Poochella, don't keep us suspense!!!

Oh dear, Joann,
We will be busy on Sat., won't we.
A red waterlily? Oh that sounds so pretty. Yes, I love red too.
Can't wait until Sat.!!!
Carol

YES: Sue in Wa Connell's is well worth the trip. I went last year: 5 acres of bloom after bloom: don't miss the smaller beds up by the house either, or the gladiolas. It's just too much: I took notes, copious notes while parading around with my jaw on my chest LOL.

They have plenty of labelled flowers on display inside, a handy shopping guide to make notes on what to order as you go thru the rows and rows and rows of flowers. Cutflowers/bouquets for sale, basic snack/coffee etc. There are tables to sit and just swoon as you're surrounded by thousands of blooms. I want to have my funeral there, provided I can drop dead during dahlia season and as tired as I am right now- chances are looking good for 05! Whoa- perish the thought.

You guys have fun at Swan Island- I will think of your fun from afar. Mostly I wish you'd think of me while munching down a delicious plate of corn on the cob! Have fun!

Carol, I get tubers from Connell's, Dan's, a few from Swan, NW Flower and Garden show, swaps, and Puget Sound Dahlia Association. Also a few from stores or nursery if the spirit moves me.

Lenjo, that Tempest photo ( pretty!) reminds me of Hillcrest Kismet posted on my Pink thread. It's really coral/orange/pinkish with gold tones. impossible to describe! I found Camano Denali is in that same category. American Dahlia Assoc categorizes it as pink: my eye. It's orangey/rosey/brickish color with yellow.

I hope you find some wonderful new flowers to try- bring us back all the news on any good finds.

Thanks, Annie, still wish you could come. Would be neat to meet you. I hope SID is like what you describe about Connell's.
Nah, I won't think of you while eating corn on the cob. I will think of you when I am just gazing at all the dahlias!!! Knowing how many you already have, since your garden is so pretty with them all already.
Carol

Carol, Swan Island is 40 acres, you just can't begin to take it all in.
At least my brain is limited that way. The huge big arrangements in the warehouses that are half sunk in the ground are just awesome too. You will think you have died and gone to dahlia heaven.

LOL Poochella - yep summer cleanup is about to start over here too! I'm trying to get out of work this weekend so I can visit Connells before the open house is over.

Thanks for the info!

Oh my, 40 acres!!!!
That I have to see now for sure!!! CAN'T WAIT!
Just deleted all my compact flash memory cards for taking pics there.

Sue, get out of work and come to Swan Islands Dahlias then instead!

Carol

Oh I wish!! :-D

Swan Islands sounds like a little slice of heaven on earth. If I'm lucky I'll get to go to Connells tomorrow. One of these years I'm going to get down to Swan Islands though!

Oh, Sue, I want to get to Connell's someday and then to Port Townsend during lily season. I was there many years ago but not when the lilies were in bloom. We also visited Butchart Gardens at that time. That was heavenly too.

Lenjo - you have to add Heronswood to your list too. On Bainbridge Island. Can't vouch for it because I've never been there, but every single person I've talked to about Heronswood raves about it!

And I've never been to Butchart Gardens either. I don't get out too much do I? LOL.

Heronswood is a nursery? garden?

Heronswood is a nursery ........with extensive gardens.

http://www.heronswood.com/

I can't believe I didn't go there this year seeing that I was there for the Bainbridge tour!

Ivory Palaces a whopper chiffon yellow ID on huge stems. I think it might be a huge photo, sorry.

Link shows a pair of them in early a.m. light.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v293/poochella/New%20Dahlias%202005/The%20New%20Ones%202005/Ivorypals.jpg

One more to tempt Doss: Tropicana my made up name for a long ago lost name of this med/large orange and yellow ID

Caproz Razbry Twinkle- newly opened.

Newly opened and yet INVISIBLE! LOL
sorry.

My goodness, how the red cactus is super.

Cornel- 3 inch red ball

Summer Night dark maroon cactus

You cannot keep this one in suspense: Bright fiery red/orange with some yellow. Helen's Alvin Sr. Not fully opened. 6 inches up and down.

Wow!
Neat orange one!
Cool!
I get a hint of the rest of your yard behind that pretty orange dahlia.
Carol

You're so fast Carol! LOL. I mowed tonight as the leaves are constantly falling- have to pick them out of the dahlias constantly. The property line is only about 40 feet from the garden and a nasty stand of the neighbor's alders resides there. No worries: they routinely fall down one by one in each winter wind storm of substance giving me more sun!

What you see in the blurry background is one shade bed, then the big bad woods from which visit furry carnivores on occasion. I always make sure I have a dog with me when going into the woods.

Nicer indoor shot of Caproz Razbry Twinkle=- really a unique color, not red, not pink. Dusky sort of.

Liar! that is just as bad as the first one- so sorry. I WILL get a good shot of that bloom, it will just have to wait.

Well, Annie, if you have a stand of alder, yuck. Not a nice stand of trees at all.
If any branches end up over your property line, I would cut them to try to get more light then. Tho I guess you have free leaf compost each year then, hehe.
Carol

Leaves R Us Carol. We have at least 4 mature giant maples alone, a scattering of young alders, and then those pesky neighboring alders. Mostly evergreens here, which I like. The neighbor even offered to cut the aldersdown when he logged there 5 years ago, but I said no thanks. Fool. I was reeling from the loss of his surrounding evergreens and wanted not one more tree to fall. The alders are unprotected from big winds, and are falling annually on their own accord : ) Trouble is, there's a whole new herd of youngsters lining up behind them- pesky trees really. But good compost contributors and firewood.

This is really washed out- I think the flash went off, so to envision Razbry Twinkle, think "darker than this."

Does anyone else grow "Fire and Ice?"

I love the colors and tons of blooms, but I wonder if this hasn't gone single because I do not adore it in this form. I had hoped for a fuller flower. It is just not what I hoped it would be, and a shame because it's one of 3 plants I got a successful cutting off LOL.
So far the cutting plant hasn't bloomed, buds are formed though.

So no one else has Fire and Ice?

Here is a new bloom I am just gaga over. Don't know whether to put it under reds/ or purples. It's name is "That's Jake" and it has produced the most wondrous bloom color after I daftly broke the poor thing off early on in the season.

I would say it's a deep rich mauve, not red, not purple by any means, not dark pink. It's just tops! Funny, I picked out about 4-5 dahlias this year that I have an incredible time trying to describe. That's Jake is one of them, Camano Denali, Hillcrest Kismet are others.
Here's Jake, about 6 inches across and not fully open here, I couldn't wait!

Yes, that 'That Jake' sure is a very nice looking one. I want that one. Put that one on my list, hehe.
It kind of has different type of petals on it. Definitely different and I like different things.
Carol

Done, Carol!

Bad photo of Hy Salvia, and a bad, malformed bloom but the color is a wonderful deep red. The shape reminds me of "Little Shop of Horrors" bloom LOL. It's fairly large ~7-8 inches across.

Better color representation of Keith H 5-6 inch waterlily.

Sorry to repost: but this is much better of Chimacum Topaz- a very prolific bloomer and tubermaker as I said, somewhere. And if I didn't say it, I'm saying it now. It was Flower of the Year back in the 90's, I believe.

I made it to the PSDA bouquet fest meeting last night- WOW rows and rows of vases showing what people brought from their gardens. Not a competition, just to show your wares. Cameras were flying everywhere to capture favorites. A room filled with dahlia fans and flowers was a hubbub of activity for sure.

The Boleys were there, dahlia hybridizers ( the 'Sandia') varieties come from them, and brought these lovely large laciniated yellows and purples, among others. I believe she said they were seedlings on their way to production in years to come. Very fluffy and bright yellow.

That sounds like a great thing to do and see. Did you show off any of your beauties,Annie?

Oh yes indeed. For each bouquet you brought ( some people brought 3 flowers in a vase) you got one raffle ticket for prizes- so I took four. Should have used every spare vase and jar I have because they gave away a huge, gorgeous 15 lb thick glass vase to the first winner. It wasn't me : ( Then came several gift certificates to a great local nursery, a dahlia bag and useful tools/pencils from the National Show in Nova Scotia.
Here is one view of most of the rows:

I took color groups of mine, because it wasn't a show type thing, just see what others' have..
My autumn colors all crammed into one vase:

and pinks and yellows. Several folks were interested in that spidery yellow cactus, and Hawaii, the pink/white tips to the right.
Ewww Foxy lady looks really washed out ( above the yellow ball)

And a little group of purples. Again, people loved that wild purple semi cactus in front- just the bright color that is hard to find, I think.

Wow, Annie, that sounds and looks so cool to see all the dahlias other people grow. What fun!
Wish we had something like that around here. There is a dahlia soc. in Eugene and I need to hook up with some people to go down there to their meetings maybe.
Your bouquets looks great with all the different colors.
Carol

crossed-posted, lol