Dahlia Seedling Pictures - 2024

Bessie · 2024-05-25T17:40:24+00:00

First to bloom seedlings May 21st to May 25th. I don't think there are any keepers here, but I'll wait and observe for a while. I do like the ruffled petals...

Bessie

Here's a blooming 2nd year seedling, looking good. First flower is a bit larger than the norm.

Plant growth is vigorous. It overwintered in the ground.

First year seedling 24105, 8" today, is holding up with back petals just beginning to soften on this 4th day.

Bessie

24312( record shows Bahama Mama is the seed parent) is a vigorous, tall seedling that looks similar to a larger version of Blizzard. Slightly dark, long stems(15"-18"), 4-4.5" flowers, good attachment angle, slightest bobble of bloom when shaken. First vase test the flowers lasted four days before back petals started browning. I'm testing almost every bloom of this year's seedlings to understand vase life. I'm also testing known varieties for comparison.

Teddahlia

White seedling flowers often have a defect that there is not enough white pigment to prevent sun damage to the florets(they get partially brown). It is less common in flowers that have a slight lavender or pink blush.

Bessie

Teddahlia thanks for that info about pigment deficit related to petal burning. I'll need to leave a bloom on the plants that have white flowers and check that out! I did notice some petal tip damage on Hollyhill Pinkie last year, but I thought it could have been thrip damage.

Teddahlia

The sun causes good things and bad things. Chemically, some version(s) of red pigment are prone to fading in sunlight. These fading red pigments can be the most attractive shade of red in the garden, before they fade. They are also responsible for some of the coral pink flowers that fade easily. If you pick them before they fade and bring them inside they do stay pretty bright. Burning is different than fading and is analogous to a sunburn where tissue is damaged by the sun because there was not enough "sunscreen"(pigment) in the flowers. Lack of pigment can be so bad that parts of the petals appear to be almost transparent. Some bi-color flowers are prone to burning on the white tips and they do not have enough white pigment.

calico20hill

Here is my first bloom of the season. It is a 2nd year seedling that I enjoyed last year but did not get dug up. It spent its winter in a small raised bed outside in my back yard. I am happy to see it again. It is a nice bouquet flower that mixes well with others. The red is a bit dull and the petals have a silver sheen on the back. The stem is strong but slim and it holds the flower nicely. The leaves are the lovely fern-leafed ones that I always notice on Hollyhill dahlias. I wonder if HH Black Beauty was a parent on this. I don't think this one will be a star but its a good member of the cast.

calico20hill

Krista

calico20hill Ooowowwwww, this one is fun!!!

SteveM

calico20hill The first bloom gets extra points! I like that reverse color display, it seems like a rare combination. I think Akita (or 'Akita No Hikari', I get them mixed up) that made good use of that color combination.

calico20hill

Today the backs of the petals look more light gold and I like that better...it gives it a warmer color profile.

Bessie

Seedling 24611 changes coloring from garden to vase. 3.5-4" bloom, with a bloom angle anywhere from up facing to clockface. It's not a show bloom, but it's coloration is nice. Both these photos are blooms that have been 4.5 - 5.5 days in the vase.

SteveM

Bessie This looks/sounds like a great candidate for a commercial cut variety.

Green centers are not appreciated on the show table but in many cases ,for cut dahlias,I prefer them over the "proper" centers. This "bellybutton-type" green center may disappear mid-October with the shorter day-lengths, just when most varieties are going open-centered. This can result in a couple additional weeks of salable blooms. This green center is not distracting or obnoxious, so I would not score it down on my cut-dahlia score card. 🙂

Bessie

Bessie FYI, I lost the tuber clump for this variety(24611). Not 100% sure why, but my best guess is the 5x7" pot it was planted in, and sunken in the ground, was too strong of plastic. The tubers got impacted, and suffocated. I have some cuttings of it I'm trying to root. Moral to the story is to make sure the pots you use to plant seedlings in, if they are sunken into the ground, allow the tubers to bust through.

magucci

Bessie beautiful!🤩

Bessie

SteveM thanks for the input. I've gotten quite a few blooms in the past month, but I'm not sure it will have the plant vigor that's needed for a commercial cut flower.

Teddahlia

Yes, the green centers would not allow it to even get a look at a show. Judges reach for green center entries and just set them back where the open center flowers are placed. Pretty flower otherwise.

Bessie

Teddahlia I appreciate hearing your perspective! My goals for hybridizing dahlias do not include winning at Dahlia shows, however there may be an occasional flower that will meet that stringent criteria. I'm selecting flowers that have a better than average vase life, an easy to grow productive plant, and flowers that work well in floral arrangements( nice stems, great angle attachment, desirable forms and colors). My target audience is like myself ( a home gardener and floral arranger), but professional growers are obviously not excluded if the flowers and plants meet their criteria. I appreciate all input and advice.
Who knows, maybe the ADS will someday acknowledge flowers that are specifically great for floral arrangements.

Teddahlia

I am not a cut flower judge and in fact there are none that I know of. Cut flower people breed what looks good and sells and is easy to grow. Vase life is important to many sellers. Another category that I feel is separate from cut flowers is arrangers flowers. It is hard to define them and some day I may try. This is where an exotic flower may make a big difference in a display. Flower arrangements are generally judged by National Garden club judges and they have much less bias concerning flowers that are not "show" flowers.

SteveM

I consider arranger's dahlias a subset of cut dahlias.I'm guessing 80-90% of the dahlias I ship to market are used in arrangements (weddings, funerals, special events) and very few are used in bouquets or vase displays. Bouquet vendors seem to prefer flowers with longer vase life. Sunflowers, Alstroemeria, Mums and other long-lasting types are popular in bouquets.

Bessie

SteveM thank you!

Bessie

Two recent blooming seedlings, different, but very similar. The color caught my attention this evening. Flowers picked 15 hours ago.
24225 on left (4"), 24232 on right, (3.5")

Teddahlia

I like 225.

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