I'm new to this Forum, but thoroughly enjoyed visiting a trial garden yesterday that was set up by the American Dahlia Society. While I searched around for the names of the different cultivars, all I found were numbered tags and no key to the codes.
Are trial gardens generally comprised of new hybrids still under evaluation, or might they also include commercially available cultivars? I'd love to find out what this one is, for example.
Thanks in advance,
Donna
This looks like 'Little Show Off' to me, but I don't know for sure. I don't have the actual plant but am looking at the Swan Island Dahlia catalog.
Annie (Poochella) might be able to answer your question better but I am assuming you can go to the Am. Dah. Soc. website and get the codes. But guess not. I just am looking there and don't know where the codes might be. I did receive some tubers last spring from a guy who belong to the Eugene Dahlia Soc. and he used the code from them. Then told me later the actual name of it.
That trial garden must have been kind of neat to walk thru.
Carol
Thank you for responding, Carol. The tags were very simple, numbered from 1 to 30-something; nothing as special as what it seems I alluded to in my original post. :)
Here are a few overview pics of the trial garden that I discovered via a search. Yes, it was a delight to visit, even as late in the season as it is and considering that some had already been pulled up!
http://www.dahlias.net/OGtopbox/OGpicbox/spokane1.jpg
http://www.dahlias.net/OGtopbox/OGpicbox/spokane2.jpg
http://www.dahlias.net/OGtopbox/OGpicbox/spokane3.jpg
Wow! wow and wow! I want that to be my yard- thanks for the photos.
I don't really know the particulars of Trial Gardens, but from a few conversations I've heard that you need to grow your seedling, or sport or new creation for several years to determine its genetic stability. If it's purple and yellow this year, will it grow the same next year and hold it's form? Then you can submit it to the Trial Garden where it is grown and judged for its various merits by some very scrutinizing dahlia judges. If it passes muster you get to name it, build up your stock and sell it as your very own origination and die a millionaire- or something like that LOL!
I believe there are at least two Trial gardens in the US, probably more: West is in Tacoma WA (yay!) and East might very well be the one Tutti posted.
I don't have enough room to dabble in seedlings but if I did, by the time I got around to creating a new dahlia I'd have to name it " I'm So Tired!"
Thank you, Annie! I think you've saved me a lot of time and frustration in trying to get IDs for the lovely flowers I saw in the Trial Garden. :)
For fun, though, I just may post a few of them here for 'eye candy'. hehehe
Donna
Yes, yes; please do post them. The more the merrier. We will need inspiration during the coming months of dullsville Winter.
Heh, that's all the encouragement I need. Will start a new thread in the next day or two so folks will know not to try to ID them or ask for tubers since they're 'only' up for trials. :)
When I went to the Whatcom County dahlia show in September I saw a number of new seedlings that were lovely. I was told they have to be grown for 3 or 4 years before they can even be shown as seedlings. I sure hope some of the beauties I saw make it to the marketplace.
