Hybridizing Dahlias

Bessie · 2023-09-14T03:43:02+00:00

Krista to discover if seeds are growing in the seed pod, after there are no remaining anthers on the pod, gently squeeze the pods between your thumb and fing...

calico20hill

Teddahlia THanks, Ted. This was probably before I got intereted in dahlias either.

Teddahlia

Cuttings: I took my last batch today and only the very best ones. I have some more to take but really the cutting season is over. I know I took more than 1,000 cuttings this year. We put the last of the seedings into pots today. we may have only about 1,000- and I wanted only about 800. Margaret is still placing annuals seedlings into pots but is about 90% done.
Weather for planting is crap for about week and then it has to dry out.

SteveM

Teddahlia I know I took more than 1,000 cuttings this year.

That's an incredible number, especially considering all the labeling and record keeping.

Bessie

Teddahlia that's a LOT of work! Have you ever considered getting a horticulture student summer intern from a local college to help you out? You're a great teacher.

Teddahlia

Taking 1,000 cuttings is one thing. Most of them are second year seedlings. Planting and evaluating them will be another challenge. One consolation is that most of them will not make the grade and will not be dug in the Fall. If something is a good one, there should be enough tubers to grow it the next year with plans to introduce it the following year. And most of them will be grown from tubers also in a different garden. It is a dream and a nightmare that too many will be good ones? And how many names will I
have to propose to Margaret to get them named?

bloomhjelm

Teddahlia I asked ChatGPT for some name suggestions for you. 🙂

Prompt:
What are some possible hybrid names to give to a newly hybridized dahlia variety given these constraints: It has to be less than 15 characters, it can be more than one word, it must start with the prefix Hollyhill (then a space, followed by the name). I would like to hear suggestions for names based on the following characteristics: names reflecting colors like gold, honey, bronze, peach, coral, red, yellow, white, and lavender; names that connote elegance and beauty; names which reflect the names of important historical botanists; names which reflect things that are exciting or ephemeral.

Response:
Hollyhill Gleam
Hollyhill Blush
Hollyhill Ember
Hollyhill Lumos
Hollyhill Fawn
Hollyhill Zephyr
Hollyhill Sable
Hollyhill Opal
Hollyhill Rosalba (honoring Rosalba Carriera, a botanical artist)
Hollyhill Aurelia (inspired by Carl Linnaeus, whose full name was Carl von Linné)
Hollyhill Flare
Hollyhill Prism
Hollyhill Lively
Hollyhill Radiance
Hollyhill Swift
Hollyhill Mendel (honoring Gregor Mendel, the father of genetics)
Hollyhill Darwin (honoring Charles Darwin, whose work influenced botany and genetics)
Hollyhill Mendelian
Hollyhill Galton (honoring Francis Galton, a pioneer in genetics)
Hollyhill Linnaea (honoring Carl Linnaeus)
Hollyhill Petalum
Hollyhill Enigma
Hollyhill Mariposa (Spanish for butterfly, reflecting ephemeral beauty)
Hollyhill Seraph
Hollyhill Gossamer
Hollyhill Ethereal
Hollyhill Chroma
Hollyhill Incandescence

Juliarugula

bloomhjelm wow - a lot of those are really pretty good. I think my favorite is “Hollyhill Opal”.

magucci

bloomhjelm l like Mariposa!

Teddahlia

I like 17 of them and will mix them into my next list submitted to her Majesty, Margaret.

calico20hill

I favor Hollyhill Mariposa...And I need to see how Salish Opal does this year befor I toss the name to Ted.
Salish Opal is a fully double Orchette, if it IS fully double this year. IT is creamy tones with a bit of pink and lavender blush.

Teddahlia

At our Fred Meyer store they were selling this jewel of a border dahlia. It is really sort of an anenome.

SteveM

2023 seedling. Not a show flower but has good cut-flower traits and the light blend color is "in". BB size.

Krista

SteveM Very pretty, I love that pin-striping trait on petals! Lovely colors too.

calico20hill

That is a pretty one, Steve! Reminds me of Peaches N Cream but in a berry flavor.

Teddahlia

Berries and Cream is a very pretty flower.

Teddahlia

I used the tractor (48 year old tractor bought in 1976) to get 100 feet of row ready to plant. Then I did my normal task of pulling last years seedling tubers out of storage and proceeded to make tags for the tubers. Usually this takes a couple of hours. 4 hours later I was 85% done. Margaret had lots of hand crossed waterlilies and I selected nearly as many other types and we have kept too many seedlings. One really nice one had 11 tubers, a new record. If was not marked best I may have only planted 5 or so. I thought they would be planted today but tomorrow is another day.
This one made some tubers.

Bessie

Teddahlia I really like your updates. It gives me a reality check on how hard and how much work hybridizing is.

Teddahlia

Trial garden at Swan Island Dahlias planted today. We have some entries there. I "helped" but saved energy for planting in our garden. Alfalfa meal at the rate of 1/2 cup was placed in every hole. Garden has had a full dose of dolomite lime to correct acidity and to increase magnesium and other organic fertilizer added too(forgot to ask what).

Teddahlia

Trial garden: A few people who entered had problems with a tuber(they enter three) . The club grow's the tubers for a month in a gallon(almost a gallon) pot. Most entries had all three grow well. One had four growing well and the breeder had sent an extra tuber.

Teddahlia

Planted rooted cuttings of the 2023 waterlilies. 2.5 hours of pulling plants from the greenhouse and sorting them. Then about 1.5 hours of planting. Next are the "not waterlilies" and I bet Margaret will not help as much.

Teddahlia

I "found" another 70 or so cuttings of second year seedling waterlilies that were not yet taken out to the greenhouse. I will find room for them later. I need to plant the second year "not waterlily" cuttings first. And I found four pot roots(sink pots as this is what K. Albrecht calls them) ) of waterlily seedlings that were not selected to take cuttings and one says "bicolor" . That may have been a mistake and I will plant them very soon. Too many plants and not enough time.

Krista

Teddahlia Wow, what an incredible bloom; it’s rainbow colored!

blown_dry

Teddahlia It would be so amazing to have one with some jumping genes that caused it to sport like this all the time. So cool!

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