Wizard of Oz Dahlia - Pink Pompon Blooms - July 2025

The dahlias have only been outside, planted in the beds, for about five weeks.  They went in the ground the first week in June.  Here's a post showing the containers of tubers that I started indoors in late April.  This year, I've expanded the varieties of Dahlias that we have in the garden by a big number.  Last year, I grew (exclusively) Melina Fluer dahlias and they were great.  So great, in fact, that I went down this "dahlia expansion" path for 2025. 

One of the new varieties that we're growing is named Wizard of Oz.  I planted one of these down IB2DWs (near the sidewalk) and the other one languished in the container.  Until just this past week, when I finally stuck it in the front yard.  

Wizard of Oz is a pink pompon dahlia. White Flower Farm says that Wizard of Oz..."features honeycombed, fully double blossoms in a lovely shade of pastel pink. These 2–3″ pompoms make enchanting additions to late summer gardens and flower bouquets."

I pinched back all of my dahlias when they were about a foot-tall, but this one Wizard of Oz - planted IB2DWs - seems to have moved the most quickly to produce blooms.  

Our first Dahlia of the year has been cut - see below.    This is going in a bud vase in our kitchen and extends the run of 'countertop flowers' that I posted about here last week.  

This year, I'm doing a few things differently:  

First, I have some small mesh bags that I'm going to try to use to cover the blooms from pests (bud worms + earwigs, mostly).

Second, I'm going to be feeding these regularly with a high-P food.

Third, I'm being proactive in terms of rabbit protection - spraying Liquid Fence (the stuff stinks).

And, lastly....applying an insecticide to the foliage.  Regularly.