I've always been fascinated with plant hybridizing. Attempting to grow my own beautiful dahlias is certainly no exception. Dahlias are octoploid. In simple garden terms, this means that each plant contains tons of genetic material. When dahlias are grown from seeds, gardeners don't know quite what to expect, as the seedlings very seldom resemble the…
Continue reading ➞ Growing Dahlias From Seed: My First Success!
It's been so hot this summer - like really, really hot. Just yesterday, we recorded a heat index of 118F. Don't you just love humidity? Anyhow, I quickly wanted to post some of the beautiful dahlias that I've been picking from the garden. The first 'Great Silence' dahlia has started to bloom. I initially purchased…
Continue reading ➞ More Dahlias from the Cutting Garden
If you've been following along, you already know that growing dahlias was something that I really wanted to focus on this year. Admittedly, I don't have the best record when it comes to staking and weeding. However, despite my garden neglect, many of our plants are starting to bloom. This lavender colored bloom is a…
Continue reading ➞ The First Dahlias of the Season
Over the last couple of growing seasons, I've really been focused on expanding my dahlia row. This means that I've been buying several new ones each growing season. This coming year, I'm eager to see some of the flowers that I've ordered. If you have any experience with the flowers on this list, please be…
Continue reading ➞ 2021 Garden Planning: New to Me Dahlia Varieties for the Garden
After finally getting all of the dahlia tubers out of the ground, I feel like I'm finally making progress in preparation for spring. Today, I wanted to talk a little bit more about storing the tubers for this winter, since this always seems to be the hardest part for me. Ideally, dahlia tubers should be…
Continue reading ➞ Storing Dahlia Tubers for Winter
One of the main garden tasks that I wanted to complete this fall was to begin dividing the dahlia tubers. After the stems of the dahlia plants had turned black because of freeze, I allowed them to stay in the ground another week. At this time, there should have been more than enough time for…
Continue reading ➞ Dividing Dahlia Tubers in Fall After Digging
Here in my zone 6 garden, I dig and store my dahlia tubers every year. While I may be able to technically leave the tubers in the garden with some protection, my tiny growing space requires that I use the space for planting other blooms. Anyway, I just wanted to quickly show just how many…
Continue reading ➞ Digging Dahlia Tubers in the Cut Flower Garden
We recently had our first freeze of the season. In typical Kentucky weather fashion, we just went ahead and skipped the "first frost" and went right to the frigid part that totally kills everything. Of course, I couldn't resist going out into the cold and taking a few pictures. Even though I absolutely despise cold…
Continue reading ➞ The First Freeze of the Season
One of the big projects that I'm really excited about this season is collecting dahlia seeds. Since dahlias are loaded with genetic material, you really never know what you're going to get when you grow plants out the next season. This is definitely something that I definitely want to do next season, so let's take…
Continue reading ➞ Waiting Patiently for Dahlia Seeds…
Having Myrthe dahlia in my garden this year has been an absolute pleasure. I originally purchased this one because I was drawn in by its rich tones of orange and yellow. Though the flower really glows in the sunshine, the colors are much more muted and soft looking under shade. Myrthe dahlia plants produce prolifically…
Continue reading ➞ Myrthe Dahlia: A Shining Addition to the Cut Flower Garden
