Why I Oughta...

One of the new (to me) dahlias this season is blooming:  Peaches-N-Cream.  I bought two tubers from Bonny Blooms in November and they arrived this Spring.  (Note:  they arrived what I consider to be 'late' and they were...well...small.  They *were* tubers, but single tubers.  Which, I think is totally normal.  But, most of the tubers I've bought were larger.  And...perhaps less desirable.) One of the Peaches-n-Cream dahlias is planted IB2DWs.  Down closer to the sidewalk.   Because of that (previously mentioned) late arrival, I don't think that I pinched this one back like I have done with most of the other tubers.  Or, maybe because the tuber was 'small' is the reason why this isn't very "bush-y" of a plant.  Either way...I opted to cut deeply on this first bloom.  Hoping to stimulate some lower branching and growth.   Below are a couple of photos showing this beauty.  Pinks and oranges.  I proba...

Yesterday, I posted a couple of photos of my first (real) flush of dahlia blooms that I cut off the plants in the various spots around our garden .  Those included some "known" varieties including Wizard of Oz, Creme de Cognac, Burlesca and Blue Wish.  I said "known" because there was also a semi-cactus dark maroon dahlia that came labeled as Rip City, but is clearly NOT Rip City. Today, I'm posting some photos of some additional dahlia blooms that I cut the following day.  These, too, include mostly "known" dahlias.  And...one unknown. First...the "known".   The biggest of the bunch is Blue Wish.  And, I'll say that I might have a new favorite dahlia?  This looks like it is painted with a watercolor set.  Pale purples and whites.  Perfectly shaped. Next up is a Saint Martin Dahlia.  This one came in a combo pack from Longfield Gardens via Costco (photo of the bag below).  And, was a new-to-me variety, but the 30" height (other...

In the post that I shared yesterday showing off a handful of dahlia stems that I cut from the garden, I included a photo that showed off my first (real) Sweet Nathalie Decorative Dahlia bloom.  I mentioned a few days ago that Sweet Nathalie has been a slow-to-bloom grower for me this year and that my first bloom was somehow 'nipped' off at the bud .  But, the second bloom was quick to follow and you can see it in the photo below:  

Yesterday, I posted a photo of a bunch of Pooh Collarette Dahlia blooms that I cut and brought inside this week and talked about how I'm seeing "Dahlia Season" beginning to arrive with increased blooms.  That's due to a couple of things:  the time/maturity of the plants this season along with some recovery from a mite infestation.  The colors, shapes and textures of this morning's cuttings sure are fun to see.  Below are a couple of photos showing what is in bloom and how the colors are changing based on the time of year.   This is (mostly) the usual bunch ( like the cut flowers I posted a few days ago ):  Wizard of Oz, Melina Fleur, Mystery Fox and that dark purple dahlia.  

Yesterday, I posted a photo of my first dahlia bloom (Wizard of Oz) this season .  Today, comes the second dahlia bloom:  Pablo Gallery.  This is a border dahlia (That means they are much more compact that most other dahlia varieties as they stand just a foot-or-so tall).   Here is the bloom below.  This is a much-shorter stem than the Wizard of Oz cut flower.  And, if you look at the petals, you'll see some pest damage from little buggers nipping at the edges.   I have eight of these planted in three spots - backyard, sideyard and (now) Island bed in front.