2006 GRITDIG results

Hello fellow Di-ers,

Dahlia and I read all five threads and she's decided that 12ft was a pretty good year. Yet she did want me to remind that the actual trophy was to go to the one who brought Di to bloom. So........here are the winners:

Closest to flowering.....................................................................daisyruffles
Ms. Congeniality..........................................................................Poochella
Most clever use of a Ladder.......................................................Lenjo
Most creative measurement method (bricks)...........................wallaby1

Please watch your mailboxes for your fabulous prizes.


Now for a recap of our year down here with Di. Mine got up to over 17ft this year and were in full, raging bloom when a frost hit.......and kept hitting. 14 nights straight of temps below 20F. TOAST!!!......lol. Pam and I took the time to count the blossoms on one plant and they numbered over 150 fully open one afternoon in late October......and, we had five plants doing it equally all at the same time. I had spoken to a colleague at Fairchild Gardens and she told me that I should check for seed. Well, I had hundreds of swelling, closed heads all doing that "Leave me alone, I'm making seed" thing when the frost hit. I'll be hoping that this coming fall will be more kind to my ambitions....lol.

mgh, I'll be sending a plant off in the middle of March so you can join the competition this coming growing season. Zuzu will be coming down this May for our annual DGRU here at the ranch and I've also got a plant for her in case she decides to join in the fun.

What an enjoyable read the 06 GRITDIG was. I'm jazzed that you guys had such a good time with it, and hopefully in 07 all of you will have flowers to share. Both Dahlia and I have missed you guys and I will endeavor to be here more often this spring. I sure do hope 07 is a better year than 06 was. Besides losing Elliot, our senior horse, Pam broke her back in an automobile accident, and we were unable to breed any mares this last season. This winter completely fried so much of the gardens that I contemplated pouring concrete over the entire ranch and planting 'Astroturf'.....lol. So I came to my senses and ordered about 100 tubers from various nurseries and have made a pact with my pal Zuzu that if I end up growing the entire plant collection here as annuals......well then, so be it......lol.

I have one unspoken for root cutting of Di for a deserving contestant. You guys decide who you'd like to join the party in 07 and I'll send it to them.

best to all,
Dahlia the Doggie and drdon, the prodigal gardener....lol.

Dr Don! Returned from the eternal-seeming absence. Welcome Back! I would like to thank you and the voting Dog Judge LOL for naming me Miss Congeniality and hope neither of you overheard my recent cursing while trying to do some mass photo work here at DG so that my title might be jeopardized : )

What a year you've had with Pam's injury and all else. I do hope the Mrs. Dr. Don is on the mend and more rarin' to go each day. No astro turf for you. Just let the dahlia imperialis go to seed and see what a forest you can create.

Thanks again for my new title, I shant take it lightly nor let anyone forget how congenial I can be, unless I don't get a digital photo of Dahlia the dog in my Dmail box! Then it's going to be wicked witch of the NW. Tee hee.... I am hoping my D.Imp. has weathered the winter so I can check it for possible division as well. That will require some tutoring though, so don't disappear for long!
Pooch
BAW did very well, thank you!

hiya Poochella,

great to see you!

Reading your posts on the GRITDIG thread(s) convinced Dahlia that you should receive your well-deserved title. I came up with "Most clever use of a roof for plant inspection".....lol. She vetoed that as it was too close to the award of clever measurement we agreed upon to award wallaby1....lol.

Pam is healing and has just been cleared by her physicians to begin riding again, but only walk/trot and no jumping. She's very excited, but still mourns the loss of her precious Alfa Romeo midlife crisis mobile...lol. Losing Elliot, on the other hand was a real downer for the entire ranch staff and, of course, us. Seems like 06 was a year for bizarre and unfortunate change.

Good to see that BAW did well for you. So many of the tubers you and daisyruffles sent down here bloomed and will certainly have a much better year this spring and summer as they'll be better established. It was a real impressive show of color for last year's RU. This year we'll be doing it a little earlier in May so the dahlias may not be as impressive but the rose garden will be in full bloom. As usual all of my dahlia pals are always welcome and would be honored guests. I'm considering driving up there before the RU and kidnapping balvenie to bring him down here for the festivities.

It's good to be back and I'll endeavor to be a more active member as I've really missed you guys.

best to you,
don

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
Don,
It is so so so good to see you here.

Have thought so much about you. Especially everytime I walk by my dahlia tree and think of you guys.

I am so so so sorry to hear about Pam's back. I do understand back injuries. My older son had back surgery at the age 15 after a basketball injury. It is no fun to recover from that at all. So am glad she can get back on the horse, literally!!!

And for you guys to lose a beautiful horse. That would be very sad to lose an animal. So sorry to hear that. Hope you can get back to breeding this year tho.

As for the prize of Closest to Flowering. I will tell you that I was so excited to that very last day until that darn frost!!! I really wanted to see those purple blooms!!! I don't know how many buds I had on the tree but I think quite a few!
So thank you, Dahlia and Don, for awarding me the Closest to Flowering. I sure hope to try it again this year.
I really did enjoy that tree tho. It was a very nice shapely tree to watch grow. It didn't really require any special treatment. Was a very nice plant to grow here in the NW.
So thank you again very much for sharing it with me!

My BAW's did very well. One of them was in the part shade and it even did fine.

Am so glad that the NW's dahlias from Annie and I did well down there. I was wondering how they did. I will have more tubers to share if you are interested in some more the new year.
Which the year 2007 has to be better than year 2006. I totally agree that year 2006 needs to be forgotten too (after losing my brother and father in just one month, I do not like year 2006 either).

All right, Mendy, you can grow one too. LOL
Annie, you Miss Congeniality, LOL How cool of a title for you. I love it!!! LOL

Don, yes, you need to do a road trip up to the NW. It is very nice up here in the summertime and not so hot, LOL

Don, you don't need to send any prize to me. I just really enjoyed growing the plants you sent me. It was so much fun. So thanks a bunch.

Now since we have you back here on DG, do keep coming. We all did miss you this past year with your great pics, stories, and tales.

P.S. By the way, you have to see my new greenhouse!!! Am so excited to be able to finally grow and do more in the better greenhouse. Here is the link to check it out.
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/696216/#new

Later, Carol

Hi Don,
Where is the photo of that 150 flower 17' monster? Glad things are looking better for you this year after a rough 2006.

Al

Don, it's so good to see you back!! We all missed you very much. I'm so glad to hear that Pam is doing well! I can't even imagine breaking my back....how scary that must have been! So sorry to hear about the loss of your horse too. We lost a cat last year and our dog broke her leg while my DH and I were in Europe. She spent the next 4 months in a cast and had multiple surgeries............yes, 2006 will be best forgotten (except for our Europe trip! LOL)

I will be keeping a lookout for the DI coming my way! I'm honored that you will be sending it to me and excited to see it grow this summer! Thank you!

Hugs,
Mendy

hiya guys,

I took no garden pics last year. I guess I was preparing for the depression of having Chicago-type winter here in southern California....lol.

Plus I was a little preoccupied with the craziness that was our year here and just basically tucked into my shell until our house was back in order, so to speak.

There has been no better tonic for a frozen tundra of a 5acre garden/ranch than entering back here and seeing so many pals once again. I sure did miss you guys.

mgh, as previously stated, I'll send it up when you think frost isn't going to be a problem any longer. If you've got a greenhouse and want to store it in there until time to plant it out in the garden, just let me know as it is ready to go with a few shoots now.

It's been a little difficult to come back as I see there is so much great conversation that I've either missed completely or am so far behind on it seems silly to chime in.....lol.

Just waiting for all of the great stuff I've ordered to replace the great stuff we used to have has been exciting and a bit depressing. I'm going into a 12 step program for zone deniers I think....One plant at a time....lol.

Thanks, you guys, for being just as warm and kind as you've always been,
don

Welcome back Don,

Just wanted to thank you for a summer of enjoyment! I think I can speak for those of us who were not growing DI's, It was great fun to read the threads. Wishing you and yours a much better 2007.
Nadine

Boy, am I ever glad I popped in here, I would have missed your 'homecoming' , drdon. Yes, you were gone a very long time but my my you certainly had your plate full. Glad to hear things are all looking better. I am glad you liked the ladder photo. I didn't know how else to measure the darn thing. I too left mine in the ground and hope it will come through. The 'tree trunk ' still stands but even that is still amazing to see. Yeppers, Carol, we all here in the NW were as close as I can possibly imagine to having bloom. Wonder what the chances of that happening again.

I have been poring over my various seed/plant catalogs and my new Annie's Annuals from down Zuzu's way is showing two dahlia imperialises for sale, the usual purple single one and a double white one. Never heard of such a thing before. I can't get my computer to link up to Annie's website just now but I hope you all can take a peak. Her price wasn't preposterous either. I paid twice that for my original plant.

Now it's working.

http://www.anniesannuals.com/plant_lists/list_search.asp?start=0&type=Any&color=Any&lifespan=Any&availability=Show%20All&view=Pictures&water=Any&sun=Any&count=36&letter=Any&catagory=Any&account=none&searchword=dahlia%20imperialis&Submit=Display%20Results

Hey Lenjo, you were brave to get on that ladder! I love that double white- I saw it during a Google splurge one night early this winter. Go for it Joann, it's a beauty!

During that same online information assault, I read a lamenting post by another D.I. grower who said the same thing in a nutshell, "It's so disheartening to watch the marvelous growth of this plant all season long and get this close to blooming flowers; then BAM a frost strikes. Even if frost can strike in Temecula CA, I will not give up! Klieg lights, space heaters and blankets, blow torches, smudge pots, LOL these are part of my strategy for 2007 LOL.

Hey, Joann, great to see you are still alive, LOL
Go for it! I would love to see you grow that pretty white dahlia tree!
I sure hope we can have a better fall this year and get the trees to bloom.
Annie, I can just see you with all that around your dahlia tree this coming year, LOL

hiya guys,

I ordered and received the double white Di from Annie's last year. I don't know if it made it through the winter as it only grew a couple of feet since I got it from her in August, and it was quite small in a 4in pot. When they do them they sell out really quickly I've been told. I also got the D. excelsa from her and was able to collect some seed from it if any one of you Di enthusiasts are interested in trying one that reportedly gets even bigger than Di....lol.

I was particularly interested by the use of a dryer vent as a heat source. I thought I was the only lunatic that planted super tender stuff next to the dryer vent (in my case it is tender ferns)....lol.

The one real trick to keeping them in the ground is a heavy layer of mulch in areas where the ground freezes a bit. We use bedding straw and it has worked nicely in addition to being very inexpensive and can go right into the compost heap after the plants pop there heads out for spring.

I've got a friend down in Mexico now that I'm doing some Salvia stuff for. He says that if I can produce enough seed for him to share with some of his colleagues he might be able to get me some of the more rare or even endangered Dahlias since I'm registered with the USDA CITES as a grower of species that are either endangered or extinct in their habitat. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a chance at sharing some of these with folks that have greenhouses.

For those of you planning vacations and southern California isn't too terribly gauche, we're doing the 3rd annual DGRU here on Saturday May 19th, and all the GRITDIGGERS are invited.

hope all are well,
don

Don - I don't think I'll make it so I'm sending Bloomswithaview as my grey haired replacement ;)

hiya bigcityal,

great to see you!

We love Blooms! She was here last year and she's fabulous! She did say something about making the trek west again this year, so that's a good thing. But you're invited anyway amigo.

best to you,
don

Here's a plant I'm told is hardy in Chicago.....lol.

Can't say I know what that one is Don.

We are having a Midwest Roundup in June that I am planning on going to.

hiya bigcityal,

It's Heliconia rostrata......

The pic was taken near the Mayan ruins at Edzna, Campeche, Mexico. Zone 11b......lol. Not exactly a temperate zone...

best to you and have a great time at your RU amigo.

don

Cool, Don, on the rare and endangered dahlias. That would be so much fun to grow. I have a greenhouse now!!! So please keep me in mind for those. I really would like to participate in growing them.
Also, I would love some of the seeds of the D. excelsa if you have any to spare. Hint, Hint, I would love to grow some more of your salvias too. I miss having those that you had sent before. I will be glad to pay you postage for them too this time, LOL

Don, your RU sounds so interesting. I have a free roundtrip ticket on Alaska (due to the airlines cancelling my flight to see my mother at Christmas and we missed our flight to go to Las Vegas) and I should use it to come see you all. How far are you from the airport? Does Alaska fly in near you?

Carol

hiya daisyruffles,

We're not far from Ontario airport and only a 60 minute drive from San Diego. If you come I'll be sure to come and get you at any airport within a 200 mile radius of the ranch. It would be fabulous to have Oregon properly represented at the RU! Orange County and LAX aren't all that far either.

As far as seed is concerned, it will be on it's way (D.excelsa) on Monday. Don't worry about postage. I'll send you some Salvias as soon as I'm sure they won't freeze in the mail or in a UPS warehouse. I'll throw in some D. coccinea seed as well.

best to you,
don

Well I'm lagging behind all the news here!

Welcome back don, let's hope this year holds out to be a good one, or even a great one! It is hard to have to cope with such drastic life changes, but I think you are made of stern stuff an I'm sure you will get back on track.

Last year for me by contrast was an exceptionally good one, the hottest for something like 345 years, or ever on record, it was about time though, the previous year was so cold, and the winter to spring to summer period was cold. Then it got really hot! I had such a great time with all the butterflies, bugs, WARMTH! Didn't have rain for months though, but the garden coped.

Now what was my title for, "Most creative measurement method (bricks)" well thank you! I guess last horse in the race has to have something to feel good about! That darned late frost, just a tad too hard, it was getting through some lighter frosts. Had a slightly harder one a couple of weeks ago, until then I had fuchias next to the house budding up, still with most of their leaves on. The stems are still green inside though so they should come back from those.

Your frosts sound worse than our weather, most of the winter has been quite mild, a few frosts to -5C, 23F or slightly lower, then one to around -9C, 16F. Such a shame your DI's didn't get to make seed.

If you have some D excelsa and don't mind sending it this way I would absolutley love some.

Gee, sun is shining and it's warmer today for a change, cleaning up to do....gotta drag myself out and do the necessary. I'm thinking of putting some more Di's in the ground if I can decide where, every space seems to get filled but I need to make more space, again.....I think those in the pots will grow again. I didn't mulch my big one, but then the weather hasn't been too bad, and it's near the wall so I think it will grow no probs.

It's a shame I can't make it to the RU, perhaps I should move over there!

See ya around,

Janet

If no one minds, I would love to join in the fun , growing a DI. If anyone has an extra , I sure would love to give it a go.

Nadine

Nadine, you will enjoy seeing/watching it grow by the foot each week!

Willow, I am chicken to dig mine up but if Dr Don or Wallaby will tutor me on how to possibly divide mine, I will have at it and gladly send you a "thing" of it. A start, a division etc.

It's just sinfully Springlike out today and I've been tied up on the phone or at appointments all a.m. So if I get to that this week, I will post photos of the clump and hope for advice on how to divide it. Cross your fingers that it isn't complete mush!

hiya Poochella,

Not to worry. Once the weather is conducive to shipping a tender plant to NY State I'll send one to this person if you guys say so. Anyway there would be some USDA silliness and possibly inspections for wallaby1 sending anything off and it could cause delays, cost too much or any number of red tape related things. I can send it UPS ground packed the way I packed yours and daisyruffles' so she/he will get a good plant ready to put into a pot. Only one warning for that zone, there is no way the plant will survive if left in the ground or outside during the winters there.

best,
don

Thank you so much Don, I have a greenhouse so I should be able to get an early start. I will gladly send postage money or if I have any dahlia's you are interested in , I would gladly send some tubers too.

Thanks again, Nadine

hiya willow22552,

You are very welcome and you'll be needing that greenhouse when the chill of winter hits NY State. I'll send it off to you as soon as I am able. It will be coming to you UPS so you can track it.

I'll let you when I send it and give you the tracking data. As far as sending stuff off to me, that's great, but you should know that I immediately rename every named plant to suit my own lack of sensibility.....lol. So, no real need to worry about spending a whole bunch of time fussing with proper names.....I'll mix it all up and call them things like "Fluffy Bunny Slippers" or something....lol.

I like hot pinks, whites, and anything that looks like Fluffy Bunny Slippers......

best to you,
don

LOL Don, you are a character!!!
"Fluffy Bunny Slippers"? I love it!!! I will remember that.
As for renaming dahlias, he does rename the bed at least he did last year. Annie and I had the honor to be named the "NW" bed, LOL
Cool, Nadine. Now you can join us all to see if it blooms, LOL

I'm so excited! My DH joined in with me watching the thread last year and can't wait to grow one. Get this Annie, He suggested putting in HIS veggie garden.

Don, It's 2 below here tonite and again for the next to nites but after that it is suppose to warm up. The greenhouse is holding it's own and the dahlia's and tomatoes and all sorts of annuals are doing good. I just might have some Fluffy Bunny Slippers here and a Lucky Rabbit's Foot Pink to add to your collection. Thank you so much, Nadine

Yikes/////

2 below what?.....lol. A yak?.....Donald Trump's combover?.....You New Yorkers have a great sense of irony....I know, it's two below what it was earlier....lol.

If DH wants a Di in his veggie plot, make it so...

best to you and stop thinking of clever names I might want to plagiarize....lol.

don

I too want to participate this year. It was fun looking at your pictures last year. Does someone have an extra, of should I buy one. What am I looking for Dahlia Imperial?