7/26 Luci AMPS 254 Pics*

Sue and Luci

Sue and Luci

Member Since 2017
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/7-25-luci-amps-253-pics.217297/#post-2414133

Here it is Friday already! Things certainly improved as the week progressed - we have power now (yeah!) The weather cooled off and the sun is shining providing some beautiful Summer days - Luci cooperated at least one day and went to the lagoon - everything else is status quo - work is gearing up - I can tell people are coming back from vacation - time to get busy-busy again!

Special thoughts and prayers to @JoyBee&Ravan for her three kitties to feel better - and @Bellasmom as she recovers from her knee surgery.

Happy Friday everyone!

Here are a few pics of our harvest from last year - hope you're not getting dahlia overload! :)

twoToneDahlia.jpg
PaleYellowDahlia.jpg
BrightRedDahlia.jpg
PineLandPrincesDahlia.jpg
vaseOfDahlias.jpg
 
With such beautiful pictures I could never get overloaded looking at them. Thank you for posting them, they start my day with a smile:)
Here's hoping Luci heads for the lagoon today:D:D
Have a great day and a marvelous weekend!
 
Love your Dahlias! So beautiful! Thanks for the smile it gave me! I sure needed that!!

(don't you need to dig up the tubers in the Fall?) I used to plant the Dinner Plate dahlias but I left them in the ground & come spring No Dahlias :(

images
 
JoyBee&Ravan said:
Love your Dahlias! So beautiful! Thanks for the smile it gave me! I sure needed that!!

(don't you need to dig up the tubers in the Fall?) I used to plant the Dinner Plate dahlias but I left them in the ground & come spring No Dahlias :(

images
Click to expand...

Yes, in order to have dahlias to plant the next season - we have to dig them all up; remove the stakes; cut off the foliage/stems from the tubers and wash them in a diluted bleach solution after hosing them off to remove excess soil. Then allow them to dry - usually on the floor of our garage but sometimes spread around in the greenhouse - then my DH puts a sulfur powder on them (I'm allergic to sulfur) - it's an anti-fungal - and last but not least - spread into flat cardboard boxes and store in our greenhouse for the winter - if they're in the dark in the humid greenhouse - fungus is our worst enemy - however if they're stored and get too dry - they'll wither up and lose their viability over the winter. It's quite a process and a ton of work - mostly done on cold days - and we always hope for a little sun while we're working on them - DH is much hardier than I am - and he'll work on them when the snow is flying - not me! I don't like the cold and can't stand to be out there working when it's cold and windy and grey - I'm inside packing for Florida then!

Sometimes I wonder if it's all worth it - you can order tubers online from Swan's dahlias and get some lovely blooms with half the work! :)

Hope you're able to get out to your garden for a little while today and that your kitties are doing better - I haven't been able to visit condos much today - only sporadically... :) Here's a hibiscus for you - not winter hardy - has to live in the greenhouse here in the winter. :bighug:

hibiscus2.jpg
 
Luci is loving the ol lemons eh!?

The Dahlias are amazing!! Mine just flowered yesterday! Is there anything I should know for when they’re ready to cut? When do you cut yours? I’m totally not experienced :P

You seem to have a great green thumb!!
 
Sue and Luci said:
Here's a hibiscus for you - not winter hardy - has to live in the greenhouse here in the winter. :bighug:
Click to expand...

Love the ruffley Hibiscus! Why can't they create Perennial ones like that? If I had a greenhouse I'd live in it in the winter to be around all the flowers ;):rolleyes:

Today I weeded my entire garen! It was a mess from all the rain this spring. I spent several hours crawling around. I'm sure I'll feel it tomorrow!:arghh:

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AmandaE said:
Luci is loving the ol lemons eh!?

The Dahlias are amazing!! Mine just flowered yesterday! Is there anything I should know for when they’re ready to cut? When do you cut yours? I’m totally not experienced :p

You seem to have a great green thumb!!
Click to expand...

We've been growing flowers and plants for 25 years - when we lived closer to the city we grew roses..lots and lots of roses! When we moved to the country, we tried to grow roses and found that the deer (who already lived here) also LOVED the roses...just about the time our rosebushes were ready to bloom the deer would move in for the buffet. It was very upsetting to come out to the garden in the morning to admire the blooms only to have found them all gone - as if someone had come thru with hedge trimmers - and just mowed them down - those darn deer. We slowly let the roses die off and replaced them with dahlias. At one point we had nearly 300 - I'll try to find the pics of that - it was quite spectacular. People from the neighborhood would drive by slowly to view the garden - sometimes they'd show up at the door asking for a tour - other times we'd just look out into the yard and see them walking thru - it was an enjoyable time - we've scaled back so much now that all the dahlias are in two gardens behind the house - no one can really see them from the street - and we're waiting for the perfect weather to kick in so they'll get going...I noticed one is just getting a few buds now - won't be long :)

My recommendation is to take a pail/bucket, etc. to the garden with you with water in it - at least enough to cover the cut part of the stem.
Cut dahlias as early in the morning as you can - that's when they're at their peak for appearances.
When you get back inside put your stems in cool, not cold water. Change the water daily. Some dahlias take to cutting better than others - what kinds do you have?

If you're growing dinner plate dahlias you may want to think about putting an umbrella or something over the stakes to keep the rain from pounding on them - that is if it's going to rain.
You also may want to consider taking off some of the little flower buds before they bloom - the fewer there are on a plant, the larger the flowers will be.

We've shown dahlias a time or two - and those were the recommendations provided to me. We have a friend in the Dahlia Association who grows 1200 plants every year - needless to say his property is breathtaking! And obviously, that's all he does is tend to those dahlias! Here's the link to their FB
page: https://www.facebook.com/Michigan-Dahlia-Association-250736668336139/

Be sure to scroll down until you see the dahlias in the garden with the umbrellas! Whodathunkit???

Here are a couple we had in the garden last year:

#1 Tutti Fruiti
TuttiFruiti.jpg

Bahama Mama
BahamaMama.jpg

Skywalker
SkyWalker.jpg
 
Thanks for the amazing information! I had just got a bag of mixed dahlia tubers from Walmart for like $5 I thought: why not try!? They kind of look like the sky walker to me. But I’m judging based on your pic!
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You’re the expert ;)
 
AmandaE said:
Thanks for the amazing information! I had just got a bag of mixed dahlia tubers from Walmart for like $5 I thought: why not try!? They kind of look like the sky walker to me. But I’m judging based on your pic! View attachment 46746 You’re the expert ;)
Click to expand...

You may want to add a stake to support them very soon... we use pipe that’s been cut into 4 or 5 feet lengths.. then tie the plant onto the stake using a cord like macrame.. soft and strong... not sure what those are named but they are lovely!!! Good for you for giving them a try:cat:
 
Sue and Luci said:
You may want to add a stake to support them very soon... we use pipe that’s been cut into 4 or 5 feet lengths.. then tie the plant onto the stake using a cord like macrame.. soft and strong... not sure what those are named but they are lovely!!! Good for you for giving them a try:cat:
Click to expand...
Thanks for the advice. I would have had no idea that they need stake support. #newbie
 
JoyBee&Ravan said:
Love the ruffley Hibiscus! Why can't they create Perennial ones like that? If I had a greenhouse I'd live in it in the winter to be around all the flowers ;):rolleyes:

Today I weeded my entire garen! It was a mess from all the rain this spring. I spent several hours crawling around. I'm sure I'll feel it tomorrow!:arghh:

View attachment 46740
Click to expand...

You’re welcome to come and hang out in ours... it sorely misses us during the long winter - things bloom and we never see... my son sends me pics.. he waters while we’re away but that’s it... no grooming or feeding... :arghh:

I’ll bet your garden is happy to have you come and visit.... and get rid of those pesky weeds... it’ll thrive now:D:D
 
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