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Mar 13, 2021 10:26 AM CST
Name: Mary
(Zone 6a)
Annuals Bee Lover Butterflies Cat Lover Composter Cut Flowers
Dahlias Region: Pennsylvania Zinnias
Wish I had gotten some pictures to share before I did my little operations so we could compare.

Way to go Dan! I had one petrified looking one that grew last year, then a handful of decent looking ones that didn't grow at all. Dahlia mysteries.... do you do anything special for these sad looking ones? any extra soil amendments?
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Mar 13, 2021 11:51 AM CST
Name: Sulli
Philadelphia (Zone 7a)
Cat Lover Cut Flowers Dahlias Hellebores Irises Native Plants and Wildflowers
Region: Pennsylvania Peonies Roses
ok, I've just made the most ridiculous dahlia purchase of my life. I ordered 3 of KA's Mocha dahlias from Stonehouse Dahlias, $35 each Blinking

I have ordered very few new dahlias this year since my Spring is quite busy with garden projects and plans and I am no thrifty gardener but it's a lot for a tiny plant. I'm mostly just interested to see if they live up to the photos and the hype. Will it be worth refreshing the site for 20 minutes as it kept crashing? probably not!

Mary, let us know what you think of Floret's new book. I actually think she's late to the party with the book, I think the dahlia boom began a few years ago and I know she was trying to time it with launching tubers again which I don't think is happening this year as they had trouble rounding up tuber stock.

I think I missed a lot of convo about shopping for tubers but many of the US based sellers grow from EU imports to build stock and then ship out later year tuber production as individuals. While a lot of my dahlias came as singles from Swan Island and a few others, the ones that do best for me are usually the dried out, funny looking clumps from the big box websites which are straight from Holland.
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Mar 13, 2021 12:14 PM CST
Thread OP
NW Wisconsin (Zone 4b)
Bee Lover Butterflies Dahlias Seed Starter Winter Sowing Region: Wisconsin
Sulli: look forward to those blooms! Are they a new trend for florists or weddings?

Mary: how'd your sale go?

Hello all! Hope you are surrounded with beautiful weather and Melissa if you get this blizzard please don't send it to me. I'm ready to March forward with spring.
🌼 Happiness held is the seed; Happiness shared is the flower.” – John Harrigan
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Mar 13, 2021 1:05 PM CST
Name: Melissa
Omaha, NE (Zone 5b)
Annuals Region: Nebraska Daylilies Dahlias Cut Flowers Cat Lover
Butterflies Bee Lover Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Photo Contest Winner 2022
Sulli- did you get one of each? Lovey dubby That was probably a bit painful. Thanks for the heads up...I do want to grow them so badly, but I'm not sure about that price point. I've never lost a cutting (can't say that when it comes to tubers), but I just can't decide if I really really need them this season. At least it says how many cuttings are left "in stock", which is nice. Definitely looking forward to seeing pics of them this Summer!

My "Discovering Dahlias" book is en route, and I hope Mary shares her feedback on it (and I can't wait to hear how your tuber sale went, too!). I have heard that the pics/layout are fantastic, but mixed feedback on growing info/descriptions. I enjoy following Floret/Erin on IG/FB, but I totally agree that she's late to the party with the book launch. I was fairly new to dahlias when they were still selling tubers, and I saw what a disaster their tubers were (a lady from work begged me to help her, but not much I could do with Twizzler looking tubers).

Scarlet- I don't think we are getting a blizzard here, more like 2-3 inches of rain with maybe a little snow mixed in. Hasn't your Winter been rather mild? I'm sending the snow North!
Last edited by Melissamaeday Mar 13, 2021 1:14 PM Icon for preview
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Mar 13, 2021 1:41 PM CST
Thread OP
NW Wisconsin (Zone 4b)
Bee Lover Butterflies Dahlias Seed Starter Winter Sowing Region: Wisconsin
Melissa: No no snow wanted! Yes it's been mild, let's keep it that way Hurray!

Is her new book to coincide w her doing her show w chip and joannas network?
🌼 Happiness held is the seed; Happiness shared is the flower.” – John Harrigan
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Mar 13, 2021 1:52 PM CST
Name: Sulli
Philadelphia (Zone 7a)
Cat Lover Cut Flowers Dahlias Hellebores Irises Native Plants and Wildflowers
Region: Pennsylvania Peonies Roses
Yes Melissa, one of each! I'll be growing Mocha Maya, Katie and Jo and I have KA's Cloud in a previous cuttings order. Yes, I remember hearing how badly the tubers from Floret did, I've known Erin for a long time-we're peers I suppose as part of the same generation of florists who used Instagram to grow our businesses. I have very mixed feelings about all these businesses making money by telling people they can be successful flower farmers. It's a lot harder than Instagram makes it look.

Scarlet, KA's dahlias (Santa Cruz Dahlias) are made for wedding florists, smoky pale colors, blends with cream and beige and to date very hard to come by as tubers. Stonehouse offers cuttings on several varieties but it generally takes about 5 years for a new variety to be out in the world with commercial tuber stock. That's pretty fast as things go, a new tulip can take 15-20 years to build up bulbs to sell commercially. The photos of these flowers are really gorgeous, I guess I see them as a specimen type now like a tree peony or something unusual. It will be fun to arrange with them for sure.
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Mar 13, 2021 2:41 PM CST
Thread OP
NW Wisconsin (Zone 4b)
Bee Lover Butterflies Dahlias Seed Starter Winter Sowing Region: Wisconsin
Sulli: my wedding flowers were not quiet by any means. My attendants were flowers were quiet, but my own bouquet was crazy colorful. My background is design so I could not not have color.

I look forward to seeing these gilded flowers grow for you. They were awfully pretty. Do you have an idea who their parents were? In her book she mentions that CAL is a good parent. I always wonder who they were - the plant parents that is. I know trade secrets and all. Have any of hers sported? And if so how do they look?

AM: we just measured the bed and right now I get an extra 14 square feet. Hey I'll take my victories where I can. And the hubs even said we could bring it out a bit further if we are renting a sod cutter and all nodding so I'll be noodling it the next few days/week to see where I want to tweak it. I've got to move some of my perennials with this as well. Does this mean I can buy a few more? Hmm that is a thought. Can we just kind of skip March and April, I'm ready to plant now. Everything is still brownish here but a gal can hope for some serious spring to happen.
🌼 Happiness held is the seed; Happiness shared is the flower.” – John Harrigan
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Mar 13, 2021 2:41 PM CST
Plants Admin
Name: Suzanne/Sue
Sebastopol, CA (Zone 9a)
Sunset Zone 15
Plant Database Moderator Region: California Cottage Gardener Garden Photography Roses Clematis
Daylilies Houseplants Foliage Fan Birds Butterflies Bee Lover
Got the first two orders in this week, from Swan Island and Garden Bee
One grower emailed that one did not make it through storage, I have so many coming in with this first time dahlia ordering season for me, I am fine with it, but shoot, I did want that one! Shrug!
Dahlia 'Creme de Cassis'
My NGA gardening Blog!
Handmade quilts, new & vintage fabrics in my Etsy store. Summer Song Cottage
Instagram Sewing posts
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Mar 13, 2021 2:56 PM CST
Thread OP
NW Wisconsin (Zone 4b)
Bee Lover Butterflies Dahlias Seed Starter Winter Sowing Region: Wisconsin
Sue: I seem to recall seeing that one at Walmart last year. Maybe swing by yours and check. Even if it's not from a local-ish grower it might still do fine. Of course you may run the risk it's not what it says, but maybe worth trying. I had luck w mine from Walmart last year.
🌼 Happiness held is the seed; Happiness shared is the flower.” – John Harrigan
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Mar 13, 2021 4:10 PM CST
Name: Mary
(Zone 6a)
Annuals Bee Lover Butterflies Cat Lover Composter Cut Flowers
Dahlias Region: Pennsylvania Zinnias
Sale went well. Sold out of all but 2 (i only had 13 or 14 varieties). My inventories were very low so selling out does not feel like a big accomplishment, but I am most excited to have gotten a good handful of buyers of people I don't know! I started a Facebook page in an attempt to get more in touch with local people interested in gardening since I am in a few local neighborhood groups. So that is all very exciting. But I won't truly be content with things until I know I have satisified customers..... so I'll be anxious until I can get some that report back good things!

Just cracked open Floret's book, so far almost the first half is a lot about things I kinda already know after growing a few years, but I know there is always more to learn. She seems to lay things out with pictures very well with step by step guides. Chapter 4 begins more advanced techniques where I imagine I may learn a few things especially in the hybridizing section. I try to watch all of Santa Cruz's videos on Instagram, but it is nice to have some more information written out that I can refer back to. Guess it depends on your learning style.

I'm glad I never got to see any of the twizzler tubers! I had no idea about that. I kinda always wondered why they stopped selling tubers. It seemed kinda odd like there may have been more to it. The photos of her tubers in the book look similar to mine just they are all really clean and pale haha.

I'm hoping to be able to share the book when I am done with friends/fam interested in growing since a good chunk of the book covers the basics of growing.

I definitely agree social media can make it seem so easy. It's like anything on social media, people hide the ugly and only show what's worth showing off.. like the ugly tubers I was talking about. Rolling on the floor laughing When I made my flower instagram it was mostly just to document for myself, but I found myself seeing so many cool things being grown. Easy to get excited and want to grow it all, but really I think the best way, at least that I've found for myself, is experience (the slower the better Rolling on the floor laughing ) and more in depth chats like we have on here. I attended my first dahila society meeting, and a lot of those folks have been growing dahlias for decades and have a wealth of knowledge, but are not part of the social media era, so I think there is a lot to be missed relying on following and learning only from those folks on instagram. These flowers have all been around way longer than the internet and same with a lot of people who grow them!
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Mar 13, 2021 8:51 PM CST
Name: Melissa
Omaha, NE (Zone 5b)
Annuals Region: Nebraska Daylilies Dahlias Cut Flowers Cat Lover
Butterflies Bee Lover Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Photo Contest Winner 2022
Woohoo, Mary! Congrats on your first successful tuber sale, no matter how small/big it definitely had to take a lot of hard work, and I'm happy to hear that you sold out of so many varieties. Hopefully people share pics of their blooms with you this Summer. I've toyed with the idea of a little tuber shop myself (I work for PP/Venmo, so it's not like creating button codes is beyond me), but I never really know what is going to eye up/sprout until April, and worry holds me back.

You ladies are spot on about IG making flower farming seem like an easy dream. Last Summer, a couple peeps that bought dahlias from me were prancing around the garden saying that it felt all "princesslike". Uhhh...ok...feel free to stop by when it's 100 degrees out, weeds need to be pulled and plants HAVE to be watered and deadheaded, then tell me what kind of dirty princess dream that is. Michael from Summer Dreams is maybe the only ff that presents an accurate pic of the struggle, IMO.

Thanks again, Sulli, for the heads up about Stonehouse Dahlias restocking some of KA's varieties. I gave in and bought KA's Mocha Jo. I justified it by buying Snoho Doris (always a hit or miss overwintering variety for me) and Hollyhill Margarita, too. There were 50+ cuttings left of Mocha Jo when I bought it, and it is sold out now. Kind of insane for $35 per cutting!
Last edited by Melissamaeday Mar 14, 2021 12:36 AM Icon for preview
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Mar 14, 2021 10:39 AM CST
Name: Shawn S.
Hampton, Virginia (Zone 8b)
Annuals Butterflies Dahlias Irises Morning Glories Orchids
Peonies Region: United States of America Zinnias
I still can't get over that steep $35. Price Tag, for a cutting !
I'll have to look it up, as it really must be popular, for paying that sort of price.

Good for you, on your tuber sale, Mary. I'd kept a notebook style, type of gardening diary, before. I suppose you could store online, with approximate dates, for a "usual" year, to have things accomplished by certain dates. Until, it sort of becomes more routine.

Did you print out, any of those little individual Dahlia cards ?
(I had to get rid of a nice photo printer, copier, FAX, as that had "Bluetooth" & one way or another, somebody was actually using it somehow, for making cell calls. I'd figured it out, after I printed out a sheet, after replacing ink, (just for making, & printing real photos,) & then discovered all these odd phone numbers had gone through it, I threw out that printer.
Some use technology for the bad, instead if good.

Of course, showing some images off, are to show how well a person may grow some flowers. Welcome to the real world. That's a nice diversion from pandemic, & global garbage, rainforest destruction, injustices, etc... You know, those real world problems !

Some really do like the Pacific Northwest, or that Coastal, Californian climate, so growing seems much more easy, nearly year 'round, to the Southwest.
Though I sure don't miss earthquakes, flooding, then mudslides, drought, then wildfires, & things like that.
But you'd have to experience gardening in those places, to decide if you liked it enough.

Just like some consider Hawaii as paradise. Yeah, if you mainly want to grow tropicals. I do know bell peppers & tomato plants act more like some "biennial" out there, & grow for two years straight, Rolling on the floor laughing Not sure I ever recall seeing even one Dahlia. (But I do remember, they did sell Gladiolus bulbs, & giant Colchicum.)

Time to throw 'Tahiti Sunrise' into a pot, with "real, bagged dirt" & watch them grow. Guess I'll leave tubers that are barely attached, as I never know what may grow, or not.
May try to do a cutting, of one of those laciniated flower, types. 'Just Married'.
Sorry folks, I'm not doing wedding bouquets, though I'd imagine most marriages are delayed, until nearly heat of summer this year. (Or, entirely called off, like J-lo & A-rod ?) I do hope those that can produce on that scale, best of luck, if they are in the business. I wish this planet were all back to normal again, whatever that is, nowadays.

Oh, is there some terrible late snow storm predicted ?
Geeze, I sure do hope not ! As I was betting on a "frost free" Spring.
Let's all have impeccable clean, "picture perfect" tuber harvesting, come this Autumn time.
With plenty of nice blooms ',till the first frost. (Hope that doesn't happen until, nearly December !)
Stay healthy, in the meantime.
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Mar 15, 2021 10:38 AM CST
Name: Mary
(Zone 6a)
Annuals Bee Lover Butterflies Cat Lover Composter Cut Flowers
Dahlias Region: Pennsylvania Zinnias
Thanks guys! I'm glad the first part is over! The whole definitive eye thing was a struggle and a big reason why my stocks were lower on a handful of them. I brought all of my tubers upstairs at the end of January or in February to unwrap from my plastic wrap. Then I put them in peat moss in storage bins in our extra bedroom that we have the heat cut off to. I am not sure the temp in there- maybe upper 50s-lower 60s with not a ton of light esp with the bin lids on, but I think I may have by luck created a decent atmosphere for eyes to slowly wake up without going too crazy. Some definitely seem to like to grow faster than others. My Cafe au Laits were sprouting in my garage before I got to divide them, others have tightly shut eyes still even though they are "warming"

I really like Summer Dreams webpage for dahlia/tuber care! I've referenced it a bunch. Melissa if your garden looks princess like then you must be doing a really good job! Last year I called mine a dahlia jungle Rolling on the floor laughing but each year it gets a little less chaotic.

I did not print out any of the dahlia cards from that email, but I think they are all in the book. It's nice to see so many kinds all at once, but I am learning the harsh reality that I need to pay more attention to things grown by others in my own growing zone aka not PNW. I think last years heat was a really good lesson too.
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Mar 15, 2021 12:46 PM CST
Thread OP
NW Wisconsin (Zone 4b)
Bee Lover Butterflies Dahlias Seed Starter Winter Sowing Region: Wisconsin
Almost ready to take a cutting. I don't want to be too aggressive in doing this but I think I'm ready! These were my ones that struggled last year so it's all my own little experiment and I'm not sure how it will go.


Thumb of 2021-03-15/ScarletTricycle/957d89
🌼 Happiness held is the seed; Happiness shared is the flower.” – John Harrigan
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Mar 15, 2021 1:20 PM CST
Name: Mary
(Zone 6a)
Annuals Bee Lover Butterflies Cat Lover Composter Cut Flowers
Dahlias Region: Pennsylvania Zinnias
They look great Scarlet! I might experiment with cuttings this year too!
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Mar 15, 2021 1:51 PM CST
Thread OP
NW Wisconsin (Zone 4b)
Bee Lover Butterflies Dahlias Seed Starter Winter Sowing Region: Wisconsin
I've been watching what my other cuttings from other plant types I have done and most get kind of parched looking and then they take off and tug back and perk up. So unsure what I am doing wrong, if at all, but taking up the challenge!

I know most of you buy from actual vendors but if any of you have been to Home Depot or Walmart this week have you seen any smaller packs of dahlias or singles? And if so, do you recall what types?

I'd like one or two different dark ones but right now don't want to pay shipping or get them in June. So I'm just keeping my eye out. Menards I've looked at already.
🌼 Happiness held is the seed; Happiness shared is the flower.” – John Harrigan
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Mar 15, 2021 2:04 PM CST
Name: Arlene
Southold, Long Island, NY (Zone 7a)
Region: Ukraine Dahlias I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Houseplants Tomato Heads Garden Ideas: Level 1
Plant Identifier Photo Contest Winner: 2014 Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Celebrating Gardening: 2015
I'll be at WM on Thursday and report back.
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Mar 15, 2021 2:42 PM CST
Thread OP
NW Wisconsin (Zone 4b)
Bee Lover Butterflies Dahlias Seed Starter Winter Sowing Region: Wisconsin
Thanks Arlene! Look forward to your correspondence. Snowing here. Thumbs down
🌼 Happiness held is the seed; Happiness shared is the flower.” – John Harrigan
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Mar 16, 2021 9:42 AM CST
Name: Shawn S.
Hampton, Virginia (Zone 8b)
Annuals Butterflies Dahlias Irises Morning Glories Orchids
Peonies Region: United States of America Zinnias
If I tried "cuttings", not sure they'd be " picture perfect", as those !
(I might add a little soil, around the sprout, prior to taking a cutting.) Can't find any rooting hormone, anywhere !

Thought your local Home Depot be searched on line? Here, the supplier may be van Zyverden, (of Holland/ Netherlands.)
I've done it with Lowe's also, for Garden State Bulb Co. products, as to what's "in stock", for Dahlias.

Even including Orchids, at Lowe's though by a different supplier. (While only listing CV. name online, if "Flowering" size, in a hanging basket.)

Can you " take names", & then you'll easily know, next time, which tubers prefer cooler storage, a bit longer ?

It sure did take a "nose dive" with the temperatures. I'd like to have messed around with Dahlias yesterday , though it seemed to take up half the day, just for a Dr. visit, & stop by the pharmacy. (Vaccinations going on, didn't even slow that up.)

Now, it's suddenly so chilly, (in upper 40's), & so overcast, I'd rather not pot up a Dahlia, or even try to do a cutting !
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Mar 16, 2021 9:53 AM CST
Thread OP
NW Wisconsin (Zone 4b)
Bee Lover Butterflies Dahlias Seed Starter Winter Sowing Region: Wisconsin
The Home Depot site only has the larger quantity on their website that I can see. I know a year or two ago they also had the single dahlia boxes when I was in store but not online. I will look when I go to town Friday or this weekend.

Snow here - about 4". I can do without it but it should melt over the next few days again as we'll be up to the 50s soon. I was enjoying seeing the grass green up.

Got my covid vax shot today. Arm is kind of heavy but doable. I decided to take it easy today and just see how the body responds to it. 2nd appointment already made.

What are everyone's thoughts on Baron Katie? The photos I have seen show a pretty flower. I'm also looking at Boogie Nights. I know - those I won't find locally but kind of like the colors I'm seeing on those two. Why does shipping have to be so high?! I won't get started on my usps thoughts. I should probably just stick with what I have and fall in love all over again with the blooms I'll have.
🌼 Happiness held is the seed; Happiness shared is the flower.” – John Harrigan

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