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| Formal Decoratives |
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| Bucket of Dahlias |
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| Rebecca Lynn |
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| More Dahlias |
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Southern Tier Dahlia Society Show 2012
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Summer Heat and Drought
Dahlias are pretty tolerant of a lot, but they don't thrive in high heat and drought conditions. The plants become highly stressed, and even though they are blooming (somewhat), bloom sizes are smaller, there are less blooms on the plants, and many of the flowers are deformed.
Plants also don't reach their full height. It's the end of August, and dahlias that were planted in mid May are scarcely two feet tall. It's like having a garden of 1200 miniature dahlias.
Kaleidoscope
American Sun
Maniac
Plants also don't reach their full height. It's the end of August, and dahlias that were planted in mid May are scarcely two feet tall. It's like having a garden of 1200 miniature dahlias.
Dahlia Notecards
Earlier this year I started my dahlia notecard project. They turned out nicely, and I started selling them at meetings of the local dahlia society. Cards are blank inside, printed on heavy stock paper, are approximately 4x6 inches, and come with an envelope. Such a deal! They are $1.50 each and 5 for $6 (that's right you get one free this way).
Buy some and send them to your dahlia-loving friends in the winter when they could use cheering up. For orders, e-mail me at ClearCreekDahlias@yahoo.com. These are the current designs available:
Buy some and send them to your dahlia-loving friends in the winter when they could use cheering up. For orders, e-mail me at ClearCreekDahlias@yahoo.com. These are the current designs available:
Thomas Edison
American Sun
Bodacious (very popular)
Cafe au Lait
Danum Meteor
Fleur
Karma Corona (best seller)
Sport of Bodacious (most popular)
Mingus Gregory
Vanquisher
Mom's Special
Emory Paul (also a big favorite)
Sporty Cheerio (best seller)
Karma Sangria
Saturday, August 18, 2012
The New Garden--First Year
I had a lot of hope for this year's dahlia garden: my own piece of earth, sunny location, and lots of room to plant. I was hoping that with all the hundreds of tubers I'd plant that I would be able to harvest cut flowers and sell them at a local farmer's market.He told me that the soil was good--no clay, and almost no rocks.
Well, reality sometimes does away with fantasy. The year started out well. In March I had a local farmer plow and disc the ground. Since it had lain fallow for over fifty years, it was a bit of a chore. Then the snow and rain came, and the warm March turned into a cold and wet April. so I thought that when May hit, that I'd rotill it, and start planting. Well, in the mean time, the soil had gotten packed down to the point where my 8 horsepower Husqvarna rotiller just bounced off the surface. So I decided that maybe I needed to hire a professional to come and do the rototilling. That turned out to be a disaster. The job was too small for some, or too far away to come (I get that), or the prices quoted for the job were ridiculous ($750 for a 50x100 plot?? I have half an acre!) Then I got the idea of renting the equipment and doing it myself (Surely it had to be cheaper than $750!). I called Bobcat of South Buffalo. They came out the next morning, and dropped off a practically new tractor (only used 3 hours) with a comfy padded seat and a CUP HOLDER, and a new tow behind Rototiller. I originally had asked for a full day's rental, but turned out to only need this wonderful machine for half a day. So I spent my four hours sipping my large diet Coke (carefully ensconced in its cup colder), wearing my large floppy hat and sunglasses, tooling around and around the garden. Every time I made a pass through, I could feel the rototiller digging down deeper and deeper, I made four trips around the garden. The earth was light and easy to work with, and my prep work was done. Now for the planting...
I started staking out the different beds, but there had been no rain recently. The ground had the consistency of talcum powder. I thought to put off planting until it rained. I knew the tubers would never survive in that dry soil, and neither would the sprouted tubers. And I waited for the rain..... We finally had one rainy day, and I rushed out and started planting like a mad woman. For three days, I planted, and then I noticed that the soil was drying up again, so I held off on plaitng any more. For two weeks it didn't rain.
So you get the picture. Between the lack of rain and the high temperatures, the dahlias didn't thrive. There werer a lot of losses... I planted 25 Canby centennial, and only three came up, and so on.
Recently (in August) the weather has started to change for the better. We've had more rain. Some of the Dahlias (the ones planted in May) are finally starting to bloom, althought the blossoms on a lot of them are stunted and don't fully open up, but at least it's a start. I'm even starting to see tubers sprouting that have been lying in the ground for two months. Well, at least they'll make tubers for next year.
The early cool nights we've had recently have alarmed me a little. I'm hoping the weather stays good until the end of October, to give some of the late starters time to make up for the dismal summer.
Well, reality sometimes does away with fantasy. The year started out well. In March I had a local farmer plow and disc the ground. Since it had lain fallow for over fifty years, it was a bit of a chore. Then the snow and rain came, and the warm March turned into a cold and wet April. so I thought that when May hit, that I'd rotill it, and start planting. Well, in the mean time, the soil had gotten packed down to the point where my 8 horsepower Husqvarna rotiller just bounced off the surface. So I decided that maybe I needed to hire a professional to come and do the rototilling. That turned out to be a disaster. The job was too small for some, or too far away to come (I get that), or the prices quoted for the job were ridiculous ($750 for a 50x100 plot?? I have half an acre!) Then I got the idea of renting the equipment and doing it myself (Surely it had to be cheaper than $750!). I called Bobcat of South Buffalo. They came out the next morning, and dropped off a practically new tractor (only used 3 hours) with a comfy padded seat and a CUP HOLDER, and a new tow behind Rototiller. I originally had asked for a full day's rental, but turned out to only need this wonderful machine for half a day. So I spent my four hours sipping my large diet Coke (carefully ensconced in its cup colder), wearing my large floppy hat and sunglasses, tooling around and around the garden. Every time I made a pass through, I could feel the rototiller digging down deeper and deeper, I made four trips around the garden. The earth was light and easy to work with, and my prep work was done. Now for the planting...
I started staking out the different beds, but there had been no rain recently. The ground had the consistency of talcum powder. I thought to put off planting until it rained. I knew the tubers would never survive in that dry soil, and neither would the sprouted tubers. And I waited for the rain..... We finally had one rainy day, and I rushed out and started planting like a mad woman. For three days, I planted, and then I noticed that the soil was drying up again, so I held off on plaitng any more. For two weeks it didn't rain.
So you get the picture. Between the lack of rain and the high temperatures, the dahlias didn't thrive. There werer a lot of losses... I planted 25 Canby centennial, and only three came up, and so on.
Recently (in August) the weather has started to change for the better. We've had more rain. Some of the Dahlias (the ones planted in May) are finally starting to bloom, althought the blossoms on a lot of them are stunted and don't fully open up, but at least it's a start. I'm even starting to see tubers sprouting that have been lying in the ground for two months. Well, at least they'll make tubers for next year.
The early cool nights we've had recently have alarmed me a little. I'm hoping the weather stays good until the end of October, to give some of the late starters time to make up for the dismal summer.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
The Garden Project
For years, I've been using the larger yards and lots of various very generous friends to grow my dahlias. Well, this year is going to change all of that!!!!!!
I had the great good luck to find a 3/4 acre vacant lot three blocks from my home. It's on a quiet street, and has been vacant since the 50s. It's the only vacant lot on the street.
I've tested the soil, and done a walk around. To my surprise, there were some little fuschia colored violets living there, a few clumps of crocii, plus a mystery early spring flower that hasn't bloomed yet.
This Friday (March 30), the underground utility survey should be complete, and next will be the plowing and soil conditioning. The soil has never been worked and has a thick sod cover. It also appears to be a tad on the damp side, so I will be adding sand, and wood shavings to help lighten the texture of the soil and to raise it up a little so the dahlias won't drown. It will be like a giant raised flower bed.
I had the great good luck to find a 3/4 acre vacant lot three blocks from my home. It's on a quiet street, and has been vacant since the 50s. It's the only vacant lot on the street.
I've tested the soil, and done a walk around. To my surprise, there were some little fuschia colored violets living there, a few clumps of crocii, plus a mystery early spring flower that hasn't bloomed yet.
This Friday (March 30), the underground utility survey should be complete, and next will be the plowing and soil conditioning. The soil has never been worked and has a thick sod cover. It also appears to be a tad on the damp side, so I will be adding sand, and wood shavings to help lighten the texture of the soil and to raise it up a little so the dahlias won't drown. It will be like a giant raised flower bed.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Transporting Dahlias
As a person fairly new to exhibiting dahlias, I tried several methods to try to get my dahlias to the shows undamaged, with mixed success. The most disheartening thing in the world is to have a blue ribbon candidate in the garden, only to have it arrive at a show looking battered, and with its foliage damaged (10 points off in the judge's manual!)
When I was at the Dahlia Society of Ohio's member show in October, I saw several of the exhibitors carrying buckets that had been modified to transport dahlias. Their exhibits arrived with perfect foliage, and petals undamaged from transport,
The method is simple: find a low bucket, drill some holes in the sides above where you want your water level to be, attach stakes or rods, and clip your dahlias to these supports with plastic hair clips padded with a little cotton or other soft material.
Blooms are set far enough apart so that their petals don't become damaged
Three sets of holes allow for shorter or longer stakes to be attached to the bucket. Pipe cleaners, velcro strips, florist tape,, or twist ties from trash bags work very well.
When I was at the Dahlia Society of Ohio's member show in October, I saw several of the exhibitors carrying buckets that had been modified to transport dahlias. Their exhibits arrived with perfect foliage, and petals undamaged from transport,
The method is simple: find a low bucket, drill some holes in the sides above where you want your water level to be, attach stakes or rods, and clip your dahlias to these supports with plastic hair clips padded with a little cotton or other soft material.
Blooms are set far enough apart so that their petals don't become damaged
The stakes can be bamboo, wooden dowels, or fiberglass
Secured on top with a padded clip to keep the heavy flower head from snapping or weakening the stem.
Other Blogs and Websites of Interest
Here are some other blogs from dahlia growers and various dahlia clubs. They contain loads of information on propagation, growing dahlias for show, storing tubers over the winter, etc.
Lynch Creek Dahlias:
http://www.lynchcreekdahlias.com/
The Rochester Dahlia Society (referred to as RDS in this blog):
http://rochesterdahliasociety.blogspot.com/
The Dahlia Society of Ohio (referred to as DSO in this blog):
http://dahliasocietyofohio.org/
Virginia Cooperative Extension article on the production of dahlias for cut flowers:
http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/2906/2906-1384/2906-1384.html
Lynch Creek Dahlias:
http://www.lynchcreekdahlias.com/
The Rochester Dahlia Society (referred to as RDS in this blog):
http://rochesterdahliasociety.blogspot.com/
The Dahlia Society of Ohio (referred to as DSO in this blog):
http://dahliasocietyofohio.org/
Virginia Cooperative Extension article on the production of dahlias for cut flowers:
http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/2906/2906-1384/2906-1384.html
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