Hello! I'm an impatient dahlia lover. Therefore before 2022 really jumps into being, I thought I'd start the new thread for the year, currently -3° at my house. We're having a heatwave!

For anyone who wants to check out last years posts, the link can be found here:

The thread "2021 Dahlia Season" in Dahlias forum

Welcome to anyone and everyone who enjoys these beauties old and new friends jump right in.

Happy New Year everyone.

Happy new year!

I've put this on my list of "watched" threads. Looking forward to the new year's blooms from all the dahlia enthusiasts! Dahlia blooms never fail to disappoint in beauty.

Right back at you Arlene! How's the back? Do you think you'll find perambulating in your flower beds will be better this year? I hope so!

Johannian: this group has quite a few beauties! Both those new hot must haves and old favorites. Very knowledgeable and approachable. They even let you talk about mice.

Dan: speaking of - did you hoist the baskets in the attic? How's the fridge going?

Melissa: have your map figured out? Hah! I have been thinking on mine and have a rough sketch. One day when the hubs is in the actual office and I have time I will work on mine. I think I'll be cramming in again this year with better corral ideas. How close again can I push the 5 footers in cramming?

Gary: I slept in! Woot! Delightful.

Mary: quit trying to share your cold with me. I heard from my sister who will be having a Covid test today. Yes we were visiting on Christmas. And we'd be in her space in that 48 hour window. All of us vaccinated. So hoping she has one of her usual crap colds.

Hello all and welcome soon to 2022.

Today I'm without kids until noon so I slept in and will start my day slow. A good cuppa and maybe some music and look at dahlias. I may not check in on the news this morning. The world is too much a mess and it's a downer each time. Very few good stories abound.

I may also take the opportunity to check on the plant babies and see what they are doing and maybe I can take cuttings and get the numbers I need for my house underway.

Wishing you all a healthy day ahead. I'm off to take my zinc and c and see where the day goes.

Not sure about how much perambulating (knees still buckle unexpectedly) but I'll get out to enjoy the dahlias. Still in PT.

Baskets are still up off the attic floor but not hung in the air yet. I'm waiting till I take down the Christmas tree and get it back into the attic. My grandmother always warned that it was bad luck to take a tree down before the first of the year. That's my excuse since I can get a little lazy.

The refrigerator is still at 46 degrees. I'll give the attic tubers a squeeze test when I take the tree down and store it. High temps for tomorrow and Saturday are around 50 but dropping to 32 and 30 the next two days. I want to go bow hunting tomorrow and college football will be on all day Saturday. I guess that tree may stay up for a while. LOL

I need to call American Meadows soon and use my credit from last years snafu. The prices right now are supposedly 50% off. They will soon double. Then just before spring they will have a 50% off sale, followed by a "buy one, get one" sale shortly afterwards. Can customers not see that there's no difference? Same gimmick sales every year. Their 50% off price would be the regular price at a lot of places. Haven't yet decided what I'll order but I have enough credit for 6 packages of 3 dahlia clumps. Problem is that I've lost confidence in AM after all the mislabels last year. First time that's happened.

Closest Dunham's Sporting Goods store is at a small mall about an hour away. I drove there yesterday and was surprised by all the traffic. Not much different than before Christmas. But more surprising was the lack of people at the stores. I thought they would still be swarming with people exchanging gifts, using gift cards or looking for after Christmas sales. I was the only customer in Dunham's. I guess all the traffic was from people being off work and kids being out of school.

Traffic may also be impacted by people searching for COVID tests.

Scarlet:
Talking about mice...

I think I'll just stay home this weekend less the ILS for ribs. Too many peeps running around. I was out yesterday and one of the few in a mask. Of course at the clinic I was among many. I do see they are now making it to be specific masks will now ONLY be allowed in the clinics. Guess they are tired of gaiters, valves and a turtleneck. I should say I have had a customer w a scarf knot on their mouth telling me it was a mask. Anywho - SO OVER THIS CRAP! Maybe if we all shout it out to the universe the universe will hear it. Good gravy.

Spent 2 hours on the phone w my insurance fighting for my med that they should not be withholding because they want me on generic - doesn't work - and I pay 100% out of pocket so stick your nose elsewhere peeps. So much for relaxing morn. I feel my blood pressure is high just dealing w them.

Haven't gotten to check my plants yet. I think running away would be the best thing ever. Me and my plants. Hah.

Maybe I should calm down and go make a final list of what I hope to grow.

Edited to add: Arlene I hope they can give you an answer why. How are all your ACL, PCL etc? I had a sibling who would collapse like that but they had torn both is what had been found. Let's hope your muscles strengthen enough to move well!

Oh the prescription saga gets worse by the minute! Let's just say I'm still without my meds!

As a result haven't done a darn thing I had hoped to do. And that includes looking at dahlias.

Grrrr

So now that I think I've just gotten the last call awaiting the doctor to signoff AGAIN … I'm going ahead and working on my list of last ones.

I think a vacation is warranted, paid for by my insurance would be great!

Took a creep through American Meadows to see what I would choose if I was in your predicament, Dan. I'm not sure. Part of me says get whatever is most expensive from other vendors, part of me says pick names out of a hat, and part of me says pick what I'd actually want and just see what happens Not in love with the selection but Bohemian Spartacus is actually on my list, so maybe that and then the rest Emory Paul because its the biggest hehehe. If you get 5 packages of 3 clumps each maybe one will be right and disease free and maybe even not sport Maki for you hahaha. I ordered a new EP for myself since my stock (which is actually from Maki and I just had that one revert) seems to be crap and nothing bloomed last season minus the one I dug up and brought inside to save from the frost.....

Did I ever share that photo??? It was the most pitiful dahlia. After I brought it in... within a couple days the leaves all turned crunchy and black. Some new leaf shoots actually grew out of the stock though. Then when the flower opened it was a mess. Small and pale. The bud really looked like it was ready to pop when I brought it in, but I guess it was not ripe enough. It appears to be a Maki, though the color is so bland it doesn't really look like either! The bud was darker in color and I thought it would have been an EP.

Mary: That looks like a plant my aunt without any green thumbs would grow and be pleased it at least flowered! And she'd agree with me.

Dan: possible answer to after Christmas returns:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ne...

AM: so I'm avoiding everything. Man the insurance - let me shake my fist at you! Put a true damper on my day. Darn things.

So anyone who is going to grow your seeds - did you save by seedparent name? Did you just throw them all together? Do you care who the seed parent is? How many are you sprouting? I'm ready to talk on that too. How many do you plan to attempt to sprout and get outside? I might as well noodle my bed layout. I can't decide how many of these I want to do. I'm not going to try all 250+ seeds but I'm trying to decide.

Arlene, I scored 5 amaryllis bulbs at 75% off! 4 Red Lion, 1 Christmas Gift.

Not sure what I'll order from AM, Mary. I'll probably order the ones I really want for some other supplier and consider those from AM as "insurance" for some I already have. I'm pretty sure I'll order Islander, Snow Country and Shiloh Noelle. I have a few SN stored but most are sweet potato size and sometimes I don't have much luck with those. Guess I waited too late for Frost Nip, which is now shown as sold out. One I definitely won't be ordering is Emory Paul. Last year was the final straw. Over 90% of mine in the past have bloomed Maki and the three last year were only 5". I'm pretty sure they were Thomas Edison.

I had a Maki revert back to EP last year. First time for that. I think you said you've had that happen. I got one nice tuber from it and I'll either sink or swim with that one. Having EP is apparently not in the stars for me!

Scarlet, I hate the long lines to exchange anything and the hassle you sometimes get. I gifted myself a home gym. I read the reviews and saw where one guy spent 4-5 hours assembling his before finding out he was missing a few parts. Didn't mention where he bought it but was told he'd have to take it apart and put it back in the box and return the whole thing for another one. What?? If someone told me that after all that work I'd punch their lights out. I just went through mine and everything seems to be there. I hope!!! I'm sure some companies pull BS like that to discourage exchanges and then try to sell you the parts you're missing.

Or they'll tell you to toss it or donate it to your fav charity - oh wait that's Amazon. Their policies are weird for returns. Sometimes they want it back and other times keep it and they still refund you.

I've been eyeballing Shiloh Noelle. Tell me about the pros/cons. Is it as crazy as CAL or a stronger more upright plant? Also where in the bloom season does she bloom? I'm trying to keep early and mids as late are too late for my garden but maybe it would be a better fit then the lay all over the place CAL.

Kid2 is sick and I'm monitoring symptoms. Good gravy! I hate this Illness crap.

May be heading to town to Covid test. Do I think it's that? not really but you know how that goes as the symptoms are as vague as a foggy day. I've got 3 of us w various symptoms.but I'm the only one currently awake (hello Gary!) so I don't want to waste resources or time if people are feeling different by the time they wake. The one that really worries me is kid2 as they aren't vax'd and are to get their first shot this coming week -slight comorbities w this one. but good thoughts and all right?! Man I hate this crap.

Wishing everyone a splendid New Years and hope and blessings and good mojo for 2022. Let's shake this crap and get on with life. Without worry or without masks and everyone healthy again. And NO STRESS.

And let's get growing dahlias! So much spunk in those divas

I had recorded on my DVR and finally am watching this - most interesting! Makes you wonder about the bees visiting all the lovelies!

https://www.pbs.org/wnet/natur...

Scarlet, years ago Shiloh Noelle was a tough one to find. I only found a couple suppliers that sold it. Then the resellers got into the act. It became easier to find but the stock wasn't always the best and the really nice blooms only happened occasionally. I bought a tuber from Mountain Diva Garden last year and the plant was blooming and doing really well until the wind broke it down. The two tubers (from a re-seller) I had stored produced shorter plants than before with smaller, ragged blooms. Blooms in this 2020 photo were the best I've had for a while.

I wish everyone a great New Year. Good luck keeping you NY resolutions! Two of mine will be the same as the past few years..... lose 15 pounds (and keep it off!!) and grow fewer dahlias. For me, growing fewer dahlias only works in the bizarro world, where going from 175 to 200 two years ago and from 200 to 220+ last year is considered "fewer".

I found 7-8 pairs of size 32 Levis and Wrangler jeans in an upstairs closet. Some look brand new. None have been worn in a great while. LOL My resolution is to wear them by summer without squeeeeezing!! into them. But I won't be taking any bets!

2020


2014

Happy New Year's Eve!

Sorry that sickness is visiting your home, Scarlet. What a way to end the year.

Looks like there is a Winter Storm Warning here for New Year's Day, so I'll probably do some binge watching and dahlia shopping.

Nice to see some dahlia photos, thanks Dan! Hopefully Shiloh Noelle makes it back into your garden for 2022.

Those are lovely. Thank you for your thoughts on Shiloh. Every time I start to type that it adds Jolie Pitt. Ah well.

Well everyone is now up at this house and everyone feels ok - stuffy nose, some sneezes and a cough every so often. One is perfectly fine. So right at present I'll sit at the wait and see. I await the news of the close contact siblings test and will go from there. Frankly how I feel is just a cold. Meh. But I'm triple vax'd so who knows my leg has not shown up argyle!

Hoping to get sewing here in a bit. I'm way behind on my gift making. Yep. Flowers came first, kids came first, you know the drill.

You know, I signed up at SDs in maybe June and never have gotten an email saying our shop was opening. I anticipate the one shop I hope to purchase from will be in the next month or two but I am sure peoples health sways an open. And frankly I should really be happy with the items I have. Nah, too many to try and see what they do.

Dan: heck I'm donating a bunch of my smaller jeans to goodwill. No sense hanging into them anymore for me. I had grand hopes and they have fallen by the wayside. Good luck w your 15 lbs. i don't really make resolutions. I just say I should get doing something but usually it falls to the side too. Maybe if I am patient and do a little each day it won't seem like such a mountain.

Yep no, I don't want to do anything but curl up and take a nap. Maybe I'll start perusing dahlias and take a snooze. Oh I did figure out how many seeds I would like to try in the space I have available. I am thinking I will keep a running spreadsheet. I set that up last night while watching am Knives Out. Love the interior of the family home in that movie! Talk about eye candy.


Wishing you all a brilliant new year!