Some more of mine :-)

Would you look at this "trunk"? This is what is holding up 'Elma Elizabeth'. I swear it is at least 2 1/2".

'Elma Elizabeth' hiding among lateral stems:

Pooch, 'Hillcrest Kismet' is beginning to open. More orangy than peachy.
Open. Open. Open, will you please?

Here are the cuttings in my next door neighbor's backyard. I've waited 20 years for her to let me go over the fence. LOL

Carol, the orange border is blooming = ~16 /17 of them. How fun:

'Lavid' from cutting:

'Camano Pet'! I am so glad. I thought I had lost this one for sure. This one is also another cutting:

Another cutting. I'll have to go root around the base for the tag:

Karma Prospero
Some bugs made those black drops:

Well, cool on that orange one. Am glad it is happy in IL.
I was showing off my dahlias today at the estate sale and I noticed something very new and big. It was your 'Elma Elizbeth'!!! Mine isn't as thick of a stalk as yours, but the bloom sure is very pretty and big. Will get a pic tomorrow, I hope.
Just love those 'Karma' tho. Lovely type of petals!
You are doing very well with cutting, I see. I have a few. Several of mine broke off and I just stuck them in the ground and they are growing. Of course, I forgot to label them so........
Looks good tho, Mone.
Carol

Nice work there Mone! The stalks on some of these dahlias are amazing as is Elma Elizabeth's bloom. My EE plant from you is struggling still. Love the K. Prospero, beautiful color-it's a beauty!

I lost Hillcrest Kismet :( except for a tiny little 4 inch cutting. But I hope your's goes on to grow. Last year mine was rather spindly in the tuber making department but that was one beautiful flower. Among my alltime favorites for sure.

You're lucky to have your neighbors' yard to play in. Love the oranges! You have to tell us about the plastic and soil over it in that bed. Is it to preserve moisture? Make heat? Or am I seeing things wrong?

Thanks, Carol & Pooch.

You can have any of the Dahlias I have, you know that. I just went to the temple a couple days ago. The dahlias there are languishing. I just walked away rather disheartening. I planted all the Karmas there and all your other gifts. At least most of them are about 2-3 ft tall. Hope they'll keep the tubers going for next year. And next year, I'll find home for them somewhere else.

My neighbor had that flower bed built last year. The landscaper placed the plastic there to keep weeds down. It's a good thing, because my neighbor did not plant anything there at all. When she gave me the green light, I saw some bindweeds under the plastic. Since I was leaving for that long trip, I just planted the cuttings in the holes cut through the plastic. It does keep the soil moist. I did not have trouble planting at all.

I told my neighbor though that I would find a way to kill the bindweeds then remove the plastic after I had time to get some compost & mulch this fall or after J's gone to college - which is TODAY!

Maybe I should just keep the plastic. It will warm up the soil faster in spring. What do you think?

And I forgot to post this. Or did I post this in you other thread, Pooch?
'April Dawn' that I planted in another friend's garden.

Elma and Prospero sure stand out there.

LOoking great, Nai.

Mone, I would get rid of that plastic really. It is nice in the winter and early spring but come summer it will fry things. If you want a weed block (which I do not like but....), use the black weed block stuff instead. At least things can breathe and get water down in the soil.
That is really too bad about the temple planting. Live and learn, I guess.

As for your son going to college, good for him. Now you can garden again, LOL
I have my one son starting dental school tomorrow, so one down. The other one is going to com. coll. in Sept. so 2 down then.
I will let you know about tubers later this season. Am overwhelmed with trying to just keep ahead with my garden, family, work, etc. So thanks for the very nice offer tho!
Carol

Mone! Your nest emptieth! Congratulations to Jason. He is one polite and smart young man and he deserves the best education he can find.

Your cuttings prospered well under that plastic, but I find plastic hard to work around. Our entire house is surrounded by layer after layer of that heavy black plastic over hard clay. If I want to plant or water anything I have to dig it up or rip it. Ick! And Ick to the clay too!

Sorry to hear about the temple plantings not doing so well. Is it up to you to water and maintain them or are you to have helpers there?

Thanks, Al, Lenjo, Carol & Pooch.

OK. I'll remove the plastic as soon as I can to get compost & mulch.
Son starting dental school? How impressive. Two in college? I sympathize with you. I just about fell to the floor in this morning when I saw what our portion was.

Thanks, Pooch. Maybe you would like to adopt a very nice 17 year old with an expensive taste? Here's what nearly killed me this morning. Have you ever seen a college dorm room like this:

Another view:

The kids have to share the BR with only 2 other students:

And another view:

My, that is a big room for a dorm. Also you get a lot of shelving, etc. which is very nice. Where is it?
I know totally what you mean about the tuition part. I suffered thru the 4 years of the dental student kid for undergraduate, and when he got the financial aid award letter a month ago, he was shocked. He knew the cost but when you see it in writing that you owe $$$$, it is real life!
Just spend your time in the dahlia beds to forget it all, LOL

Yah yah, spend time in the dahlia beds- makes it all better! Tuition is just terrifying these days.

I think those photos are of a ballroom, not a dorm room! Back in my day, we had to cram 2-3 people in a space 1/4 that size! Bunk beds were mandatory just to be able to walk. Bet he has high speed internet too! We had pencils and notebooks. A pop machine was a luxury. LOL!

If he has expensive tastes, do what I did. I told my son (who applied to only out of state colleges) that if he goes out of state, he needs to come up with the money.
And by golly, he sure did between scholarships, grants, and tuition waivers. It was actually cheaper for him to go to ASU than here in the state of Oregon the full 4 years. He got a very cheap, but good education really.

As for the small dorm rooms, Annie, you are so so right. You could barely walk in the room without bumping into your roommate.

LOL. Knowing that it was coming, it still is shocking when you see it in black and white.

I was not as sensible as you were, Carol. When we first visited that dorm, we fell for it hook, line and sinker. I said to Js that if he got a good scholarship, I would spring for that dorm. Well, he did, so now it's time to pay up, Mom, and quit whining. :-)

It's at the Illinois Institute of Technology. It's featured in almost every modern architecture book. Helmut Jahn is the architect: http://www.murphyjahn.com/english/frameset_intro.htm

Annie, That kid is spoiled! He had hi speed internet in his HS dorm! That's why he didn't come home much while in HS. This dorm at IIT not only does it have hi speed internet - land & wireless, it also emails the kids when their laundry is done!

Well, enough whining.
Is this a beauty or what?
'Hillcrest Kismet' today:

LOL, you need to watch what you always say to your kids, Mone. They will always remember and make you shell out those promises, LOL!!!
But good job for him tho. Sounds like a good place to go to then.
E-mail that your laundry is done? Oh my goodness, what is next in this world?

Love that 'Hillcrest Kismet'. A very beautiful picture of it. I don't think mine made it this year.
Carol

Ohhhhhhh one of my alltime favorites Mone! You've done it proud indeed. Can I have a tuber back? LOL! It's not a good keeper, the only problem with that beauty. Enjoy every petal.

I am still waiting for my email that my laundry is done. I would have to email myself, I guess. "Poochella Re: Laundry." Get your buttocks upstairs and unload the dryer, put washer load into dryer." His dorm sounds like the Westin or Four Seasons.

Kids these days! What will they whine about to their children? "Back in the early millenium we only had GB harddrives... We had to actually click our fingers on a mouse. It was purely primative and a lot of hard work." LOL

Dorm rooms nothing like we had in the 50's. OK, so who cares I've had my 50th class reunion. I can still grow dahlias Al.

Hillcrest Kismet___whoww

Karma Prospero was one that didn't fit in the Karma exclusive row in front of my daylily bed and guess it hasn't bloomed yet b'c I haven't found it. Lovely anyway. Thought those dudes would cover up my 8 rows of daylilies after their day in the sun and they are doing just that. Suppose hubby will notice if I kill off just a little more in front for one more row next year? Kind of thinking of a solid row of zorro with the Karmas in front of them, planted hit and miss.

Of course, Annie.
And let's keep our fingers crossed so that HC makes enough tubers for anyone interested. :-).

I might have to ask you for a K. Ventura tuber back too, if the one at the temple doesn't do well. I don't even know where I planted it because I buried all the tags.

A solid row of Zorro, Jean? You have that many? Will you put me down for some of those dark reds you have, please? Was Spartacus yours or Carol's? And Voodoo? LOL. I am extending my hand now to everyone. LOL. I will try to talk my neighbor into letting me add a row to that bed. Tadeedadum......

That dorm costs me nearly 1/3 of my yearly take home! I have to say I have never seen any dorm like that, though. I like its spaciousness. The kids are not in such a tight unit to catch each other's germs. I am more concerned about their health than anything else.

'Hillcrest Kismet' more open now. Look how many more are coming up:

The 2nd Elma Elizabeth:

More April Dawn. This one is in a better shape:

Hillcrest Kismet is just the thing I needed to see. I adore that bloom- dont' know what it is about its colors, but they are enchanting. Elma Elizabeth is equally stunning! My Elma E is still the same height as when you were here Mone! I havn't dug it up for fear of hurting it at this late date.

Are these in your yard, at the temple or at the neighbor's?

ohhh, pretty April Dawn! Lavender and white- gotta have em.

You gave me April Dawn, Pooch, HK too. Of course you'll get them back - unless I kill them this winter, that is.

These are all in my yard except April Dawn. She is in a young colleague's yard. He made a mistake when he moved in 10 blocks from me. LOL. I made him dig up a bed 3 times larger than his original plan. I am also talking him into digging up more lawn. I told him to just make a lasagna bed but he said he needed the exercise and would dig up the grass then flip it. He'd better do it soon because I already ordered a couple hundred $ worth of bulbs for him. :-P

Camano Pet is getting prettier. The plant is full of buds too:

And Bishop's Children from seeds. Gorgeous leaves too:

I love your pic of 'Hillcrest Kismet'. Your 'Elma Eliz.' is much more curlier than mine. Is that unusual?

Thanks, Carol.
Hillcrest Kismet is absolutely gorgeous. I was begging for it from Pooch. I feel bad that hers didn't make it this year.

EE seems curlier this year. Is yours more like this one from last year?

I just have the one you sent me. The petals aren't really curly at all as you can see my pic. Oh well, maybe it is the weather doing it. Maybe the humidity makes yours curly like hair, lol

LOL. I guess you are right, Carol. That's strange.
No matter. EE is an impressive Dahlia, isn't she? A very good tuber maker too. I hope to see more pics from others to whom I sent tubers. It'll be interesting to compare notes.