Rarities - ISO and Sources

AKWindWatcher · 2023-03-03T01:54:25+00:00

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 (H...

Juliarugula

Teddahlia A person in the midwest had no problem keeping the tubers.

That’s interesting. Like I said (knock on wood), I’ve never noticed problems with purple dahlia tubers either, and I’m in the Midwest too. I wonder if the type of fungus that causes rot isn’t as common here?

Teddahlia

Remember that not all purple dahlias have the malady. For example at Swan Island they sell several purple dahlias that make good tubers. But as with all things dahlia related , we want the best purple ones and many of the classic best purple dahlias have had the issue. You may not of have heard of them because they are so hard to keep. One was Hillcrest Regal. I remember Eleanor Shantz who was along with her husband the editor of the ADS classification book and long time senior judge say: Hillcrest Regal is the best purple dahlia I have ever seen. Ever heard of Requiem? What about the large AC flower that was purple, AC Inara? Top Toddy was one of the best purple dahlias I have ever seen. The list goes on and on with extinct or nearly extinct purple flowers. Yes, the lack of exposure to fungus really helps but these all time great flowers would still be around if that were all there was to it.

Teddahlia

2022 picture of Seabeck's Hilda. We lost the tubers the next year.

MissyWeitzel

Has anyone experienced this with Clearview Erin? I had one plant and just noticed I lost all the tubers.

Teddahlia

Clearview lost many of the tubers of Erin that he was going to sell when it first came out. It has the curse. We have our new unintroduced purple waterlily that grows 7 feet tall with a stalk like a giant redwood. It sort of has the curse as the plant rots from the tip of the plant down and if you do not remove the tubers before the rot gets to them, the tubers rot too. It makes lots of tubers and I have over 40 tubers of it and we should have been selling it this year. Perhaps that is the missing gene: the gene that stops the natural rot of the stalk when it gets down to the tubers. Normal stalks rot and stop before the tubers.

SteveM

If I could only have one purple variety it would be Chimacum Troy. it is slightly smaller than I prefer for cut but the productivity makes up for the smaller size. I imagine it must also be an excellent show dahlia because almost every bloom has near perfect form. It seems to have a touch of the "purple curse" but not extreme, and I see it is still listed by many vendors for a reasonable price.

Teddahlia

Yes, C. troy is "easier" to keep than other "cursed" dahlias. It is not in the category of "easy to keep" or "average keeping" but "below average" would apply. I kept it a couple of years.

joepa60

Hello all! I was hoping to maybe get some insight onto this photo. Roland Verrone passed away today, and I coincidentally was adding and researching the "conservation status" of his introductions to my PNW hybridizer master spreadsheet. This picture is of Verrone's Irvine R from pinterest but says it came from this forum site originally, a discussion labelled "Discussion of Colors, Forms, or varieties forum: Dahlia Form of the Week." I cannot find it it to see who may of posted it and it is the only picture outside of the NDC photo catalogue I can find.

Teddahlia

Roland Verrone passed away recently. Margaret and I visited his 5 acre home and gardens when he was still growing his several thousand dahlias. He and his wife were very hospitable and he showed us around. I remember having a breeding discussion with him and at that time he was using Camano Pet as a seed parent with good results. As many of you know, Roland had problems with skin cancer and I remember him saying that he had had 11 operations for it . I have always considered one of his greatest accomplishments to be naming a flower after Taylor Swift, long before she was popular.

Bessie

I have been looking for AC Salt ( BB-FD-W WH0 3001). In 2024 it was rated an 86.04 in the Tahoma Trial Garden.
I figure that AC has a really good reputation and history, so I'd like to see if this white dahlia would work in my hybridizing efforts.
There was one grower that listed it in their inventory according to Dahlia Addict. At this point, it doesn't show up on the grower's website, not even showing up as out of stock.
I'm trying to get as pure a white as possible... assuming I'm not going to acquire AC Salt anytime soon, do you have any suggestions for formal decoratives that have a high petal count and are very productive dahlias? I have Blizzard, Dave's Glacier, RJR, Irish Ruffles, Ferncliff Pearl, 20th Ave Baker Rd. and HH Miss White.

I made about 3 or 4 edits to this post, as I kept remembering more whites that I grow.

MissyWeitzel

Bessie Ryecroft Jan !

joepa60

Bessie you’re in California yes? I’ll see what I can do about this when the PSDA tuber sale rolls around. Ken donated a large number of varieties to us for our salt… I mean sale. wink wink

Teddahlia

Ryecroft Jan is a top show winner and is very white. Years go I got a real nice seedling from it in light yellow. I lost both R. Jan and the seedling to tuber issues and did not grow Jan again. There is also Rycroft Dave's Choice named for David Spencer who selected it and then showed it successfully. Dave's Choice makes lots of good tubers . I do not know if it makes seeds as I never grew it. Blush: it may have a blush. Breeding for no blush may be very difficult and breeding for much less blush is more practical. White is a tricky color in many ways .

SteveM

If I were breeding for show I would include Formby Alpine. It has great form here but the stems are not strong enough when grown in the shade house to use for commercial cut. The form/color is so nice that I will try it again without shade and I[ll try to get some of the Honken stock when he opens for sales. (unless I have already missed his opening)

Bessie

SteveM I'll add Formby Alpine to my list. I think I'm done shopping this year (don't hold me to that 😁), except for those few whites I'm looking for.

JessieC

I hear good things about Bloomquist Sam. I grew it last year and only got one or two blooms, maybe because it went in the ground so late. I know a grower in the South who claims that Sam is tough in the heat.
Can’t go wrong with HH Miss White!

Bessie

joepa60 thank you for your kind thoughts and intentions. I recently listened to a Podcast that featured Ken Greenway, and I was so glad to hear about his methodologies and attitude toward hybridizing.
Edit note: To be clear, I'd like to purchase any of the white flowered AC formal or informal decorative tubers that are for sale. Thanks for your thoughtfulness in helping me.
1/28/26: I joined as a member of the PSDA.

joepa60

Does anyone have any leads on any Goshen introductions other than Goshen Giant? Particularly interested in finding Goshen Calico and Goshen Road.

ligic

MIDahlias do you still have vera elma? i have been looking everywhere for it.

MIDahlias

ligic No, lost it.

Teddahlia

Vera's Elma is a sport of Elma Elizabeth. I found it easier to grow than Elma.
Elma Elizabeth was originated by Ed Redd who lived in Elma,Washington. He was known for successfully exhibiting giant dahlias.
None of this is useful in your quest for Vera's Elma(it sported in the UK). I believe it is more common in the UK.

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