Dahlias 2011 season from June.

[lesley]

That's a beauty Lou and Candyblue ;D

[Lou78W]

Jul 25, 2011 4:54:58 GMT Tel said:

Lovely lou, will you be showing that one.

Not this year Tel..tis a new one, only three plants....but its pretty high up on my list for next year. Its a cracker!! ;D

[Tel]

Give the dahlias their last feed of chempac 3 I will now use chempac 4 for the rest of the season.

[scrumpy]

17 days to show time. Bit like a jungle in the beds so will be doing my final thinning this week, leaving 2 weeks or so for the buds to develop.
The biggest problems for me will be the small cactus. Got 3 new varieties from Halls...Ruskin Andrea, Ryecroft Zoe, and Oretti Bliss, and each of the plants of the same variety are growing differently, especially Oretti. Probably got 6 out of 18 plants that look as if they will produce decent stems/blooms and if so they will provide next years tubers.


front garden, smalls



back garden...mediums and giants

[Tel]

The Dahlia Annual, should be here any day now.

[Lou78W]

Ah...I was just wondering about that coming, just a day or so ago ;D

Here is another one of my "new" varieties..."Cyril's Girl" ;D

[Tel]

That is a lovely colour Lou.

[Lou78W]

Thanks Tel......but is it a contender for exhibiting do you think?

[Tel]

If all the blooms come out with petals hiding behind the others i would say no Lou.
But your Hootenanny is winning on the show bench.

[Lou78W]

Ah, I see....I know what to look out for now.thanks Tel ;D
I am hopeful of Hootenanny though ...just remembered there is a "dahlia bloom" section

[scrumpy]

Well i shall be on the phone soon to a certain dahlia supplier from Newcastle. Apart from dodgey cuttings received earlier, it now looks like half of what should be Ryecroft Rebel, a white med decorative with a touch of pink, are in fact turning into a massive all yellow bud that will open into something. I've looked through their catalogue and if it is a medium it could be Ryecroft Magnum.
I will know in about 7-10 days time.

[Lou78W]

Oh heck!!

[Tel]

Jul 27, 2011 18:50:02 GMT scrumpy said:

Well i shall be on the phone soon to a certain dahlia supplier from Newcastle. Apart from dodgey cuttings received earlier, it now looks like half of what should be Ryecroft Rebel, a white med decorative with a touch of pink, are in fact turning into a massive all yellow bud that will open into something. I've looked through their catalogue and if it is a medium it could be Ryecroft Magnum.
I will know in about 7-10 days time.

Well i receive the blame for a lot of things, but this one has nothing to do with me. ;D

[Lou78W]

Of course not! ..I've had a few "mistakes" from this company in the past ...but when you think about the thousands and thousands of cuttings they take/send out in a year....its not surprising.....not that it helps when its "you" that suffers

[scrumpy]

I would also add to that it's the way they take the cuttings and the tubers they use.
Whereas i may grow 6 plants of a variety, if only one of them looks and flowers well then i will only use that plant for cuttings.
I won't use the other plants, and that is why i don't use pot tubers.
If you are growing for the mass market then such care is not taken. This may not be the case for Richard, but judging by the variation between the plants of the same variety i've received from Halls this cannot be the case.
I always expect better plants 2nd season of growing a new variety, because of stock selection from the first year, and i'll repeat what i said earlier about suppliers, my Station House plants are all consistent, so it can be done.