General Dahlia Chat 2023

blown_dry · 2023-02-04T23:41:17+00:00

Continuing from https://cubits.org/Dahlias/thread/view/91587/?offset=560#end_of_thread

Cosey

Maarn is a beautiful dahlia. My sister grows a lot of it. I don't think it makes seeds. Or at least I've never collected any. I walk through her fields in the fall scouting good plants with good seeds to find potential new seed parents.

I'm at the point where I don't have room to grow dahlias outside my own branded plants and a few plants I trial for seed parents. But I LOVE hearing about people's experiences with great dahlias.

JessieC

Cosey Well I am thrilled that I'll be able to grow a couple of your tubers this season!! I was lucky enough to get CT Babycakes at your sale, as well as a pair of Rock Run Ashley.

calico20hill

The comment above about Ferncliff Copper...I had totally forgotten that I think it was the seed parent form
y Salish Sundrops. And yes, S Sundrops is yellow, and tall and sturdy and makes lots of flowers and lots of tubers. I wouldn't mind an orange version of it at all if Ferncliff Copper would like to try again!

Cosey

calico20hill I wouldn't mind an orange version of it at all if Ferncliff Copper

All the above are orange seedlings from FC Copper currently in my field. The last one is Coseytown Penny. The first medium tone, solid orange bloom is from last year. It's a big bloom that had oodles of flowers. Had a pile of tubers too. The middle bloom unfortunately is the odd duck that has an atypical petal shape for FCC seedlings and isn't generous with tubers. 😂

edewitt

Thanks for the replies, everyone. I spent the week being bummed out about it but mostly over a couple of varieties that I really loved that weren't salvageable (AC Fernando being the main one). Fortunately I've got some different varities to enjoy for this year that I bought over the winter. This should open a bit of room up to plant some seeds I collected as well from last year.

AndreaB

Cosey The middle one and Penny have beautiful coloring.
Have you grown Robann Butterscotch? Seems to have the same attributes as FCC. I’m going to grow them side-by-side this year for comparisons sake. I also want to make sure they are indeed two different varieties.

Bessie

Cosey the middle Dahlia is mesmerizing and has a very "rich" coloring. I really like it. Does it change color based on the temperature and sun exposure? I've been wondering how florists respond to flowers that change color with the season.

calico20hill

I love your Coseytown Penny...Its going to be your lucky penny indeed! I hope I have some FC Coppers to plant to collect more seeds from this year! I think I do...or maybe I can find some at the Portland Dahlia Club tuber sale...

Cosey

AndreaB Have you grown Robann Butterscotch?

I have not. It does look similar to FCC. Grow and report back!

Cosey

Bessie Does it change color based on the temperature and sun exposure?

I'll watch closely this year if it changes color. I don't think it does and haven't made any notes to that effect. As far as florists go, in my experience they aren't ordering specific varieties. Just color palettes. Varieties that shift colors just get blended in to different color palettes. As you grow the same dahlias season after season you will begin to understand what to expect from an Aug bloom vs Oct bloom. That's why finding a true baby pink dahlia would be groundbreaking. The colors usually intensify in the fall.

Honnat

Cosey As far as florists go, in my experience they aren't ordering specific varieties. Just color palettes.

Mostly the case for me as well. Some exceptions I've had: Peaches N Cream, Brown Sugar & Rock Run Ashley

Cosey

Honnat Yes. Rock Run Ashley is getting to be known by name. Oddly, fewer stems of PnC went out last year. Cafe would be the other named variety known by florists. "The buff flowers, not the pink!" 😂

Honnat

Cosey year. Cafe

Cosey Cafe would be the other named variety known by florists. "The buff flowers, not the pink!" 😂

I don't fool with Cafe. Let someone else deal with it. Starting to feel the same about the knee high RR Ashley. But that one is at least pretty.

Cosey

Honnat

I must have gotten really lucky with the strain of RRA I received from the Elkhart Dahlia Society. It's been a great specimen in my field. I will admit these plants want for nothing and they reward me with incredible blooms until season end.

PS, I don't grow cafe anymore either. 😆

KitCMC

Cosey that’s gorgeous!

Honnat

Cosey I must have gotten really lucky with the strain of RRA I received from the Elkhart Dahlia Society. It's been a great specimen in my field.

Those are gorgeous! RRA is one that I write off in July and August as it blooms early on pitiful stems. But when the heat lessens in September, I forgive her all over again. Still a shorty, but pumps out way better stems late.

blown_dry

What a unique color!

MissyWeitzel

I absolutely love RRA! It is one of those colors that looks even more unique in person. Somehow it is kinda smoky/dusty yet it has a warm glow at the same time. So pretty! I am planning to grow a lot more of her this season.

MissyWeitzel

There is a local flower collective starting in my area and I'm going to be one of the initial growers and the only one that focuses solely on dahlias. I'm really excited about how this collective plans to operate. We're using the Rooted Farmers platform and florists can pre-order and pick up a large range of products from local growers in one place almost any day of the week and there will be 4-5 open days for retail sales too. I grow a wide variety of dahlias and I can't wait to get them in front of many more eyes. More sales without creating invoices or doing a bunch of deliveries or coordinating pickups means more time doing what I love to do: grow and look at my dahlias! 😊

Juliarugula

MissyWeitzel that’s such a smart setup! I’d heard you talk about the collective but wasn’t really aware of what it entailed. I might consider something like that if we had it around here….

Krista

MissyWeitzel This sounds like a really cool opportunity, I want to hear more as the season unfolds! Neat to be the one specializing in dahlias for the group too.

MissyWeitzel

Juliarugula The biggest challenge for starting a co-op or collective is finding a place with ample cooler space and people willing to do all the admin work until it can be a paid position. Even if you don't have one in your area I bet you could easily sell your dahlias to florists if you wanted to go that route. Dahlias sell themselves honestly. Bring several sample bunches in and watch their eyes light up!
The beautiful thing is the farm that is hosting the collective here has a massive walk in cooler already which they'll use for pre-orders and then they're turning part of their existing space into a retail walk in cooler room. This farm has been around for a long time and has a lot of retail clientele already so TBH this is probably about the most ideal situation possible for starting a collective. I feel extremely fortunate to have this opportunity and I'm excited to see how it goes this first year!

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