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...

Juliarugula

calico20hill wow! That’s gorgeous!

calico20hill

I'm excited to grow it next year! It was just a random seedling I gave her ...I don't think we even had the name of the seed parent...Maybe I did though because I think I knew it would probably be orange....but I no longer remember...
Its possible it was from Bracken Palamino....

Teddahlia

It makes one wonder if Bloomquist Jean is related to Bracken Palimino.

calico20hill

Teddahlia It does look rather like that. I think that in fact I did have Bloomquist Jean 3 years ago...maybe. And I have grown Bracken Palamino as often as I could keep it going. I am excited to see how many tubers we get when we divide it!

Teddahlia

I wish the Brits would include Margaret's name as she does as much or more of the breeding, especially the waterlilies. Letitia is from the Pam Howden line that was created by her hand crossing.

calico20hill

Teddahlia That is weird, that they don't recognize your work as a team! Is that an English thing, to not acknowledge that? You might have to officially change your name to TedandMargaret Kennedy.

SteveM

Teddahlia Congratulations to you two, that's quite an honor!

Krista

Teddahlia Congratulations to you and Margaret! It’s nice to know Hollyhill Letitia made it across the pond and is thriving!

MIDahlias

Juliarugula
School Bus is fun and unique.

Teddahlia

Finished dividing the first year seedlings. Average yield is 4.2 tubers. It would have been more but the large clumps of below average seedlings were only divided to yield about 5 tubers as that is enough. It took longer than normal as the clumps were so large. Always some labeling issues. Some have only a ribbon and if lucky the original tag that indicates the seed parent. A couple rotted and yielded no tubers. Most of the seedlings are quickly forgotten after you label them and the few notes you make are very important. Pictures are a luxury and the best one got about 20 pictures but most have no picture. The Boleys commiserated with us on Facebook in that their first year picture taking is similarly bad. Our excuse is that we are so excited about the flower we cannot think straight. 😳 We have lots of pictures that are not labeled and a few that are labeled. We marked for retention a little more than 10% of the seedlings. Pretty typical.

calico20hill

Last year I grew Mak's Meredith and saved seed from it. I really don't remember it that well, but I have a beautiful seedling this year and I am wondering how much different it is from its mama....I would love to see pictures, and comments on whether the seedling is different enough to keep. I only remember that the plants were really big and healthy...

Juliarugula

calico20hill that’s really pretty and soft. ❤️

Teddahlia

Looks to be a miniature wl.

calico20hill

I don't remember it as a miniature but if it looks like a good waterlily I will happily grow it again.

calico20hill

Juliarugula It seemed real healthy too. It was in a part of the garden that starts to shade out earliest so I will try it where it has better conditions next year.

bloomhjelm

It looks a lot like Maks Meredith! Here was mine.

In other news, someone stole my idea of a bee-on-a-stick for pollination.

calico20hill

Yes, I wondered whether it varied enough from Mak's Meridith to make it a keeper. I will grow it again next year and plant it where it gets more hours of sunlight and see how it looks. It seems to be a good seed maker.

Teddahlia

"It seems to be a good seed maker." This was the best year for seed production we have ever had. I could go out today and get seeds and may do so as there are a couple of plants that I bought this year to try for seeds and I believe there are more on them. Margaret set records for her hand crossed seed production. I ran out of seed envelopes and will need to order another box next year. I use coin envelopes #7.

calico20hill

I have a box of tubers ready to send off to Triple Wren for them to trial next year. That will be a relief to get them into other hands to be responsible for them over the winter...I enjoy the growing out seeds part of it. Shipping tubers anywhere is not something I enjoy...trusting my babies to the US mails, PARTICULARLY in late November with the capricious weather! At least we are in a warm wet pattern right now, not an arctic blast.

Teddahlia

I shucked a nice batch of seeds collected on 11-22-24. Earlier in the year that variety was a bit shy with seed production. I harvested 4 pods and got 80 seeds and all were dark black and quite fat and this variety has very short seeds. The seedlings will be 4th generation of our breeding and go back to HH Liz that won a medal.

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