Rarities - ISO and Sources

AKWindWatcher

I thought I'd start a discussion dedicated to the hunt for, and the finding of, rare ones. I know there are some that have been part of other discussions (HH Lavender Blu, Sellwood Glory, Fernridge Pride) but I'll add one more. I'm hunting for Hart's Pink Ribbon. I thought I'd found it with Restoring Eden and was planning on snagging it in his sale on the 11th. Alas, he told me today it's not in his garden anymore. So far, I haven't found anyone else with it. Any leads greatly appreciated. I'm afraid it might be lost which makes me very sad. I hate seeing varieties of anything go the way of the Dodo Bird.

Teddahlia

In the 1960s before I knew that a dahlia was not a zinnia there was a show variety named Windlassie , a beautiful white flower. I have only seen a blurry picture of it but even in it's day it was very rare. Please place me into the time machine and rocket me back to 1960 so I can grab a tuber and return to 2023. Michael J. Fox Kennedy

Bessie

Teddahlia did a Google search on Windlassie...

Found on page 60 of the following catalog. Really cool pictures of mostly Irises in the catalog.
Walter Marx 1955 - American Iris Society https://wiki.irises.org/pub/Hist/Info1955CatalogWalterMarx/1955_WALTER_MARX_GARDENS.pdf

Darce

Bessie

Oh this is AWESOME! I love looking at old catalogs - I saved it as a pdf

Darce

Darce
There were SO many different oriental poppy varieties- what a shame there are so readily few available in commerce now

todgor

I see there was a pink one too

CollaretteQueen

Ryecroft Sunrise, a collarette cultivar from the UK. Hybridized by Phil Godsmark and introduced in the US through Corralitos Garden. Did a write-up about it on Collarette Corner based on an old post and the CG listing. Couldn't find it even on UK sites.

HiDahlia

@AKWindWatcher Hart’s Pink Ribbon is lovely, I hope you find it!

Not listed now but Heaven on Earth had Fern Ridge Pride (if I recall correctly, their photo was labeled “Ferncliff Pride” but they noted that was in error). Interestingly, another rare-for-now cultivar in the US, Rhubard and Custard cuttings for $45 did not immediately sell out. In that sale, I was hoping for Bracken Ballerina which I have not seen elsewhere.

I have been looking for Arnside Rose for several years since seeing it mentioned on Cubits. This year, I have seen two sellers with it- an individual on Facebook and cuttings at Kale Lane. Sadly, I missed it on Facebook and importing cuttings into Hawaii is more complex than tubers. But I’m happy to see it and hope it will be more widely available in the coming years.

AKWindWatcher

HiDahlia I'm actually the one who helped Thomas with the correction for Ferncliff. I called FC and they have never had a FC Pride and - boy - does it look a lot like Fern Ridge! I am hoping to get FernRidge from another grower and have the two side by side to compare. (I got the one from Thomas too.) I'm also the one who scored Bracken Ballerina so touch base with me at the end of the season for next year. 🙂

Dahlia53

HiDahlia oh yes... i would love to get Bracken Ballerina again. Also of course, Fern Ridge Pride and Alena Rose (Greenway) was a stunning WL and good tuber maker for me. I won't tell you how I lost that one... too ashamed. 🙁 @AKWindWatcher it's good to know you got the Fern Ridge pride and the bracken ballerina. I hope you make tons of cuttings for next year!

HiDahlia

AKWindWatcher That is fantastic, I’m so glad you got it!

Great sleuthing with the FC/FR mix up!

AKWindWatcher

Anybody have any leads on Alauna varieties? Like Alauna Griselda? Jan's Country Garden looks to have had quite a few but Jan (from her FB page) had a pretty severe injury in 2020 (the year that shall not be named) and it looks like she lost a bunch after that. I tried emailing her but it bounced back so I'm not sure if she's growing at all anymore.

katyaker

AKWindWatcher
Jan Jones, of Jan's Country Garden, has Alzheimer's. It is so sad to see her declining so rapidly. She lives about 10 minutes from me and we have been friends for 30+ years. Interestingly, we share a birthday, 20 years apart. I used to help her dig and divide in the fall and plant in the spring. The last year she grew dahlias was the year she broke her back and she left all the plants in the ground over winter and most of them did not make it. Her gardens were gorgeous. She grew over 500 different dahlia varieties. One of her care-givers now grows a hundred or so plants that I gave back to them a couple of years ago. Jan no longer remembers any of the variety names, but her eyes light up when she see the blossoms and she says they are all beautiful.

Teddahlia

Note: Fernridge Pride is worth all the effort as we loved it back when.

todgor

I grew Fern Ridge Pride many years

Does anyone grow Grand Prix as an alternate to FRP? I find it hard to get the true variety but when its good its awesome!

KitCMC

todgor that’s gorgeous

Krista

todgor Oooo pretty, this is Grand Prix? How large are these blooms?

edewitt

todgor I was looking for that too because I need more large yellow bi-color blooms in my life. I haven't grown Grand Prix since 2010. I remember it made A LOT of foliage and if you didn't pay attention the blooms would get buried.

Dahlia53

todgor fern ridge pride is the only dahlia i am still grieving over losing. would have had a few tubers to share this year too - finally. I hope at least people will start growing this one again so i can have it again in the garden. it is my favorite of all. None of the other big yellow and white dahlias i know have its exact yellow. Plus, I loved how its flowers always stood above the foliage and didn't seem to get buried in it.

todgor

Krista

Grand Prix is an AA, bigger than Fernridge Pride. Its mostly at box stores though and what you get is often something else. Sadly my tolerance for digging in cold wet soil has declined so I don't have some saved. I have however managed to keep Warf going since 2013.

Cosey

FRPride is beautiful. Every year I ask my seedlings for a decent yellow bicolor and every year I'm left wanting. Trevor, in Canada, has a gorgeous yel/wht seedling that I'm drooling over. I've tried others over the years and I either got bad stock or was sent mislabels because they all were solid yellow for me.

AKWindWatcher

Cosey I take backup cuttings for all of my rare ones and winter them over in their pots as extra, extra insurance. With luck, I'll have several extra FR Pride tubers to spread around. 🤞🍀

Krista

todgor It sure is pretty, and I understand not being interested in cold, wet digging. Grand Prix is a stunner, I’ve previously been less interested in buying yellows but when I see them in the fall they’re suddenly the only color I want to see. I’ll keep my eyes peeled for this one - also, headed over to Google to educate myself on warf!

todgor

Krista
This is Warf which I got at FGL (a Canadian seller). They lost it and I was determined to save it. Even when I did not dig it a few years it managed to survive - maybe I have the only stock. It made more tubers than usual this past year, so I hope to multiply it. Its an A sized bloom.