Take a look here. I spent an hour covering things up last night - couldn't do the one smack dab in the middle..We had frost, so I think I saved most of them. We are having company this weekend and I wanted them to see my glorious beds. More frost coming tonight. The things we do to keep our plants happy....
Looks like a little tent city for dahlias Sarv. And it looks like it worked very well! Three cheers. Hope they last for your company to enjoy.
Is that a virtual wall of brugs blooming down the line behind the dahlias? They make an excellent fence!
Just trudged out and uncovered the bounty - they all seem fine. I only notice one with some damage. My hands were frozen tho!! Time for the mittens!!
Well, you saved the dahlia world at least this time, Sue!
Hope your company enjoys your dahlias since you froze your fingers off, LOL
But, yes, it is getting colder and colder here too.
Am not looking forward to the frost and the dark, black leaves on the dahlias. Yuck!
I like the brugs in the background too. They look cool! Do you just take cuttings and redo them each year?
No DR, I dig them, put them in buckets and drag them inside. DH curses me every year~~ This year they are so big, that they will require some chopping down. to get them into the house. One more job to do....does gardening ever end? (not complaining....)
Yuck, cat just brought a mouse to me. Now I need to pet her heat and say 'good kitty' One less that can get in the house!
What a lot of work to save your dahlia babies, your company simply must oooh and aaaah. We do here anyway.
Actually as much as I cover or don't cover mine I can't say frost has ever got to them. Usually they make it until a hard freeze - no sheet's stopping that. That's one of the hard things about this business is when you have drooping dead leaves, but still flowers and buds on the plant.
Well, covered the darn things for another night....they are saying 7 inches of snow by the end of next week. Everything will be toast by then...oh they were glorious this year.
I have one huge yellow one that has a zillion buds, but none opened yet. So sad that I might not even see it open. drat..
Wow, 7" of snow by the end of next week? I can't even imagine that. Looks like you're doing a great job saving them for at least a little bit longer anyway.
My, winter is coming your way, Sue. So sorry to hear that already!
Is it early for your area or normal?
That is too bad you don't get to see that big yellow one bloom. Maybe it will show a little before the snow hits???
Sue, Sue, Sue. Stop that talk right now. Because that snow is the same snow that is long-ranged forecast for my trip to MN and I will hear no more of it! Bummer, I hope a big Maui express front moves the jet stream and saves the day and you can see your yellow blooms. An alternative: smudge pots like the orange growers use in FLA!
I hope you get to show your efforts to your company!
Al, do you mean to say that you have had leaves frozen dying and drooping but the flowers remain intact? Or just the 'end of season-leaves are dying off?' When I had the big freeze out here, it was 100% done. There wasn't a leaf of green, or flower petal with color left in it. All mysteriously bleached nearly white or very pale, but nothing like their usual colors.
Maybe the dahlias in the midwest are hardier than our, Annie.
You are right tho. Once we get a hard freeze, they are in the icky, yucky stage totally. I would love to have the leaves gone and the flowers stay, but no go here.
Gosh, that is a bummer! I admire the dedication to cover them so well! I contemplated a self-made greenhouse, but I am not mechanically inclined.
I felt bad enough about the stem-snapping winds here, but snow?! In the warmest year on the Earth in 1 million years?. Where is Indian Summer? Anyway I've never seen a weather report that was right 1 week in advance.
todgor - you are right about the errors in the weather report...we laugh at our forecasters here because if they guarantee a beautiful run of days, it is a sure bet that it will be cloudy and rainy!! We usually don't get snow this early, but have had it by the end of Oct. I put out the sheets last night and need to get them off. Sun is out brightly and it is going to be nice for two days. After that, it can freeze...my company will be gone....Time to tuck things in for winter. I'm already getting my winter coat (fat...LOL)
Pooch - I am talking more about the morning after and the leaves drooping and flowers on yet. I have never left them on past a day or two after freezing.
Sue - I saw the forecast for the snow now, I bet it moderates as the days get closer - certainly more hopefull than just cold air sweeping in.
This is a stupid question, but I never really payed attention to the details last year - at what temperature will dahlias really start to suffer mortal damage? Is it the frostpoint and below, or do they get socked above that? The reason I am wondering is many of my plants are late in blooming, and next Thu - Sat supposedly will be a low in the low 40s (take with truckload of salt). So changeable this time of year, it will be 76 high on Monday. I would at least like my Inland Dynasty to finish one flower, the bud just turned yellow and is ready to pop.
Tod - you should be fine, I do think it's freezing. They will slow down with cooler temp's though. You can always cover ID - that is safe to about 30 or so.
Oh - I took a picture you'll like.
oh big- that's a gorgeous one!!! I don't have to cover the dahlias tonight- gonna be above freezing. Good thing too, that was a lot of work!
Yeah, Al, that is a very nice one!
I agree with Daisyruffles, very nice bloom, Al! Who is it?
Tod, low 40's is nothing to worry about, we've had those for a few weeks already: 36 degrees on my deck this a.m and I suffered more than the dahlias. A prolonged overnight or severe cold snap is what will kill them. I hope to avoid seeing that every year because it's not pretty; not like Al's laciniated dahlia~!
Pooch - you won't like it when I tell you - that's Jeannie Leroux, turned pink in the cool and shade now. That plant is such a tease with great flowers, but is so big and slow.
Super flower, Al! I'm hoping to keep flowering till November, with luck, last year made it to Halloween. My Ryn Foo and Hakayoh are almost done, they are also sloooowww, and huge.
Annie, thanks for the info, I know what you mean on a small scale, I had to watch 10 last year bite it, now I have 45 or so, it won't be pretty watching those 7 ft. monsters go down like the Titanic.
boo hiss, Jeannie Leroux! I really wanted to grow that one but it didn't do well here... and I never ever had good color like yours Al. It was almost pure white for me. Not enough sun maybe? I tried for two years and that's all I'm willing to give it- the little beauty queen LOL!
Mine from two years ago-
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v293/poochella/dahlias/JeannieLeroux.jpg
Sorry Sue - the forecast is looking bad yet.
it really was light in the sun, more lavender tips then I thought - I love this photo
http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/125777/
but really your Marlene Joy was it - would be a better pick
Yup, I like Marlene Joy much better and Marika equally well, a bit fuller even than M Joy. But I've seen such nice photos of Jeanne Leroux, just can't get it do do well here.
Well, it was nice out today, so I dug up 7 plants, washed,divided, dried, and wrapped in syran wrap. Gosh do they look nice. I only did some that I had doubles of- we'll see how they fare. Hopefully I can do a few each day and won't be bombarded once it freezes. It is much nicer doing it when your hands aren't ice cubes.
So had they gone dormant from a freeze? I thought you weren't supposed to do any of that until they have gone dormant.
My thought is: the shock of cutting off 98% of the living part of the plant is equal to the shock of a freeze killing that same foliage. What's the diff? The tubers don't know if it's frozen or not above ground. Just my two cents, doesn't seem to matter out here where it might not freeze at all until January. I am not waiting that long.
No Pooch - wait until January - I'll come out and help you :)
For here it's entirely possible for the GROUND to freeze by the time the top growth is dormant, it seems when things start to go they GO.
This is a first for me doing it this way....hopefully Pooch is correct- the tubers don't know. If it is a bust, I'll be begging for tubers from everyone!!
You should be fine if you keep them from freezing or overheating, Sue. Did you use an antifungal dust though? That's something I would recommend as an added precaution, even if it means unwrapping and rewrapping.
no I didn't use antifungal stuff....I'll have to get some. The ones done are all duplicates, so I have extras. Off to dig some more!!
Just shows ya how much I know! LOL Thanks for clarifying that for me! :o)
Pooch is out enjoying the cold, here is a picture of what I was talking about before. You sure you want Mazama Annie?LOL
yes I will paint the trim next year - I promise(maybe)
ohhhh poor Mazama. I planted her/him this past summer (courtesy of pooch!) It out grew my stake and kept falling over. Note to self - put in the biggest stake I have for next summer. If I can salvage two tubers, I want to plant them in different places - just to see if there is any difference. The dahlias I planted in the garden grew huge and lush. The ones I put in my flower beds did so so. Maybe my beds need a good dose of compose/fertilizer...
Poor, poor, dear. All in the frozen north.
They need to be put to bed and sleep for the winter, Al.
Mone - yes I will be starting tomorrow, this wind is relentless and not much fun to be out in, but the daylight is getting short after work.A funny thing about washing the clumps off this time of year is that the water out of the hose feels warm.
LOL now I see where Mrs. BigcityAl should be complaining about! LOL Those nasty shutters..................... LOL Shame on you, Al.................... LOL (I hope you know I am razzing you, right???)
One last corsage... :*)
Dahlia is beautiful.....but the baby is GORGEOUS!
Suzy
