Barbara's Dahlias In Alaska 2008

Hi All...Somebody missed me (she says blushing...) so that prompted me to get off my butt and post some of my babies...We've had a near record-breaking, consistantly unusually cool and rainy summer...after a cool, wet spring...With a month left and no change in site, the consensus is this will be the coolest, rainiest summer on record up here...It's been plain ole yucky and is taking it's toll on my attitude. Seems Mother Nature is having a nationwide bout of PMS...LOL...Some areas are in desperate need of rain, some have too much, some are too hot, some are too cool...Someone somewhere must be enjoying that happy medium...LOL

Most plants (vegetables and flowers) up here are stagnant, 3 weeks behind normal with lots of foliage and buds, few blooms. The co-operative extension says the cool soil is locking up the phosporus needed for bloom.

Here are some of my better pics. Going through them to select which ones to post was an uplifting experience because it caused me to appreciate my successes rather than dwelling on all the buds that are yet to open...I hope you enjoy them!

Seduction...

Chloe...

Wanna Bee...

Quintessence...

Neon Splendor...

A La Mode...

Snowbound...

Kork...

Extase

Patches...

Evaline...Much less lavender touch than this tuber had last year...

Swan's Olympic Flame...

Another Seduction bloom...love this one...

Another A La Mode...another favorite...

Tempest...

Lindy...

Candlelight...Not as I expected...jury still out on this one...

The following are all adoptions from Jax4ever who sent me some of my most amazing NOID tubers back in the spring. I absolutely love several of them even more than the ones I agonized over and ultimately ordered...Jax has exquisite taste...Thank you!

Another...

MMMmmm...

I like this one...

...and this one

Can ya tell I like pink???

Last one for now...

I'll take one of everyone...they are all astounding!!!!

Welcome back Chocolatemoose. Any dahlia trees happenin? ^_^ Maybe not. From the sounds of things you are having the same growing season that I am. I completely disbudded a few struggling dahlias this weekend hoping to get them to focus on making tuber babies sigh. Cloudy and cold do not good dahlias make. Thanks for sharing your pics.

Amazing blooms! I had to go back and review to take it all in!

I never thought I'd see a "zone 1" under someone's name here. But one of the buyers I bought from said he was sending a large shipment to Alaska, are there a lot of dahlia growers up there?

Dahlianut..thanks for prompting me out of my fussing about the cloudy, rainy gloomy doldrums...I got a d-mail from another d-member who is experiencing the same in the northeast USA...seems like same conditions are pretty widespread...

I had a difficult time finding a dahlia tree tuber when I decided to do so. Guess my timing was bad. I ended up getting one on ebay where I've had really good success ordering over the last many years. BUT, the tree tuber was not one of those successes. The root ball was infested with some type of bug which I treated but it never did anything once I planted it. It's on my "Notes For 2009" list to get a dahlia imperialis tuber earlier next year. Hopefully it will be a better summer than this as I'd like to see if our long daylight hours compensate for the short growing season...

Todger...thank you!...Yes, a lot of dahlia growers up here (Fairbanks/North Pole area) though I don't believe there are as many as in the southern part of the state where it is much warmer...I am pretty far north...

Real nice shots Moose! Always great to see dahlias from all over the world.

I like Ala Mode a lot too, Seduction looks great as does Kork and Olympic Flame catches my eye too.
You started these early then?

Sounds like we have the same taste... I always admire your dahlias so thanks for the compliment!
Yes, I start them indoors in late March in a heated garage

Beautiful every last one of them!!!

WOW! I can't pick at favorite; they are all wonderful! Great photos too!

Joanne

Well my first response after many consecutive OMGs is "What is she complaining about weatherwise?" You have gorgeous blooms! Seduction, that first photo is just perfect! Love the outlined petals in any color. You should be crowing with glee up there in the far north. We've had nothing but perfect dahlia weather, save for rainfall until today, and I've only got two that have opened! What are you complaining about??????

Enjoy those beauties, each and every one.

OK Pooch...I'll trade ya...One Goodwill90 for buckets and buckets of rain...LOL...This is a bunch of blooms that I cut off last night after the pouring rain knocked them down...We've had 1/10 of our annual precipitation in the last 24 hours...That's a whole lotta rain when you consider the bulk of our precip is in the form of snow...We've had enough for me, you and a few other people who need it...Rivers/streams are flooding...

Anyways..done fussing...I just want it to stop long enough so I can start bulding the ark...My DH is telling everyone we are going to build one for my flowers...of course there will have to be 2 of each type of flower I grow...LOL

What beautiful dahlia's! A bouquet to be proud of!!

I love seduction one of my very favorites, no blooms yet. Glad to see one of yours.

A stunning sight! Glad you saved them from what does sound to be harsh rainfall. I was just crossing my fingers that a few drips would turn into some rain accummulation here, but not yet. I may have to rev up the hose :(

What is the bright yellow with white tips? I'll save a Goodwill 90 for you if I can get them through winter.

Great photos. Guess you posted this while I was gone. Thanks for sharing. Jean

pooch,

well i don't feel so bad if you only have 2 blooming. one flower here at my place, and one plant about to have 3 flowers opening. but my neighbors have a bunch! They must have started them inside. I'm the lazy gardener who just pops them in after frost.

It's a particularly slow year all over the NW, JB. Except for Cocoajuno in her little Marysville haven of dahlias LOL! I've had about 5% of my dahlias bloom to date. I know the dahlia "show starts in August" but it's tick-tocking toward September so let's get on with some flowers already! Our days of 90's really brought on the growth, so next week both of us should see more beauties in bloom.

Every season is so different: that's the challenge of the garden, trying to beat Mother Nature at her own game, beat the bugs, beat the slugs, and in my case beat the chickens and turkeys who come scavenging from the neighbors!

jburesh...I'm guessing you were referring to popping them in after the last spring frost....Frost...bad word...We have an advisory for our first autumn frost this evening. Supposed to go down to 25...Talk about depressing...As Pooch said, it's been one thing after another. Even this far north, we're not ready for frost after hale in June, too cool in July and rain rain rain July into August...Late bloom, few blooms and no blooms...

Pooch...fortunately I don't have slugs (though they are up here) so I'm not familiar with eradicating them, but if you like, I'll ship a moose down to stomp the chicks and turks...those I have...LOL