2023 Orders & Openings Chat

blown_dry · 2023-02-04T23:16:17+00:00

I sent off an email order to DahliaLama. We'll see!

Teddahlia

I see in the future an occupation of an "order assistant" where you give your list to to an astute dahlia computer nerd and that person by hook or crook consolidates your order into a box and charges you only $4.00 per tuber plus of course the actual cost of the tubers. $4.00 is just a guess.

SteveM

Teddahlia occupation of an "order assistant" where you give your list to to an astute dahlia computer nerd

Funny, I was thinking the same thing. Kind of like paying someone to stand in line to buy concert tickets for you.

blown_dry

Teddahlia I see in the future an occupation of an "order assistant"

True story. Someone offered my $500 to acquire some KA's varieties for them. It's easy to throw numbers around so I don't know if they would have actually followed through, but the demand is real I think.

Teddahlia

Thinking of the same idea is a very common occurrence. Every once in awhile you think of something that is unique. Unfortunately, almost always your unique idea is a dud however. Ideas are a dime dozen as they need action! People who take good ideas and run with them are our true heroes and we tend to pay them lots of money.
Cell phone picture of Hollyhill Letitia taken by Margaret's sister. It looks dark pink instead of purple in the lens of her IPhone.

Dahlia53

Teddahlia that's a real beauty, Ted.

Teddahlia

I always thought there was an opportunity for a seller to contract with some home growers and buy their extra tubers. I would be be very satisfied with tubers grown in show gardens by people who have superior stock. Pipe dream?

Dahlia53

Since I do not show and am not a judge, just grow for the sheer pleasure of giving bouquets and watching pollinators, the poor stock I received online has got me thinking of trying to network local growers and doing local trades, since I live on an island. I will also probably join a dahlia society and attend a society sale. I used to love going to the Seattle Flower Show and buying direct from some of the growers there but with a sick cat i cannot leave, I like the idea of barter. Yes, it may be risky in terms of disease, but after what I experienced this year, I'm willing to risk it. I also loathe those opening day sales with a passion. It is not "fun" for me. Dahlia buying used to be fun. I want it to be fun again. I don't enjoy cutthroat anything.

calico20hill

Dahlia53

Absolutely 100% in agreement with you!

Dahlia53

Bessie thanks for turning me on to Virgil. His tubers look beautiful. I got the few that he had left for that great price; really nice person too.

SteveM

I only ordered about 25 tubers this year (I am not an addict like some of you sickos!) and was happy with the quality from all of the vendors and growers I traded with. I particularly like the small family farms that are just starting out and use ingenuity when choosing packing materials.
Of the 25 tubers I ordered, I culled one as virused, had one refuse to eye out, and lost two to rot. The two rotten tubers could have been my fault for eyeing them out in too wet/cold of potting soil. So, that is only about a 10% loss overall. (Of course, the gophers haven't had a shot at them yet).

MIDahlias

I do a great job of keeping track of what I order until May. Once May comes around nothing makes it in the computer.

I have two tubers that need to find their names.

One from Coseytown's last chance box. The tuber is labeled HHBKU. I don't see anything on the site that would match.

The second I don't know where it came from. Its labeled MHB.

Anyone great at puzzles and can help me figure this out before November. I will hate for them to end up NOID's.

MissyWeitzel

MIDahlias Hollyhill Black Beauty?

edewitt

MIDahlias The tuber is labeled HHBKU.

Yeah I'd wager it's one of the varieties of black intros from Hollyhill or HH Buttermilk but just maybe a little wonky on the labeling.

MIDahlias The second I don't know where it came from. Its labeled MHB.

Probably Mrs. H Brown.

Dahlia53

MIDahlias maybe the U is a W? In that case it might be Hollyhill Black Widow, which is a gorgeous WL!

I have to laugh because I religiously label and if the name is not on any tubers I get, I mark the name on them immediately - but forgot to label just one, marked 359. I have no idea what is it or which grower sent it, but it sprouted so it's in the ground growing.

MIDahlias

MissyWeitzel I was wondering but I think that would be an easy HHBB instead of 5 letters.

Juliarugula

Dahlia53 did you order from Connell’s or River’s? They both use numerical codes…. (I’m sure lots of other sellers do as well, but…)

edewitt

Juliarugula did you order from Connell’s or River’s? They both use numerical codes…. (I’m sure lots of other sellers do as well, but…)

Lobaugh's does as well.

Teddahlia

Repeated this 4 or 5 times over the years: Phil Mingus used a rubber stamp that had replaceable numbers only. He placed three digits on each tuber. They corresponded to his catalog 001 through about 400 in alphabetical order. A customer called him and asked what variety was number 222 . Phil said what year was it as the list was different each year.

Juliarugula

I don’t understand the advantage of a numerical system over an abbreviation system. I do four letter abbreviations sort of similar to bird ID abbreviations. I can almost always figure out what the tuber is without referencing my list (but good to keep a list just in case). Last year I tried stamping my tubers with a simple alphabet stamp set. I think this year I’m just going to sharpie them though - I think it will be easier, and I have tidy lettering.

MIDahlias

Juliarugula I used to number with the first letter and then two numbers following until I learned about bird abbreviations. I love it. I do vary sometimes, but as you mentioned I can always figure it out.

blown_dry

That's one of the steps to unboxing for me, labeling the unmarked or coded tubers with a garden marker. 🙂

KitCMC

blown_dry agreed - I also appreciate having confirmation of which tuber is the mother when digging.

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