Hello all!

Close enough to the new year and it's time to start thinking about those 2024 dahlias we all have in our heads, on our want lists, our crazy need lists, etc.

May you all have a fantastic Christmas and holiday season!

Pop on in here and let us know how you are doing, how your dahlia beds, fields etc will begin and grow for 2024. Maybe this too can be mighty lively for the new year and growing season yet again.

I tried to invite past posters and if you are new here and want to jump in, please do so! We've been a group of friendly, avid, dipping a toe in and enabling group of dahlia growers. Most of us just enjoy the blooms in our gardens! We share, learn, talk more than dahlias.

@psudan
@Melissamaeday
@pirl
@theflowerlady
@katesflowers
@Miamiu
@hostasmore
@hampartsum @petespetals @Johannian @luvsgrtdanes @JBarstool @dnrevel

Link to 2023s thread for reference:
The thread "2023 Dahlia Season" in Dahlias forum

Hello all!

Need a second cuppa and time to look at my day. I need to also check the plants in the basement that I'm sure are crispy and that I should be taking better care of.

Anyone else starting to dive into seed catalogs and websites?

My presents are wrapped and it is now time to get that portion of garden planning underway!

I can hardly wait to see all the beautiful blooms next season!

I'm going to take the SI catalog down to let my mom take a look. She enjoys blooms of any type so this will give her something to peruse that is different then the crazy world of late offers.

Soon I'll begin finalizing if I'm ordering or not ordering. I really shouldn't and really don't need to … but maybe just maybe I'll really need something new! Nah, it'd be getting some old friends and maybe a few new ones. I'm just bamboozled by the shipping charges of late for any plant materials. I was looking at ordering some seeds. Not many packets. And if you have ever ordered packets of seeds and they mail them in a padded envelope, there isn't much weight unless they are all beans. Yet, I'd be paying $10 for an envelope of seeds that is more envelope weight then seed weight. That's where I have a problem saying it's worth making an order.

If you are thinking of ordering - what colors or shapes are you thinking? Who's all decreasing their garden sizes? Or is anyone increasing?

It's to rain the next few days here. Anyone else in line for rain too?

Good Morning Dahlia Admirers. May 2024 be the perfect growing year.

Of course, my Michigan garden is dormant right now, but while I'm waiting, I am having my soil tested through USDA Soil Conservation. I need to know what my soil lacks before amending next Spring.
Tuber orders? Hmmmm...thinking, just thinking.

Kathy: I did mine through University of Wisconsin and began amending that fall. It's been two years now. I may repeat this following fall. Right now the dahlia bed is loaded with rabbit poo and compost. Will hope it does its job and makes the soil delightful. Oh and winter crop seeds. In fact I haven't gone to look and see if I have any growth. With my luck that is a no. But I should go see.

Leaves! Soon I'll be doing that too. I think I'll use some of my Christmas money and go get my promix bales. Maybe they are on clearance?!

I don't see anything growing or maybe it did and fell over. Unsure. I'm not going to schlep outside to see, I've got too much to do inside. Even posting here!

Sorry I'm wordy today. I've still been trying to decompress from all that has been going on for me of late. I don't think it will get any easier anytime soon.

I found one dahlia seed envelope that missed getting into my tin. So more seeds for potentially. Yay! I need to decide what to do better with those guys for next year and definitely not sitting on them as I did so terribly gracefully when I was taking pictures. Sweet. Will have to see what I look to do once I have seedlings and how to plan the new years garden.

I did my ordering this fall and with the exception of 3 I'd really like am telling myself I spend enough and don't need more. The 3 im eying are Peaches and Cream , Mollie Raven , and Strawberries and Cream. They are all from Eden Brothers though and I've gotten gall from them in the past so I'm still undecided on those.

Valley Tawny
Cornel Bronze
Cornel
Crichton Honey
Mystique
Coseytown Bounty
Coseytown Gale
Coseytown Babycakes
Bracken Rose
Bracken Sarah
Terracotta
Small World
Genova
Coralie
Bloomquist Tory
Seniors Hope
Brown Sugar
Copper Boy
Are ones I have on order for 2024. A friend buy/swap type of deal. I don't do dahlia wars so this type of deal suits me and they were normal prices instead of $35 for something I'd probably kill.

My promix bales are on clearance at the Menards so I hope to head over today to get three. I'm sure the hubs won't be happy to have to cart home tomorrow but I'm spending my birthday monies when it's more economical and store in the garage.

Hey a gal has to be ready to prep once it's time to start seeds. and tubers!

Looking like it's readying to rain soon. We need the moisture in state so that helps everyone! As long as it doesn't turn to ice we'll be good.

Happy readying for Christmas all!

This is a funny year for me. Im trying to save some money while also fulfilling my garden desires except I have yet to get ahead. To do all my garden projects this year will cost me about 800 and as spring approaches closer my time is running out.

Ah how great to see the 2024 start to Dahlia planning for the new year Scarlet. Prayers and good thoughts for transitions for family business, Scarlet, making it through, whatever comes. Hope, support and angels....

I mailed out my California "kids" presents box with days to spare (feeling virtuous) that it will arrive in plenty of time. And I'm past the halfway point doing garage prep of SO MANY dahlias! With my local community gardening group, we'll be holding our 2nd annual sale this May as a benefit. So I want to make sure I finish the bunch of bags, buckets and piles of the remaining 1/3rd of dug dahlia clumps awaiting those last bits of dividing and packaging in our garage.


The last plantings of outdoor, in-ground tulips. Dividing dahlias, prepping for winter.
I packaged up some dahlia seeds today too. I was successful starting some, they made tubers and flowers. I'd like to do that again in this new year.

After I wrap the grandkids presents this week, pending, my "treat" is to soil block some Lisianthus (Eustoma here on garden.org) and start them in my garage keeping company to our dahlias in winter storage. We will probably haul ALL those dahlias down in the basement to ensure low temps don't get to them, perchance, while we're away visiting the grandkids for a week. Then up they'll come and we'll watch and check them through March, using a heater when needed. The insulated garage here in 6a, SE Michigan has been pretty good keeping the temps between 40 and 50 degrees or so, using our Govee temp monitor.

Attaching some photos of the latest views, planting the last of the "in ground" tulips and fishing out any forgotten dahlias... If I have time, I'l be potting up tulips for the dark / cold / chill treatment in the garage for the winter.

Happy final week of prep for the present holidays and those around the corner everyone!

~ Deb

A winter weather advisory has been issued for this afternoon through 1:00 PM tomorrow. Forecast shows 1" of snow possible tonight and less than .50" tomorrow. Those amounts wouldn't seem to warrant an advisory but I'm not a weather expert. Maybe they're figuring on the wind causing some blowing and drifting. But can 1" blow and drift??

Low temps are forecast to be 32 or less for the next four nights. Attic temp has been holding at 50 degrees and the tubers feel fine. The attic smells like cinnamon. LOL Mini fridge temp stays around 48 and the tubers feel solid. Hope things stay this way til spring.

Scarlet, I checked Wallmart.com and saw they have free shipping on the 2 cubic foot bags of Promix. But the price is $46.11! No idea who the actual seller is. But "no thanks"!, I'll drive to Menard's when I need it.

Still hoping that Pleasant Valley will open soon. My only Alpen Parfait didn't produce much as far as new tubers again this year. I usually have to reorder it every year. I had already sent an order by this time two years ago. I think they opened in December again last year but I waited until the end of January to order, thinking they might update their catalog. But I didn't notice any changes. At least, I didn't see any price increases.

I had my 6 month checkup last week. My doctor said not to worry about the few pounds I had gained. He smiled and said, "Just make a New Years resolution". I told him I had made that same resolution every year for the past 10 years. It takes much more than simply "making" a resolution!

Nothing new in the dahlia department here. All tubers are in their deep sleep.

Winds are whipping heavy snow right now. We have a steady 35⁰. The first snow is enchanting. It's sticking and accummulating. Can't say I'll feel this way about snow after Christmas.

As I fed the bluejays & woodpeckers this morning, I could hear the turkeys in the empty bean field out back. There's lots to eat. The farmer's gravity wagon has a rusting hole and we noticed a trail of beans. Turkeys noticed, too.

ScarletTricycle said: Hello all!

Close enough to the new year and it's time to start thinking about those 2024 dahlias we all have in our heads, on our want lists, our crazy need lists, etc.

May you all have a fantastic Christmas and holiday season!
I tried to invite past posters
@hampartsum

Scarlet. This season has almost started a few days ago...yesterday an unexpected light frost burnt the leaves of a few dahlias. The good news is that I got a new cell phone with a new camera!...( the bad news is that I need to understand how it works.... ). So perhaps, , I may soon be posting dahlia pics to brighten you fellas while your seasons gets ready in 5 months time!.

Have a wonderful Christmas all of you!

Arturo

Hi Arturo !
Would enjoy blooming garden pictures, since all we have in Michigan is snow right now.
Merry Christmas.
By the way, whenever we get new phones, we buy the book entitled "x For Dummies" the x would be your phone brand & model # and give chapter by chapter instructions.

katesflowers said: Hi Arturo !
Would enjoy blooming garden pictures, since all we have in Michigan is snow right now.
Merry Christmas.
By the way, whenever we get new phones, we buy the book entitled "x For Dummies" the x would be your phone brand & model # and give chapter by chapter instructions.

Thanks Kathy, Mine is a present from my kind cousin living in Uruguay just fed up that we couldn't communicate... , so it came just in a cardboard box. No booklet inside. I suppose I should be able to find the X for dummies somewhere in the cloud and download it. The brand is Xiao Redmi model 9A...now what tells about its qualities and shortcomings , is at this stage a huge mystery.
Only two dahlias have full open blooms:
'Playa Blanca'

'Golden Scepter'

The majority have fattening first buds.

I wish everyone here a very happy Christmas.

Arturo

Oh !
Love dahlias. Thank you.
Last August was my grand bloom spectacle:

Dan and Kathy: Hope the snows didn't amount to too much and life is liveable!

Arturo: yay for blooming everything! And yay for a new phone. Hope you figure out how to use it and post images. Would love to see your sheep and dahlias.

Hello all!

AM: kid1 has Covid. Anything else world that you'd like to throw at me? I'm Teflon, tungsten and carbon steel I'll deflect every damn thing you can throw at me. So I'm testing the rest of us every 48 hours. Kid1 didn't get sick the last time we had the crud in the house. So I'm hoping that works in reverse. I'm also hoping she recovers easily. Our doctor is aware and we are just doing comfort as needed. Right now she's coughing a lot. Ugh.

I was looking at some of the breeders sites last night. They too get excited to see what comes forth. I'm curious if they all go through ADS shows before they introduce to the general buying public or are they going to production and sales? They all have some lovelies out there.

I got the property tax bill and promptly set it down…somewhere…and now I must locate it to send to the bank. This running books for two households is a bit much. I sent mom's property tax bill w my sister. Hopefully that gets done. I need to followup there too.

Just know I'm totally crazy right now!

Melissa: how's Enzo?

Kathy: are you going to do snapdragons again?

Merry day ahead all! I'm off to find the elusive paper work and then have to call the life insurance. They cashed the checks but say the hubs isn't paid on. Really? I quit!

Thanks Scarlet, just like you fellas up north I start my dahlias indoors in grow bags before they are placed out in the garden....so
I ended by having almost three times more grow bags ( ca. 250) , than what will hold prepared dahlia beds from last season...
Well,
I had to get that other tuber as well, so...
I also had to try out seeds, so I sowed very old dahlia seeds that I had kept inside my overflowing seed compartment under my desk...they were collected in our autumn 2016...I didn't expect much so I sowed all of them and...
they all germinated profusely!!!! So now I'm finishing in pricking them into individual pots...they add to about 400 seedlings....
Since, I'm such a poor culler, I will keep all of them and see what comes out. They are children of a purple pompon, a white pompon, Bishop of LLandaff grandchildren, Akita, Nuits d'Eté ,Jean Marie, Twinings after Eight.
Plus,
I tried out getting cuttings done early season, which mostly by now became fully grown plants...
So, can you just figure how much work awaits ahead!
( however I'm happy as pie... in spite of )

Arturo

Arturo: the dahlia bug really did bite you! I look forward to seeing your seedlings. I found great delight in awaiting my own last summer. I had some nice surprises, now if only they winter over just fine …

Suns trying to work its way out. Fine by me. I'll be inside working on some of my crazy - paperwork and recycling and dealing with mom's stuff. Whew. That can be a huge job in itself and I'm finding it can take a lot of time too.

Looking forward to seeing Arturo's blooms. I mean in a a month and 2 weeks I'll be starting my own seeds! Fantastic -now that I think of it that way. Soon enough I'll be joining you.