Hosing it off won't hurt it at all. They really love the water. Just let it dry off well before storage.

Thanks Rose and Gary.

I noticed heavy frost in low lying areas on my way home this morning. Potted geranium and petunias still look fabulous. Will be digging dahlias soon now.

Gary, Do you wait until the Dahlia foliage is wilted before you did them? Mine are in a raised bed and I still need to dig mine. Not sure if it is okay to cut back the foliage and did them or let them wilt and dry up first?

Ideally yes we should let them freeze and die down. But after Nov 15 the tubers are supposed to be mature enough to dig them for storage. That is my plan for this year as mine are still budding and flowering, but I don't want to dig them in the snow. I actually enjoy digging them and finding out what sort of crop of tubers looks like.

Thanks Gary for your suggestion. I am anxious to see my tubers too. The plants got really huge and I didn't get them staked so they twisted and turned and fell every which way. I tried to mark beside the plant what color most of them were so I can try to identify them next year when I plant them individually. This year I just plunked them all into one 4 X 8 raised bed.

Still looks lush and lovely.

Staking before you plant is easiest. Staking, once they're growing, poses the danger of pounding into the tubers.

Keeping them tied to the stakes is where I fall down on the job, then they lean over and look less than good. I tie at one foot, 18", 2', then seem to retreat to the house in the heat of August and September.

So many of them outgrow my stakes., but I don't think I am going to buy 8 ft stakes. 6ft is about aas tall as commonly available. Even when staked a really strong wind (of which I had several this year) treats then like a sail and over they go! I admire Dan's dedication and permanent stake setting. I don't have a dedicated dahlia garden, mine are intermixed with perennials and annuals.
Why do I like them? Because they are big and beautiful.

Our stakes are leftover copper tubing from a former project. They are between 2 and 6' high, none taller. No matter how well I pound them into the good earth, a good storm (or the weight of a robust dahlia) can wreak havoc. I have had about one a year fall over. My dahlias are also in a mixed setting of annuals, roses and low shrubs like Limelight hydrangeas.

Took a walk. Weather is beautiful until this afternoon 40 mph winds will return neighbors leaf piles to their yards.

I am waiting for the wind to do the opposite! Think I will get lucky?

I finally finish my daughter's tree house yesterday. I an not a carpenter so it took about 2 months to finish. It has a pulley so she can raise stuff up and down in and a firemans poll. I think it turned out good and she has already started moving her barbies out there.

Neat!! I wouldn't mind having one that looked like that either!!

Great job Heath. I always wanted a tree house but never had the trees to put it in. My son has one and their 4 children have enjoyed it.

Still no freeze, cut the lawn for the last time (wearing shorts-never done that in mid Nov in MN) put the lawnmower up for the winter, will be getting the Snowthrower ready tomorrow.

Pulmonaria still looking great!

great tree house. Lucky girl!

Thanks

Good dad

I decided it was time to clean up the walkway by the house. So, I got the pavers up, replaced all the landscape cloth, and put the pavers back. We're getting a load of river rock tomorrow to put around the walkway. I did this about 20 years ago, and I remember it being a lot easier then! I hate when I take on a project that tells me that I'm getting too old to do it!

I markes places where I want short coneflowers.
Just waiting for the 2017 online catalogues.