Micro Dahlias

MissyWeitzel

This season was the first time I grew any micro dahlias and I ended up liking them way more than I expected. I grew a few to exhibit because there are usually fewer than 10 total micro entries of maybe 3 cultivars at our local show. I haven't seen very many of them in person or in photos and not many vendors stock them.

If you have any favorite micros you grow or have taken pics of at a show I'd love to see them! I have been looking on the ADS website but there are a lot without pictures.

I especially love that the plants don't need support and are very floriforous!

This is Kelsey Bramble, Lake Hills Phred, and Kelsey Tinker.

SteveM

MissyWeitzel Bill McClaren's"U2" (Under 2 inch) micros might still be around and there were some very nice ones. "U2 Fire" was one of my personal favorites but I don't have a photo of it. Here is a rather old photo of "U2 Ania" and does not accurately portray the show potential of this micro. I believe it is still winning higher ribbonsn and is probably easy to find.

Teddahlia

In our first year seedlings , I marked three potentially micro seedlings. I am not too hopeful as one is a pink fd but may be too big, another is a dark blend FD and is good on size but centers were not always good. The third one got marked but had no notes on form and color and it made one miniature tuber and probably it will not keep. I do not grow any open center dahlias and most of the micros are open center types. If I happen to find the pictures I took, I will post them.

SteveM

Teddahlia Ted, do you remember which Hollyhill variety/seedling you sent to Bill McClaren to use in his micro breeding? I think he had some micro seedlings with Hollyhill genes in the queue for release but I don't know if any were released before he died.

MissyWeitzel

SteveM this is your father, right? I was just reading about his U2 intros. I always assumed the hybridizer was a big fan of the band. (I've loved them since I was 12) and it was interesting to read that it meant Under 2 inches.
U2's song Fire is off one of my favorite albums and I saw the dahlia U2 Fire at the Midwest Conference Dahlia Show this fall and thought it was very beautiful and it shot straight to the top of my wishlist!
Thank you for sharing this picture. 😊

MissyWeitzel

U2 Fire at the midwest show (not my entry)

Teddahlia

I sent HH Lilliput to your father and it is about 2.25 inches in diameter at it's smallest but it has superb form
and best of all, it makes seeds and good seedlings.

AKWindWatcher

Teddahlia Ted - is this one that you still sell? I lost my U2 Ania (deep sadness) with all the rain last summer but I thought maybe it might be fun to try and recreate some of Bill's steps by using Lilliput. See if I can't get another micro orchid while I'm trying to hunt up a replacement Ania. (I got her from the Boley's but they don't grow her anymore.)

HiDahlia

Some photos from the 2023 National Show.

MissyWeitzel

AKWindWatcher I have multiple U2 Ania plants this year, and will trade you this fall if you'd like 😊

Teddahlia

Lilliput makes lots of tubers and I planted an extra 6 or so to finish out a row. It may well be he most under rated flower we have bred. Form is amazing but since it is only 2.5 inches in diameter and is being shown against flowers that are 3.999 inches it gets lost in the shuffle. In case you could not guess, it has lots of pom genes.

Bessie

Teddahlia I have a seedling this year from Hollyhill Daydream that measured 1.25 inches diameter when picked, and is now on day four at 1.75 inches in diameter. The form is not that great, but at least it's totally closed center. I'm guessing the pollen parent may have been Valley Porcupine. I had a series of seedlings, all consecutively numbered, that had some type of bug eating at it's roots(from a soil amendment I think). It's unclear if the small size is from the soil issue and poor health of the plant.

AKWindWatcher

Teddahlia So, yes? I’ll add it to my “Get from Ted” list next Spring. 😁

AKWindWatcher

MissyWeitzel that would be wonderful! Thank you!!
❤ 💐🌼🌺

Teddahlia

As your smiley face implies open center dahlias are banned here.

Teddahlia

Hydrogen peroxide at 4 to 1 ratio and water the plants to larvae eating roots. It is harmless to plants.

MissyWeitzel

Mignon single- Baron Abbie

I had no idea it has a picotee! How dang cute is that?! It's a new release and the only photos I found were kinda far away ones on the Lobaughs website.

JessieC

MissyWeitzel Adorable! I hope to try some of the micro varieties next year.

Teddahlia

Waiting for our fully double second year micro seedlings to bloom. Usually they go from micro to 1/4 inch too big. Breeding giant dahlias and micro fully double dahlias are not for the faint of heart.