FC Copper gives me a really reliable plant as a seedling. Lots of oranges. And so far l all the seedlings have had good tubers.
Some years I have abundant FC Copper seeds. I think I have several hundred from last year still. I had a FC Copper in my parent seed bed but it rotted, so it wasn't collected this year.
DillyDahlia Oct 22, 2020 4:29 AM PDT
Name: Tina NY Zone 5b/6a Flower Power!
Penhill Dark Monarch
teddahlia Oct 22, 2020 8:13 AM PDT
Name: Ted Oregon We enjoy breeding new dahlias!
Nice picture. The Penhill dahlias were bred in South Africa.
DillyDahlia Oct 23, 2020 6:42 PM PDT
Name: Tina NY Zone 5b/6a Flower Power!
I cant believe how much you know about dahlia heritage!
TJ, I like your photo of Penhill Dark Monarch. I used to have it but ended up with just Penhill Watermelon here. I will want to replace the Dark Monarch. I don't grow many of the big ones, but that is one I like. I just ordered a new KA's Cloud from Swan Island too. I supposedly got a free one as a bonus on an order this spring but it was pretty pitiful and "Free" was the right price. It wasn't worth the postage! Maybe I will plant a few giant ones in a mixed flower border away from my seedling making ones.
teddahlia Nov 1, 2020 10:08 AM PDT
Name: Ted Oregon We enjoy breeding new dahlias!
Seedling picture. I hope this one has a nice closed center.
That is so pretty! It is like roses blooming on a sunny day in June. I can imagine all kinds of flower combinations with it!
teddahlia Nov 2, 2020 8:29 AM PDT
Name: Ted Oregon We enjoy breeding new dahlias!
Pink cactus seedling blurred by inept camera setting.
teddahlia Nov 11, 2020 10:24 AM PDT
Name: Ted Oregon We enjoy breeding new dahlias!
2020 seedling picture cropped to a closeup.
Cosey Nov 11, 2020 11:30 AM PDT
Name: LeeAnn Zone 6b, Pennsylvania
Lovely! I hope it stays varegated for you!!
Cosey Nov 11, 2020 11:40 AM PDT
Name: LeeAnn Zone 6b, Pennsylvania
Here's a 2020 seedling. Waterlily parent. If my memory serves me, I think she made decent tubers too. I haven't found them in the dividing bin yet.
SteveM Nov 11, 2020 12:20 PM PDT
Name: Steve San Diego Commercial cut flower grower
[quote="Cosey"
Here's a 2020 seedling. Waterlily parent. If my memory serves me, I think she made decent tubers too. I haven't found them in the dividing bin yet.
[/quote]
I love that color, it looks similar to "Porcelain", was she grown in full sun?
teddahlia Nov 11, 2020 1:02 PM PDT
Name: Ted Oregon We enjoy breeding new dahlias!
My wife insists on calling them "fake waterlilies" when the petal rows are too numerous. This one is white for the most part and if you were to look for cut flowers like it, there are very few. So for bouquets, arrangements and looking good in the garden it does well. The show people have their definitions and too many rows of petals is important to them for some reason. The cut flower people also want the white color with no other color(almost impossible) or would accept a very slight yellow tint instead of the lavender or pink blush like in this flower. Sometimes you can get one that has almost no lavender tint at all and it will look white. Nice seedling.
Cosey Nov 11, 2020 5:11 PM PDT
Name: LeeAnn Zone 6b, Pennsylvania
SteveM wrote:[quote="Cosey"
Here's a 2020 seedling. Waterlily parent. If my memory serves me, I think she made decent tubers too. I haven't found them in the dividing bin yet.
I love that color, it looks similar to "Porcelain", was she grown in full sun?[/quote]
Full sun! Smack dab in the middle of the field too. A larger bloom too. 5-6".
Cosey Nov 11, 2020 5:17 PM PDT
Name: LeeAnn Zone 6b, Pennsylvania
teddahlia wrote:My wife insists on calling them "fake waterlilies" when the petal rows are too numerous. This one is white for the most part and if you were to look for cut flowers like it, there are very few. So for bouquets, arrangements and looking good in the garden it does well. The show people have their definitions and too many rows of petals is important to them for some reason. The cut flower people also want the white color with no other color(almost impossible) or would accept a very slight yellow tint instead of the lavender or pink blush like in this flower. Sometimes you can get one that has almost no lavender tint at all and it will look white. Nice seedling.
I couldn't sell a single lavender (or red) bloom in 2020. 🤣 Give it ten years and it will be wanted. This had nice cuttable stems and bloomed vigorously in the fall and stayed closed centered. This is one of my top favs (lavender and all). The blooms were rather large too. 5-6" with out any disbudding.
I had one really white seedling this year. When I looked at individual petals there was only a hairline of yellow coloring at the base. It stayed closed centered and I kept it based on the mostly white petal color. I'll see what it does next year.
SteveM Nov 11, 2020 8:01 PM PDT
Name: Steve San Diego Commercial cut flower grower
Last year I discontinued almost all of my lavender varieties (naturally, just before my broker told me he was getting several requests for lavender dahlias and white dahlias with a lav blush). I love "Porcelain" but can't grow it well here anymore because the summers have gotten much hotter and she doesn't like the heat. 10 years ago i grew 500 Porcelain plants and sold every bloom. Now I have demoted her to the "keep for future" category, which means I will keep one 5 gallon bucket with 3 or 4 plants growing perpetually in my greenhouse - just in case she comes back in favor. She will join my yellow seedlings in temporary retirement.
Cosey Nov 11, 2020 9:28 PM PDT
Name: LeeAnn Zone 6b, Pennsylvania
Steve- the yellow retirement village 🤣 Poor yellow.
SteveM Nov 12, 2020 9:36 AM PDT
Name: Steve San Diego Commercial cut flower grower
Cosey wrote:Steve- the yellow retirement village 🤣 Poor yellow.
She enjoys playing cribbage all day with Lavender so her life is good. Personally, I wouldn't mind if Yellow and Lavender stay retired because those are the two colors that attract thrips the most and require more frequent sprayings to keep them clean.
teddahlia Nov 12, 2020 10:05 AM PDT
Name: Ted Oregon We enjoy breeding new dahlias!
As I get older, I get less tolerant of all this "What color is in fashion?" Having publicly said that, it is a fact however that one is swayed towards those insipid colors as people not only ask for them but say good things to you when you put them in bouquet or in an arrangement. We seem to have a built in measure of beauty that is defined by compliments from others. And eventually, you are brainwashed and actually like these colors. Margaret used the modern colors in the arrangement that won best at our virtual dahlia show. Was her selection of colors done to influence the judges or because she actually likes these colors? The question gets blurry after a while.
Hollyhill Melody is the cactus flower.
blown_dry Nov 12, 2020 10:48 AM PDT
Name: Amanda CA Redwood Coast - Zone 9b DahliaAddict.com
The question does get blurry. I've started to look askance at open centers despite my best efforts. Doing somewhat better at not caring about weeds in my lawn.
Lovely arrangement though. Very cheery.
