My son planted a pack of those wildflower seeds and as most of you know they are usually not worth growing. What did come up was the California Poppies. I have always loved the bright orange color of those poppies. I decided I would pick some of the poppies and place them in and around the WL seedling called HH Sophia. So last night in the last bit of sunshine, I went to the Poppy patch and there were lots of blooms but who would know that they roll-up tightly at night. I tried unfurling one of the blooms and they must be made of spring steel as they will not unfurl. I used my knife and cut a floret off the flower and it rolled up into a tube immediately, I then cut off the bottom of the petal and held it tightly and got it to sort of lay flat. Sunlight was going fast by this time.
I placed a couple of the poppies by an HH Sophia and got this picture:
It is not fair to compare Sophia's color to the backs of the petals of the poppies as they are not as bright as the fronts of the petals.
So I used the plucked petal and inserted it into the flower. As you can see it is just bit brighter than Sophia. The Sophia flowers have been blooming in the 105 degree weather and probably would be a bit brighter in cooler weather. Perhaps I can repeat this exercise when the weather moderates.
DillyDahlia Aug 4, 2017 2:57 PM PDT
Name: Tina NY Zone 5b/6a Flower Power!
I thought the fantasy flower was real until I enlarged it. LOL.😄 Just occurred to me that my birthday is coming up....and a macro lens would make a perfect gift. Think i'll go get started dropping hints to my family.
FLflowerboy Aug 4, 2017 6:21 PM PDT
Name: Jon George Gainesville, FL ...crazy enough to grow dahlias in
I'm in line for that CA poppy orange Sophia!
DillyDahlia Aug 5, 2017 9:38 AM PDT
Name: Tina NY Zone 5b/6a Flower Power!
Oh please add me to the list for Sophia too!
FLflowerboy Aug 5, 2017 7:02 PM PDT
Name: Jon George Gainesville, FL ...crazy enough to grow dahlias in
Tina, watch for the opening of the Hollyhill website. There is quite a demand for newer varieties, so many of us are on alert for sites that sell out quickly.
DillyDahlia Aug 6, 2017 10:20 AM PDT
Name: Tina NY Zone 5b/6a Flower Power!
FLflowerboy wrote:Tina, watch for the opening of the Hollyhill website. There is quite a demand for newer varieties, so many of us are on alert for sites that sell out quickly.
Jon,
Thank you for the heads up. I have several dahlias just starting to bloom that don't resemble what they were supposed to be. So, I have a bunch of mystery dahlias coming up. In the future, I would like to order from sites that folks here recommend. I have Holkyhill bookmarked now....
sylviap Aug 6, 2017 11:25 AM PDT
Name: Sylvia West Sacramento, CA Zone 9b
DillyDahlia wrote:
Jon,
Thank you for the heads up. I have several dahlias just starting to bloom that don't resemble what they were supposed to be. So, I have a bunch of mystery dahlias coming up. In the future, I would like to order from sites that folks here recommend. I have Holkyhill bookmarked now....
Tina - are you using the website Dahliaaddict? From there you can see when many suppliers open and what they are offering. It's great for looking for a specific variety.
DillyDahlia Aug 6, 2017 11:44 AM PDT
Name: Tina NY Zone 5b/6a Flower Power!
sylviap wrote:
Tina - are you using the website Dahliaaddict? From there you can see when many suppliers open and what they are offering. It's great for looking for a specific variety.
I will google that right now! Thanks!
sylviap Aug 6, 2017 11:51 AM PDT
Name: Sylvia West Sacramento, CA Zone 9b
Also, at the beginning of the ordering season, we have a thread about who is open.
DillyDahlia Aug 6, 2017 2:05 PM PDT
Name: Tina NY Zone 5b/6a Flower Power!
sylviap wrote:Also, at the beginning of the ordering season, we have a thread about who is open.
Sylvia, Dahlia Addict is excellent!
sylviap Aug 6, 2017 3:26 PM PDT
Name: Sylvia West Sacramento, CA Zone 9b
DillyDahlia wrote:
Sylvia, Dahlia Addict is excellent!
Don't thank me, thank Amanda AKA Blown Dry. She is the web site owner and a member here! But I agree. It is indispensable for locating dahlias and suppliers. We also talk about who maybe to avoid during ordering season. It will start around November to December. Some sites will sell out very quickly.
I tried to stay up until midnight but by the time I got to Honken and to Crazy4 Many that I wanted were already sold. Arrowhead was sold out on a lot of theirs and Clearview also. THat was painful! But at least I got my Hollyhills!
