General Dahlia Chat 2024

Krista · 2024-01-05T01:50:48+00:00

When do we grow up and stop ordering more tubers than we can possibly fit into the space we have, for the next season? Is that something I can look forward t...

blown_dry

KitCMC Interesting question. At first glance, that are as many [blank] Willo varieties as there are Willo [blank] varieties. I will look into it more.

MissyWeitzel

KitCMC
In my ADS 1976-2022 composite listing of dahlias both are listed and with the same hybridizer - N. Williams from Australia.

KitCMC

MissyWeitzel that’s an awesome resource! Looks like they’re both listed as being introduced in ‘78.

blown_dry

MissyWeitzel Great resource! My theory at this point is that they are the same variety and Lilac Willo is the proper spelling.
I looked at the 'dahlia world' directory and all 'willo' varieites are attributed to Williams of Aus. Variety names that lead with 'Willo' are spelled Willo's, interestingly.

MIDahlias

I'm sure many, if not everyone reading this may cringe.

December 11, 2024 and still digging tubers. (No worries I've dug in January)

I broke a few Audrey Grace and Baron Barb tubers off in the digging process.

I was too lazy to get more tags, so I planted them. Then I thought, I have tubers that I didn't plant in 2024. My laziness left me and I went and pulled a few good looking tubers out and planted them 8-10" down.

Covered the garden with mulched leaves as I always do.

We'll see what happens. If the rot, no big deal.

Theory, the freshly dug and replanted might grow. The year old tubers might rot or they'll all freeze.

(mom's house)

blown_dry

MIDahlias Live on the edge, bro!!

KitCMC

MIDahlias let us know what happens this spring!

Justafewdahlias

MIDahlias
Zero cringing from me! Some really great garden experiments and discoveries I have found out from being too tired to do something the “ideal” way or just from me forgetting or not wanting to do some task. Lots of experiments also have happened due to gardening with my young child “helping” me 🙃

My son really wanted to replant some on the tubers immediately after I divided a clump….and I let him because the time he spent digging some holes to plant the tubers bought me a whole lot of uninterrupted time to get stuff done in the yard.

There were a few plants where I dug, divided off a few tuber chunks then immediately replanted them. I have a lot of gaps in one of my dahlia raised beds. I am planning to overwinter those tubers in that bed so I thought it would be easier to plant to fill in gaps when I can see where the existing gaps are now in the raised bed.

Latest garden slacker discovery: pre sprouting ranuncula corms works when done the same style that I sprout seeds (wet paper towel and zip loc)….after soaking the corms I realized I was out of potting soil and knew there was no chance of me going shopping any time soon so tested this method out. I must say much cleaner, less space, and similar results so far as sprouting in seed starting mix or soil.

Teddahlia

Pop Willo is his too and he obviously did not always have Willo as the first word of the name. Last year, I talked to an Australian who knew a lot about him but we discussed breeding poms, not naming them.

KitCMC

Teddahlia I know you’ve talked about the difficulty of breeding poms — it seems like his efforts were unusually prolific.

Teddahlia

Norm Williams was a prolific breeder of poms. That statement is only half true as he introduced his first one in about 1937 and last one in about 1988. Yes, lots of poms but it took over 50 years. Persistence counts.

We should continue going for some more tall poms. HH Snowdrop grows 7 feet tall and it would be good one to cross with some well formed very small poms. Margaret dislikes poms because they are not waterlilies. Will she do some hand crossing of poms next year? The old saying is "When pigs fly."

MissyWeitzel

Teddahlia Ted, have you grown Winkie Lambrusco? It's definitely on the large side for pompons in bloom size but also in plant size. Last year mine were 4.5-5' tall and that is with tight spacing plus my plants never grow as large as they do in the PNW. It also makes seeds pretty easily for a pompon.

KitCMC

Teddahlia I better hurry up and start growing from seed! I am clearly behind Mr. Williams schedule.

Teddahlia

Ted, have you grown Winkie Lambrusco? Yes, it was just like the other poms and made no seeds for me. I grew it for two years. It was a bit tall but not as tall as Pop Willo that was one of my favorites. And Pop Willo made about 5 seeds for me. Lismore Peggy made seeds when hand pollinated by Margaret and it too was taller than the Winkie pom. If you got seeds from the Winkie pom, I hope you get something out of them. I am working on breeding HH Snowdrop and have lots of seeds from it planted by some nice MBs. I have a seed maker MB, a private flower of our breeding that I have planted here and there and it may yield some nice MBs. It noticeably did not make seeds when planted near the poms. I bet the bees do not spread any pom pollen. Margaret hand crossed MBs back when and HH Regal that won two medals is one of them. It was planted by Snowdrop this year.

blown_dry

I was just noticing that we have 220 registers users now and it made me think that I am grateful for you guys. 🙂 Thanks for being part of this community. Thanks ever to @mr_blown_dry for constructing and maintaining this space for our community to jump to from Cubits which had served valiently for so many years.

Some Mambo from 2020

Bessie

blown_dry thank you!

Krista

Thank you blown_dry & @mr_blown_dry! I’m beseechingly grateful for your tireless work maintaining and moderating this space for us. It’s my happiest place on the internet!

magucci

blown_dry thank YOU!!!

Juliarugula

blown_dry thank you for your awesome site - the whole thing!!

Teddahlia

Yes, thanks from me too. I enjoy posting things that are too "risque" for other sites like Facebook or Instagram. I use that word in it's old meaning of "danger" as I prefer to share many things only with a
small group of trusted people , like you all.

calico20hill

Teddahlia And we love having a place where you can do that and we can be friends.

SteveM

@blown_dry and @mr_blown_dry thanks much for all your effort, I really appreciate it! I don't "do" social media so this is my only contact with the dahlia world. A great group of members!🙂

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