Puget Sound Dahlia Association Show

I'm pretty beat and have to get up early but I'll throw on a few photos in case it's raining at your house today. This show, held in a moderate size mall east of Seattle, runs on a Saturday and Sunday. The inside temps and overhead skylights left quite a few of the blooms wilty or sad looking by the time I got there. I was very disappointed to only see two long tables outside of Target with blooms. Then I noticed the main hallway had several more tables, then an intersecting hallway had more and more and more tables full of dahlias until you had walked in a huge U! You have got to get to one of these, even if it means driving far.

I spotted a few very bright blooms, my favorites being the Ms or BBs, some great new seedlings from our area, some wonderful colors and incurved cactuses.

To start, it's Chimacum Katie which is just showing bud color in my garden. It was recommended in my quest for bright pink dahlias.

Unique color and tips on this one

Avoca Comanche

Scott's Fireworks- Reminds me of Miss Rose Fletcher (the light pink cactus) and something comingled with her...

This message was edited Aug 28, 2006 1:25 AM

Get your sunglasses----- it's Camano Thunder my favorite little bright purple cactus taken with a hideous flash LOL

This one is so unique and the name is unfamiliar to me but it's in my area. "Bel-Red" is usually the short version meaning the area of two of Seattle's biggest eastern suburbs, Bellevue and Redmond. So these people are within 15 miles or less. I must find them!

Check out the stripes in the closer up shot below:

The overall look of the flower is kind of blotchy lavender, but the stripes are very different, not seen often at all.

Belred Supreme is the name:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v293/poochella/2006%20New%20Dahlias/psdabelredsupremebbcvstripes.jpg



This message was edited Aug 28, 2006 12:39 AM

Same breeder made this:
Belred Buzz BB Laciniated lavender

Here's one for Jam and her pack of petal-chompin' beetles: may they all soon perish!

Jax Tinker BB SC white and lavender

Unique coloration on this one too: very melon-y orange with TAN, not yellow, not cream, not white. Nope. They were TAN petal tips.
I think unfortunately blurred here, sorry.

It's Lakeview Ruth BB FD OR

Hollyhill Chrystal BB SC White- a small bloom about 4 inches but again with those blunted tips that make it a little different.

Another Belred bred dahlia:
Belred Sunset- a very nice rich red in that tubular Incurved Cactus shape I like so well.

Another eye popper: Stillwater Jace in bold red with cute white tips.

Our association Challenge Flower this year was Taratahi Lilac, meaning anyone who wants to can buy a tuber of it and then have their blooms judged en masse. In a casual, quick count there were over 105 Taratahi Lilacs in many shades of lavender to nearly white, from fully gorgeous to nearly dead with wilt, poor things.

Guess I went for those curly cactuses again! Here is "Jane" from the side- a really bright color and poor picture of the front of it. Side shot to follow.

Jane BB IC PR

Last one for the night.
A waterlily Charlie Dimmick. Really bright orange and yellow along the lines of pam howden.

Very nice, Annie.
I like that waterlily one, 'Charlie Dimmick'.
I see you really do like your catus and pompom types!

Those are great, pooch. I especially like AVOCA COMANCHE, SCOTT'S FIREWORKS, STILLWATER JACE and CHARLIE DIMMICK.

It's always amazing to me how many varieties of certain types of flowers are available. Irises are the same way. Something for everyone...and then some! :0)

Annie, you are just terrible, I want one of them all. How beautiful and your photography is exquisite. Take care and get some rest and get well.

Some real beauties there Poochella. Scott's Fireworks, never saw a catcus in two color tones. And Jane___so intense and full.

I do like the waterlilies. Charlie Dimmick is exceptional.

Belred Sunset another so pretty____

I can't even look at the white ones and enjoy them, but some of them with a hint of color are just exquisite.

Oh, it looks like Christmas in August....I want them all...

Charlie Dimmick is my favorite here. I will be on the hunt for that one! Thanks for the photos and LOL it is raining here!

There are more, I just couldn't stay up til 2 a.m. posting them LOL. I'll do more tonight. Not too many, but more waterlilies for sure. Glad you like them. Never hurts to look at new dahlias...

Poochella, I love the pretty pink you had as number one. So full and rich. I keep admiring it as I look through the thread headings.

My begging hand is out if any are available.

This message was edited Aug 28, 2006 7:26 PM

Those Tarahiti Lilacs must growing in the ditches with Seattle out there huh. You had one in there I am assuming.

Of course I like Charlie Dimmick - such form.
Avoca Commanche catches my eye also.

Nope Al, I don't show, to date anyway. I probably could but my nose got out of joint about the whole practice, I think I told you, at one show when there were 4-5 absolutley perfect flowers of the same variety and I couldn't believe a judge could say one was better than another. No bites, no blemishes, no gnat feces, no wilt: perfect blooms. A dahlia society gal happened by so I asked her what the difference was between blooms and blue/red etc. ribbons. "Too much stem between leaves and flowers on the 'lesser' blooms" was her answer. I waited before rolling my eyes. That's just not for me. I'm already out there trying to measure a dang dahlia tree LOL, I don't need to be worried about millimeters on a single flower stem too!

Jam, Chimacum Katie is just opening now. Even though it's classified as lavender, everyone who recommended it said it shows up as a rich pink. I'll post photos and you're welcome to it, if you like it.

I'll add some more from the PSDA show now, trying to stay with ones in focus. No guaranty . My goal for the year is to take at least 5 clear photos.....


Below is Ballerina. Perhaps related to the light pink and white Bracken Ballerina I was so lucky to get back from Nai. This one looked equally nice and I'm after a white waterlily.

Firepot. Whoever displayed this tricked our eyes by placing the bright melon colored 8x11 paper underneath the display bowl.
It was quite a nice look.

Oh oh, the other waterlilies, only two or three must have been blurry beyond hope as I didn't save them! Pam Howden was one, and one display with several Charlie Dimmick's. Al, if I find a photo on my camera card sometime and it's reasonable, I'll Dmail you with it. CDimmick was very bright, robust colors.

Here are some seedlings that caught my eye. Again I'm after the elusive and lacking small hot pink ball. Dick Ambrose of Camano dahlia fame had this seedling: a bright pink mini ball. I liked it alot and hope it gets to my yard some day!

A seedling from Connell's: labelled M FD PK, but I jotted down "near purple" on my notes. Still pretty nice, except for the blur LOL, I'm so sorry!

Another seedling from Ambrose of Camano Dahlias: BB FD Dark Blend of red and orange.

I like the crisp edges of the stellar forms. Have one, Fidlago Julie, in red and orange also,that has been a laggard since I planted it. Hope I get to see it bloom before December. Humph. Here is one in pink:

Pink Pet. Pink Pet did not make Pooch's list of pristine clear photos LOL! I don't know what the heck is up with the blur. Nap, I need to hire you for a week to fly out here and push camera buttons for me.

Here was the "Best Ball Basket" Mary's Jomanda and lots of them. It was pretty.

Al, here's Charlie Dimmick floating. Perfect bowl for a waterlily eh?
The first photo was taken with a flash, so here are more muted realistic colors.

Here was the blue ribbon Taratahi Lilac, at least from the table of 100+ of them. I never did locate the head table where all the champions go. It was a beaut.

Very cool bowl for that pic with the same shape of petals.
I guess you will have to have me come up to take your pics, LOL
Did you change the setting of your camera??? Are you using close-up or just reg. shot?

Salmon Rays BB IC Bronze was best of type and section champ, not that I know what that means! But it had a lot of ribbons hanging of its vase. I liked "Jane" the hot reddish pink curlier one better myself.

Come on up Carol! I am using every pssible setting I can possibly try and only a few shots are clear. Last year I didn't have this problem, and was wondering if the camera card gets old? Or is it plain old operator error? Half the time I'm trying to balance on a rock or a mole hill or tunnel dip in the ground, so it's likely me and not the camera.

Hey, here's one nearly in focus! Kiwi Gloria BB C Light Blend. Really a nice pale lavender look.

Well, maybe you need a balance check, lol
I will say usually your pics have been good so....... am wondering. Tho you said you have been not feeling well, so maybe your balance is shaky? But balancing on things doesn't help. I know. Between trying to get a perfect pic and dealing with the wind..........who knows how it will turn out?

Here was Shea's Rainbow, Minature Cactus Variegated.

Yes wind or a rampaging cat dashing through the dahlias are impediments for sure! I took a bunch more of individual flowers this a.m. on my knees on the cement floor of the garage, so I'll see how they turn out.

A couple more and then it's done.
Martina- M FD LB lav/white