Hello all!

I'm throwing this out there for all those into dahlias. I gleaned an awful lot of info on growing the lovelies and met a lot of nice dahlia people on last years thread. And I'll admit - I've missed you all!

Winter seems extra long (mine has been mild thus far), and I thought maybe I could start a new thread for the 2021 dahlia growing season and we can all dream away and muse for a bit while the snow and cold hangs around and then once we are into growing season we can compare and share. I love seeing everyone's blooms - makes my list for looking and growing that much bigger.

Welcome all! This is a place for anyone who loves these blooms! Anyone is welcome to join in, say hello and share.

**Tagging those I know who participated last year that I could garner without going through pages and pages. Maybe you'll stop and say hello again. I hope that's ok to do mods, if not please let me know.


Link to the 2020 dahlia thread if anyone interested:

The thread "2020 Dahlia Season" in Dahlias forum

@pirl, @psudan, @Melissamaeday, @hostasmore, @Hiyamakki, @Cem9165, @Calif_Sue, @Sandsock, @Topdecker, @ShawnSteve, @petespetals, @SulliO, @frankrichards16

Thanks for tagging me Scarlet! I was thinking just yesterday that it's been a while since I'd been on the dahlia boards!

Thanks Scarlet. I see now, the other Thread was about what people were Ordering, for 2021.

Is anyone else getting antsy for spring to get here? Heck, I'm a week early but I plan to check my stored tubers out today (I do so the 1st of every month) and see how they are fairing. I think we can skip the rest of winter and move to warm and spring. Which is funny because right out my door is about 6 fresh inches of snow!

Will anyone be trolling the local big box stores for extra dahlias? I really shouldn't, but I plan to. hey maybe I'll find a great find!

Hope everyone is well.

I am over Winter and ready for the growing season here, too! There is a 100% chance of snow tomorrow, so I plan to do a big dahlia tuber check, and probably won't bother leaving the house.

This is the time of year where I start to buy supplies, like fertilizer, twine, and other random garden things. I've heard that seeds are selling out super quick this year, so am happy that my seeds (mostly cosmos, sunflowers, and zinnias) have already been ordered and received. Was going to try chrysanthemums again with a better plan, but King's Mums is already sold out for the season!?! I guess I am just looking forward to getting all my ducks in a row.

I went to heavy on dahlias! Well, thus far probably everything for the space I have. But I aim to try and have extra things. Right now I've been in between watching the Pack play - running to the basement to water my jungle and trim my bad plant mom death back. I have been potting up rooted coleus and currently planting up the geraniums I winter in a box. So right now they look like a bunch of sticks.

I found I overbought promix! I now have 2 bales. Whoopsie! And I took advantage of the menards fill a bag save 15% sale and filled it with 1 gal black pots and seeds.

We got about 5" of snow last night so everything looks clean and that's just fine. But really spring can come at any point.

I forget: when I finally do pot up my tubers, if they already have eyes that sprouted, do you leave those on or do you trim them off and they'll send out a new shoot?

Just did my feb check early and had to toss 3 more. All the same plant - grrrr. Jennifer's wedding is not wintering well.

Scarlet, you can do it either way. It is mostly a matter of personal preference.

Boo to having to toss more tubers. Must be the curse of the purple dahlias with that one!

Melissa: are your buried w/snow?

https://www.gilberthwild.com/s...

Have you had a look at G.H Wild.for chrysanthemums Melissa? They have a few.

Scarlet- yes, ugh! At least 12 inches fell yesterday. My neighbor's boyfriend snow blowed my driveway twice yesterday, and I shoveled my walks a few times, but it is still a snowy mess out there. Now to tackle the 3 feet of crap that the plows push back into my driveway/sidewalks when they fly down the street at 70 MPH. Where are you, Spring?!?!

Thanks for that, Hiyam! I totally forgot that they sell other things besides daylilies.

Melissa: ack! That's a lot of snow, I can't say we have that much. The storms this winter are staying low in the state instead of burdening us with their flakes. I hope everyone is well and safe. I lost an uncle a few years back when Omaha had heavy snow and he was out shoveling. Hopefully all is well, it's starting to melt and your garden plans are looking fantastic!

@Hiyamakki: what is on your order/bought list? I seem to recall you were the one who was buying a bunch last year of the old timey ones. I think I've bought too many for my space - but I'll take @Melissamaeday thoughts that you can always make room

Hope everyone else is doing well and thinking about playing in the dirt soon. I'm over winter, ready to move into spring. Just checked my garden journal and took note I began finding and buying tubers at Walmart early March. So with that thought we can now just skip February.

Hope everyone is well.

I got 5 from Old House Gardens and 4 from Swan Island. My Swan Island catalogue just came so I am dreaming of next year already.

I was going to buy more this month but I started thinking about all the digging I have to do. 14 roses, 1 peony and 9 dahlias to go into new beds. Also, I bought too many peonies and blew my gardening budget once the nurseries opened Jan 1st! At least I won't have to plant those until fall. My clay soil is such a pain and my dahlias go on the top of a hill (where balancing a wheel barrow is tricky, as is digging at an angle).




Unlabled is Papageno



Prince Noir, Petit Robert, Lora Ashley, Musette (clockwise from top left). I need to make a list of heights before planting but we all know how reliable those numbers really are!

Looks like a beautiful collection!

Oh yes, the heights! I had a few well over 6 feet and I had given them a pinch early on. I guess they were happy where they were planted. Look forward to sharing everyone's blooms. Found out my mom ordered me some more this year. Await to know what they are.

That's so nice Scarlet! My dad is an avid rose gardener and it's been great having something in common. We complain about aphids, sendnpics of our star performers and I sent him some rose bushes as a surprise gift. My mother on the other hand likes peonies which I have only recently started growing. Eventually it will be nice to get her advice on dividing roots which I've never done.

My mom is of the age she buys only and no longer plants but I always go to her house every spring and plant for her because spring and summer would be horribly long and sad without blooms around her. She never grew dahlias but is having fun picking crazy ones for me to try. Sometimes she likes the shaggy look like the Encore one she got me last year. Of course she's almost 90 and said to me about Belle and spartacus too "go big or go home" which from someone that age I found kind of hilarious.

Found out the new one my mom sent me is Burlesque. She ordered from Brecks this year and we know my past experiences, but that's the one she thought would be pretty. Plus she is sending me other perennials with this future order to come.

What are some of the blooms you most look for this coming season?

I had time to look at the English Garden magazines I had. Such total flowerbed dreams in their magazines. I'd love an article on how these people accomplish such - I'm sure some of them have landscapers or garden helpers - but geez - so lush and pretty. I think I need more land for my dreams!

Burlesque sure looks pretty, Scarlet! Fingers crossed that it is not another Brecks mislabel.

I can't hardly wait for boxes to start arriving. Some that I am most looking forward to (today, anyway) are 'Bloomquist Jean', 'Bloomquist Blush', and 'Zoey Rey'.

Just checked on some of my tubers in plastic shoeboxes. Usually if they make it to January/February, they are good to go, but I've always been a "checker".

I could definitely use some flower power right now, so maybe I'll check out some English Garden photos! Winter seems to be dragging on endlessly (as it always does). My oldest cousin (she was 47) passed away on Christmas Day from brain cancer, and yesterday I got a call from my previous supervisor, and she let me know that a guy from my old team (who I sat next to, we were always pulling pranks on each other) took his own life Friday night. Things like that shake me to my core, and I desperately miss the garden that centers me in the warm months.

Oh Melissa: I'm sorry for your losses. What a sad part of winter when it's all bleak and gray and then to loose those who have been part of our lives, I'm sorry.

Those dahlias you posted are lovely. I too have made myself into being a checker, once a month I go and look and make sure all is ok. I so look forward to playing in the dirt sooner than later. My brief forays weekly w some winter sowing or potting up geraniums is not quite meetings the need.

I can say they did get Belle of Barmera right last year, so I hold out a bit of hope for Burlesque. Hah. Will see soon enough.