up so long once cut? I meant to ask if you used floral preservative of some kind. I use Schultze's Rose and Flower preservative, cut into hot water with preservative; put flowers in dark, cool place to rest for several hours, then recut underwater and plunk into vase with more preservative. They are usually good for at least 4 days, then start to look tired. Keeping a vase out of direct sun/heat helps alot too.

Moving on...

Chimacum Topaz: the first dahlia I ever owned and it's all been downhill from there. Two years ago I had FIFTEEN plants of this and about 1000 flowers ( it seemed.) I was so sick of these I cut and dropped them to the ground as I walked through the garden.
Shame on me! It's really a nice med yellow with bronze tips/center semi cactus, quite prolific and quite good at making tubers which accounts for the 15 plants!

Contessa: a bright, bright red orange waterlily. Broomstick sturdy stems and quite prolific in blooms of 4-5 inch width. A very nice 3- 3.5 ft bush.

Honka! I never thought I'd like these little bitty orchids but I have since changed my mind big time. The 3 foot bush is chuck full of bright yellow 4-5 inch stars of blooms. So cute.

Another type: Collarette Jack O Lantern. Variable bright orange and yellow 4-6 inch blooms on a 3 foot bush or less. Each flower varies: some mostly yellow/ some mostly orange.

Arabian Night: deep dark red on tall stems. Very nice and fairly prolific. The plant is about 4-5 feet but flowers are towering at about 6 feet for me. Hope it doesn't get windy!

Jomanda: bigtime show winner, you see it everywhere. So I got one.
It grew well and then fell over unnoticed by moi` for a good two days- long enough to have all its great stems start aiming for the sun! BLAST.
But I have cut or wasted all those curled stems by now, restaked the plant and all is well. It's a beautiful muted medium orange Ball, I think, and worth all the honors it gets.

Here's a little whippersnapper for you: Kasasagi. A prolific little pompon in bright yellow tipped in bright red. My plant is about 3.5 feet but I don't know if it'd be taller in better sun because Jomanda is shading it a bit. Anyway, I've learned from the gal I swapped with that it is as prolific in tubers as in blooms.

This message was edited Jul 11, 2006 6:06 AM

this is the only dahlia that I'm really disappointed in: Kari Fruit Salad. The Kari originations have my respect but this is just a dud: I have to shade it with an umbrella every noon or it totally wimps out, faded blooms are not as punchy as I'd hoped, nor as prolific. It's not any better in person than against this hideous bluish background! Sorry.
I will give it another chance next year: otherwise le composte` for Kari Fruit Salad....

Keith H- pale yellow waterlily tipped and edged in muted orange. ahhhh. It's really pretty in a subtle way.

wow Keith H looks pink and yellow. Now you see my confusion with Veeja's unknown ID. I wonder if that is really Bliss posted above.

I'll do a little comparison and hope I've labelled them right in computer files.

that was Bliss, before that was Keith H, my colors are just off!
Someday I'll read in my oh so tiny printed camera manual on how to adjust for purple etc. I know there's a certain setting you can adjust for to get more real life purples/pinks etc.

One more and then Pooch's signing off.... Goodnight!

How about Riverdance? A very hearty bushy bush with strong stems and lots of 3-4 inch fuzzy anemone blooms in bright red. I love this one, courtesy of Lowe's! Veeja are you having your hubby special order these?

Beautiful, every single one. And the photography. Are you using a flash? I find the secret to keeping dahlias alive in a vase is to pick them when they are only half way opened. Then you not only get to enjoy them, you get to see them unfold.

Air conditioning helps too.

Wow, more dahlias, huh, Annie? They look so great.
I do love the 'Cameo'. What a pretty color and the name goes with it so well.

Your 'RiverDance' looks so different than mine. I will have to check with Lenjo about this one. I got it from her and the picture she showed me and now my flowers are totally different.

Keep them coming!
Carol

Boy you guys are all night owls, LOL, I didn't see these till the next morning. Lovely as usual, Annie. That Jomanda and Contessa look wonderful. Riverdance I do have and it is an anemone all right but my is just a deeper darker red. Maybe it is just your camera. I kind of think that is probably the situation.

Carol, before frost, maybe you and I (Mendy too if she wants) will have to take a Sunday drive to Issaquah. I don't think it would be that far, do you? Isn't Issaquah right across the bridge from Astoria?

Nope, Joann,
It is in Seattle, more or less northeast of Seattle.
It is a long drive. About 4-5 hrs.
Annie just wrote me about where her place was since I drive up to my parents in Bellingham which is on the border of Canada a lot. So I will love to see her place sometime!

My 'Riverdance' is a pompom, ball shape and totally different colors. See my dahlias post. Hum, must be something different then.

About being nightowls, yeah, I didn't want to go to bed. Was reading the Weather Forum about Katrina. SO SAD!

But anyways, Annie's dahlias are just beautiful!
Carol

We are 3 hours from Portland! East of Seattle. So when you said "we're not that far" I thought what a mighty traveller you must be. I hate driving 5 minutes to the grocery store LOL. But you are welcome to make a road trip anytime except this weekend or the second week in October.

Doss, I didn't know if they would open up if cut early, seems like some haven't in the past, so I try to wait. I'll try a little experiment today on a few half open ones. Sometimes use a flash, but usually not as it washes out everything. I must confess I am not an avid photographer, I don't have any artistic sense, or much other sense either!

Usually, I head out to the garden in early morning- like right about now because I know Cornell is open and a big fluffy Ivory Palaces too- coming soon to a computer screen near you!

here's one more of my beloved Incurved Cactuses: Could be Normandy Gail, more likely a Dutch variety whose name I lost long ago.

Well, then what is right across the bridge from Astoria? Ah, is it Ilwaco!!!! Oh rats, I was hoping for a peak at Annie's garden. Well we do get a good peak here. I will go check your 'riverdance' out.

Little Tiger- short 2-3 foot plant with rather cute bright red/white 3 inch puffs Inf. Dec I'd say.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v293/poochella/New%20Dahlias%202005/The%20New%20Ones%202005/littletiger05.jpg

And my big coup: I finally grew Brookside J Cooley after rotting tubers a couple years running.

Carol, I went back through your thread and didn't see any that you labeled Riverdance but I did see a wine red anemone and you labeled it Taboo. I have deep wine anemone and it is called Soulman. Riverdance is a clear bright red. I love the foliage on anemones too.

Speaking of Seattle: here's one

And here's Rejman's Polish Kid- an interesting brick red with white, looks checkered. Only 3 feet tall for me, maybe that's the norm.
Here it looks brighter red than in reality, just like Riverdance must. I must whap my camera and fix this problem!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v293/poochella/New%20Dahlias%202005/The%20New%20Ones%202005/Rejmanstriple05.jpg

Yeah, guess I have the pic of 'Riverdance' still on the camera.
Sorry, but I do know that the 'Taboo' is that. You gave me a whole clump of it that day and I divided it up and planted it. I just did a google for a picture of 'Taboo' and can't find one.
Well, guess I will have to do more research.

Annie, will say it again, love that 'Seattle'. So distinct!
Carol

OMG~! I just went out to get a few more reds- another shot of Riverdance and discovered I was taking photos on the "indoor setting" this whole time! THE WHOLE TIME- every flower, for two weeks. Then I discovered the digital macro setting (couldn't find it again, of course, but I know it's in there somewhere because I got a water droplet and an earwig caught in their various garden acts.)

I am going to have to reshoot all my blooms and see if the colors ring more true. Told you I wasn't a photographer.

LOL!!!

My Seattles are just sitting there. I don't understand, they have been watered, fertilized and they are having a sit in or something. They are protesting my lack of attention. LOL Sigh, what's a dahlia grower to do? I am being silly, but seriously what is the problem this year with some of these guys? It is a good thing we didn't do our commercial field.

Joann/Lenjo I carefully planted for size/height as I told you elsewhere. So Connell's order arrived and there was a special ** note by Orchid Lace " One of our tallest varieties- plant accordingly" So I put it in the far back of the bed where it wouldn't shade out other dahlias. Well the others in front of it are all 3-4-5 feet tall and poor Orchid Lace is just having its own little sit in:

Like a foot tall! Turned out it was rotting when I dug it up to investigate. I did the necessary first aid and hope it will at least produce one tuber so I can try it again next year. There is no hope for a flower. Same for little Morgenster- a white laciniate I really wanted to see. I finally moved it to better sun, but it's just sulking at just over a foot tall. Sometimes no matter what we try, failure is waiting to play its wicked game with us.

How many plants did you have when you were commercial? I can't imagine handling much more in terms of dahlias. It's morning noon and night, the way it stands.

All right guys, here is a bad picture of 'RainDance'. Was too windy tonight. Sorry.
Joann, this tuber came from you, that I do know. So what is it?
In the far left of the picture, the bloom looks better and the actual colors.

Carol.that is Raz Ma Taz. Mine isn't doing so hot. Your little pompon is doing great it seems.

Is that your little pink pompon in the background Carol? Cute!

Look what I found: macro setting, Outdoors too. I wonder what I could do if I read the directions to something before using it?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v293/poochella/New%20Dahlias%202005/The%20New%20Ones%202005/BEEBEE05.jpg

One more to follow as a link because I think outside of Photobucket it's about 4 months to download LOL.

check out the stems reflected in the water.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v293/poochella/New%20Dahlias%202005/The%20New%20Ones%202005/dripmacro.jpg

better shot of Allie : bright yellow ID.

Another new yellow: Polventon Supreme, pale/medium soft yellow and one of those gorgeously formed flowers.

Wow, love those unusual pics.
Did you take them yourself? Very good photography!

That is right. I do have a 'Raz Ma Taz' planted there and couldn't figure out which one it was. Thank you very much!!! My map said there should have been a 'Raz Ma Taz' but was missing a plant. So 'RiverDance' is the one that didn't come up or is blooming yet.

Nah, the pink pom pom isn't that cute. It is one of the first one to bloom in the late spring but is very lanky, the blooms don't really last that long, and you can't use the flowers in bouquets very well.

Like that yellow 'Allie'. Don't have too many yellow dahlias I have realized.
Carol

That is a pretty soft yellow.

Where do you get your dahlias from then? You have so many and such different ones too.

I just found out about Connells nursery near Tacoma. There was an article in the Seattle Times online this morning. Poochella - is it worth the trip? The article says they have potted Dahlias for sale. I think our garden needs more. :)

I like that Polventon Supreme. It would be a stunner with Maarn. I went to the State Fair yesterday and Swan Island had a small display. They had a couple there one was called Tempest. It was kind of a Hot Cocoa rose color. I know what i will look for Saturday.
http://www.dahlias.com/product_info.php?products_id=310&osCsid=72add6c06ee14fc834ad16868fa8635d. The picture just doesn't do it justice. There was also another one called Patricia Ann's Sunset. It looked like a waterlily, Carol, and a red one to boot. Red is definitely my weakness.