Why I Oughta...

A week-or-so ago, I posted a photo of what I was calling my first (ever) Bell's Palermo dahlia.  Or...a bloom that was coming off of a dahlia from a tuber that I bought that I *thought* was Bell's Palermo.   But, I was suspicious.  Here's what I wrote at the time : It is, well, interesting. And large. And, not what I was thinking it was going to look like. I went on further : I mentioned that I bought this one (and some others) from Bonny Blooms.  They handle customer service thought a chat window on their site 1 . I submitted a similar note there - asking if this was, indeed, Bell's Palermo.   Here's what Craig from Bonny Blooms responded: Bonny Blooms Hi, I took a look at that picture and you're right - it's not Palermo. Some of my unreleased dahlias were sent in error in the the spring and I wonder if that's what it is - or it could be Candela, but I'd need to see it fully open and perhaps a second bloom as the tones aren't quite right. I...

Just a few days ago, I posted about the pair of Peaches-n-Cream dahlia plants that I've been growing in the IB2DWs bed(s) and how their bi-color blooms were starting to shine .  Both in terms of colors, but also shape/texture.  Like Peaches-n-Cream, today's post is about a dahlia tuber that I bought from Bonny Blooms.  This one is a first-bloom-of-the-season for a new (to me) dahlia:  Bell's Palermo. If you look at this post from November , you'll see that in my Bonny Blooms order, I ordered pairs of tubers for all varieties but one:  Bell's Palermo.   That's because it was double the price of the rest of the tubers.   But, now in Late August, the plant has put on some size and we're seeing the first bloom.  On a really short stem.  But...still a bloom.   It is, well, interesting.  And large.  And, not what I was thinking it was going to look like.  Here, below are a few photos of the very same bloom.  ...

I think I was in a dahlia-tuber-induced fog when I bought Mero Star dahlias because I never posted about them in my garden diary here and I have been listing them in my on-going tuber diary as "Metro Star dahlias".  They're NOT Metro Star.  They're Mero Star. And they're, well....huge.  (or"yuuuge", if you prefer.)  Here, below is a look at one of them: Mero Star Dahlia Bloom - big and spectacular. I mean...they're big.  And real.  And....As Sidra once said: That first photo at the top doesn't really tell the story of size.  But, have a look at the photo below showing this first Mero Star Dinnerplate Dahlia in amongst some others like Blue Wish.  This bloom is huge.  The individual petals are huge.  Bigger than anything else I've grown.   I mentioned that I must have been in a fog when I bought these because I don't remember them.  Here, below, is the front of the package of Mero Star tubers.  The packaging shows whi...

A few of the tubers that I ordered turned out to be not viable.  And, they were sold out of a like-for-like variety, so they offered up a replacement based on their current, in-stock inventory.  I went with something I've never grown, but is pretty well-known:  Cafe Au Lait dahlias.  See below for the tuber and the package that they arrived in recently: I haven't (in the past few seasons) grown any Dinnerplate Dahlias, so this will be a new (to me) experience in terms of size and staking.  Here's what Longfield Gardens says about C-A-L : Cafe au Lait is the variety that launched today's dahlia mania. These big, romantic blooms are must-have for anyone who loves flowers. Cafe au Lait's blossoms are wonderfully variable in hue depending on weather conditions and time of year. You can expect flowers ranging from creamy yellow and bone through blush pink and rose. They are a fabulous cut flower, and like peonies, it takes just a few stems to make an impressive arran...

At the hardware store this past weekend, I came across their racks of Spring flowering bulbs that had the usual assortment of lilies, gladiolas, peonies and....the star(s) of the show:  dahlia tubers.  A huge number of them are Dinnerplate varieties, which I'm (for now) staying away from in favor of the smaller types like ball, decorative, pompon and even collarettes.   But, that doesn't mean the tuber selection isn't worth a once-over.  And, even a little bit of guided education on what they have and don't have for sale this season.   Here, below are a couple of photos showing a portion of their Spring bulbs - with a focus mostly on the non-dinnerplate dahlias.  (although...a few Dinnerplates snuck in here).   I'm still a beginner when it comes to growing dahlias, so everyone of these is new (to me).  I thought it might be a good learning experience to research a few of these to see what I can learn.  After searching for detai...