2023 - Dahlia Blooms

edewitt · 2023-06-17T14:24:58+00:00

It's a bit early but at some point everyone's going to need a place to share their glorious dahlia photos. I've got a bloom from one of the cuttings I took...

ChrissyPDX

White blooms in a bucket all harvested this morning. They aren't really white technically, more like a warm off-white with yellowish centers.

Upper left are two Allie White. Very tall plant already that has produced a lot of big, deep, lovely blooms. Going clockwise from Allie are two Sandia Isa, 10 White Nettie, which has been incredibly productive so far, at the bottom are two Blizzards, then a Tapioca, and to the right of it a little Creamy.

Some of them in a mason jar. Little pot bottom right contains two Creamy and a couple of Wine-eyed Jills.

ChrissyPDX

White collarettes, first Cherubino then Darin's Moon.

Darin's Moon is elegant and graceful with its pointed petals on long slender stems. Cherubino is chubby and fluffy and has a little more substance. Both are very productive and loved by the bees (and me).

ChrissyPDX

Dahlias with shorter stems finding homes in vintage French mustard pots.

Left pot clockwise from top left is Wine-eyed Jill, Lyn's Brooke (barely visible), Robann Butterscotch then Rock Run Ashley. Right pot from top left is Kaiwera Gold, Maarn, Hollyhill Serenity, another Maarn and then Pam Howden.

I got the idea for the mustard pots from a YouTube video by Common Farm Flowers, a florist and flower farmer in southwest England. She grows and uses a lot of dahlias in her work and creates masterpieces with them. Here's a snip from one of her videos where she used the pots with dahlias:

blown_dry

ChrissyPDX Very cool. Thanks so much for sharing!

KitCMC

ChrissyPDX love the mustard crocks!

Juliarugula

Wyn’s Eeek!

Opening veeeeerrrry sloooowly….

Krista

Juliarugula Oh I lost my Wyn's Eeekk!! to rot this spring, I’m thrilled to see yours!

AndreaB

Juliarugula That looks like a fun one.

edewitt

This was one of six mystery tubers Ted gave me along with some labeled ones. This is HH Mystery Tuber #5, it's about 3.5"-4" in diameter. The plants about 4' which is taller than most of my plants right now. I'm guessing it might Hollyhill Jitterbug?

I managed to make one of my raised beds to be strictly Holyhill varieties. While I've been waiting I've come to really appreciate the foliage on my Hollyhill Red Warlock. The serrated leaves almost give it a fuzzy look from a distance. I'm quite pleased that I salvaged it back in the spring.

Well the tiny tuber of Hollyhill Ambiance turned in to a sizeable plant. Blooms are about 3.5". It's either a very strange combo of purple and pink or just straight up fuchsia. I have a really hard time capturing the color with my camera and my phone camera. This is pretty close though.

N-Force is back in the garden.

Mak's Volcano is a pretty impressive 6" bloom.

AC Highway 61 is ok with the bloom variety, I really love the dark foliage.

Teddahlia

It may be HH Tangelo but could be Jitterbug.

MissyWeitzel

2023 is the year I accept cactus and semi cactus dahlias into my heart. I'm so excited about Clearview Edie! I don't usually grow many SC or C varieties because I never liked them, but I have a good number this year and dang it, they're growing on me! I love how they look so different as they're opening - even a few hours later there is significant change in shape and appearance. But I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir. 😅

2023 is also the year of the dahlia plant for me. I have a ton of new-to-me varieties this season and I'm so much less impressed with a new coveted variety with a pretty face if the plant sucks. I'm finding that lot of my new ones have total garbage plants unfortunately.

This is my second year growing Caribbean Fantasy and nobody ever talks about it, I'm sure because NX dahlias - much less ones that vary so much bloom to bloom aren't everyone's cup of tea. Last year I marveled at the large number of interesting flowers each plant produced and this year I'm impressed by what a nice plant it is. Other varieties right next to it have some fungal and mite issues going on. Not Caribbean Fantasy. It's tall, it's vigorous, it's so healthy!
2nd pic is from last season-wanted to show some of the different CF flowers.

Bessie

MissyWeitzel I'm finding that lot of my new ones have total garbage plants unfortunately.

I love hearing details on the plant growth itself. What good is a pretty flower if there is not a way to sustain production? I understand we each have our unique growing environment, but it's good to hear the negative points as well as the good points of varieties. Thank you.

Juliarugula

ChrissyPDX love Wyn’s Sensation! I’d love to see more pictures of it!

MissyWeitzel I grew Caribbean Fantasy last year and really liked it. I felt like it had a particularly short vase life though, which ended up being the reason it didn’t make the cut this year. Otherwise, I think it’s fun!

Nenakazi - fun!

Clearview Butterscotch is an amazing color! I love it - wish I’d given it a better spot (it’s a bit shaded unfortunately and seems to be a little light on the blooms because of it)

Hollyhill Diamond - beautiful white. Perfect size. I love these blunt-tipped, deep cactus blooms.

Sandia Gold - beautiful flower, plants are kind of wimpy.

Finally getting to grow Hollyhill Serenity, and it’s as beautiful s expected!

Rivers Dark Chocolate. I’m including this one just to say, I seem to have a lot of trouble with my River’s varieties having hard centers. I wonder why that is? Does anybody else seem to be experiencing this? Maybe something about the genetics of their varieties doesn’t like my dirt…

Teddahlia

Clearview Edie was a second or third ear seedling when I first saw it in Dic;k's garden. It had that in your face beauty and had long stiff stems. Dick used Kenora flowers for his breeding and continued what Gordie Leroux started with his meticulous breeding. Gordie was not a hand crosser and used bees to pollinate his seed producers. He was a master at removing all the flowers that had "bad pollen" from the garden so the bees only used good flower pollen. He also placed bouquets of pollen rich flowers near the prospective seed pod. Breeding is the art of controlling pollination (among a lot of other things).

NCDahlia

Eric great pictures thanks for sharing. I will have to grow N-Force been meaning to since it was released since price has come down a bit now

Missy - I totally agree on having a plant that is aesthetically pleasing. Also stems have to be decent I don't like digging into foliage to find blooms. For me at least is a big part of if I like growing the dahlia. Many over the years I've tried are on ugly plants and often times I am 1 and done into the compost pile lol.

ChrissyPDX

The large bloom on the right is the fabulous Wyn's Sensation, my absolute favorite flower. The plant is enormous already, and has produced 8 magnificent flowers so far. Also included are a few of the laciniated Kaiwera Gold, several Hollyhill Jitterbug, a nice Hollyhill Serenity in the center, and three Wine-eyed Jill that surprised me with how good they look with the others.

Krista

ChrissyPDX Beautiful! If I remember correctly I think @KitCMC is a Wyn fan, Wyn’s Sensation is glorious!

Check out this 17”+ stem on Catalina! I have not been disbudding or cutting deeply (shame on me!) but it’s doing it all on it’s own. JS Pinky is also sending up beautiful long stems and has surprised me with how much I’m really enjoying this bloom this year.

blown_dry

ChrissyPDX So pretty!

Juliarugula

Krista !!! Your JS Pinky is gorgeous!! That was one of my top five most wanted tubers this year, and my plant has been suuuuuper slow. I’m really hoping mine blooms or makes some tubers for next year.

KitCMC

Krista you’re 100% correct. I adore The Wynne’s dahlias. I haven’t grown Sensation yet, but now I want to more than ever! Thanks for sharing it ChrissyPDX!
@Krista that Catalina 😍

ChrissyPDX

Juliarugula Your HH Serenity is beautiful! Mine is leaning so far into bright yellow that some blooms look like an entirely different variety. Hoping it mellows a bit as the season moves along. Adding HH Diamond to my wish list.

Wyn's Sensation:

KitCMC

Juliarugula gorgeous!

Krista

Juliarugula I just wasn’t sure when I ordered it but I have been so wowed by it! We can be each others backup this fall!

NCDahlia

Could be humidity on green centers. I never get good blooms till end of August just because I grow in extremely humidity (7B in the south) totally different from PNW. Nice color on the Rivers Dark Chocolate I believe I ordered that one and its still growing

Juliarugula

ChrissyPDX wow - Wyn’s Sensation is really stunning! That’s going to have to go on my wish list!

My HH Serenity gets some shade, although I’ve noticed that in general that I tend to get slightly deeper color on my dahlias than I expect from photos, so maybe it’s a midwestern climate thing.

NCDahlia Interesting thought about humidity. I’m in northern Indiana, and it does tend to be on the humid side here. Certainly compared to the Pacific Northwest.

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