Identify this dahlia

[richardr]

I'm sure that at some time we end up with a cultivar that isn't what it says it is; I've got this one, can anyone identify it please?

[scrumpy]

what size is it?

[richardr]

Aug 23, 2011 19:49:21 GMT scrumpy said:

what size is it?

Giant Dec Scrumpy, that bloom is not full yet and 10+ inches across.

[scrumpy]

As it is nice and clock faced my first thought was one of the colour variations of kidds climax.

[richardr]

Aug 23, 2011 21:16:37 GMT scrumpy said:

As it is nice and clock faced my first thought was one of the colour variations of kidds climax.

My thoughts exactly only I have new stock of Kidds Climax and the foliage is utterly different, as well as being a 'darker' pink/mauve blend.

[scrumpy]

Almands Climax is a more pinky/mauve i believe. It's been a long time since i've seen either, was very popular with the older exhibitors i knew who sadly are no longer with us.

[(DahliaMan) Cornish Paul]

I grew Kidds Climax in the mid to late 90's and this dahlia looks like the dahlia I remember so I would be tempted to go for Kidds Climax as well.

[richardr]

Aug 28, 2011 17:53:28 GMT (DahliaMan) Cornish Paul said:

I grew Kidds Climax in the mid to late 90's and this dahlia looks like the dahlia I remember so I would be tempted to go for Kidds Climax as well.

This is an image of the one bought as Kidds Climax this year. Have to say that the one in the image that started this thread has been labelled Kidds Climax for a few years now.

Thanks for the contributions so far!

[jrae]

I have a few dahlias that looks just like that flower-wise, however it was given to me by a neighbor who has a few dahlias that he got from someone else as well. So as you can imagine it's a long chain of got it from who also got it from who then got it from... So no name.

Mine has red foliage though, and the large blooms are too heavy that it flops over so I had to stake it as I lost several cuttings that had started blooming. They flop over when they get like 4 blooms or so and the tiny tubers are exposed to the sun and no amount of taking good care of it in my shadehouse ICU can bring it back.

I wonder what the name of my plant would be. But anyway if it stays unknown wouldn't matter, I love it anyways

[Cherry]

Jrae, I have just been reading an interesting mag letter from a Hong Kong reader who has found her dahlias do best for her when she starts them along with her tomatoes during November. She has tried other seasons. I wonder if this would apply to you.

[jrae]

November here gives us nice cool weather Actually I think the few months before and after New Year are the only months when I won't have to worry with dahlias. I have found a local yahoogroup that grows them as well and they think October to February are the good months as well. Most of them lift their tubers and store them to avoid summer and worst parts of the rainy season. I figured I would just keep them in pots on the roofdeck or shadehouse Cherry and observe whether they would still get scorched during summer or not. Rainy season definitely bad for me as I lost a lot of dahlias in the beginning because they were in the ground and had drowned because the rain just won't stop.

[marynz]

I know this is an old thread, but I would think that both Richard's photos are Kidd's Climax. This Dahlia was introduced in 1940. A bit of genetic variation seems to have crept in during the intervening time.

Was the growth habit very similar for both, Richard?

[richardr]

Oct 11, 2012 10:57:21 GMT marynz said:

I know this is an old thread, but I would think that both Richard's photos are Kidd's Climax. This Dahlia was introduced in 1940. A bit of genetic variation seems to have crept in during the intervening time.

Was the growth habit very similar for both, Richard?

The foliage is very different on each, they are not variations but different cultivars. I'm just trying to determine which is the "real" Kidds Climax!

[marynz]

I'd go with the second one, then. I have been looking for New Zealand photos of it, because it was bred here, is widely distributed, and importing Dahlias is difficult (so nobody would import Kidd's Climax). Therefore we would only have both Kidd's Climaxes if the labelling mistake happened here and both were exported.

Here is the yellowest one I have seen, at our February show last year:
www.flickr.com/photos/51965108@N05/6925208153/

This one a lot pinker, at our March show:
www.flickr.com/photos/51965108@N05/6804912524/

Here are a couple on New Zealand suppliers' websites, both pinker:
www.dahlias.co.nz/?page=prd&id=14
www.dahliahaven.co.nz/decorative08.html

I hope that helps.

[scrumpy]

The strange bit is the difference in foliage. I've not known a sport have different foliage to it's parent.

Having said that, marynz's photos do show how variable a bloom it can be.