Yes, it was great fun. I recognized Noni immediately. I got to meet her sister who wants Cafe au Lait. I told her I would have plenty! LOL I also met Noni's husband and learned that the Wright Brothers had a sister named Katherine who was instrumental in their business success. But I finally had to pull myself away to look at dahlias.
Unfortunately, there weren't a lot of entries at the show. I met Paul Bloomquist for the first time while I waited for Noni to arrive. It was great fun talking to him. He explained that the lack of entries were due to a number of things like other shows on the same weekend, Canadian exhibitors not coming anymore because their entries get ruined when they are inspected at the border, some people getting older and no longer active, etc. Still, we saw some exciting seedlings, got to ooh and aah with each other to our hearts content and arranged some trades for next spring. Noni took lots of pictures and I can't wait to see them.
Paul grows over 8000 plants in Lynden which is not far from Everson. He does a lot of hybridizing but isn't interested in the selling part. He was telling us about having over 800 plants knocked over by the windstorm last year. Then there was the year a herd of cows got into his dahlias. (This is big dairy country.) What a heartbreaker.
I have gone to the Whatcom Dahlia Society tuber sales in the past but never bought anything. I am not a member and the first hour of the sale is members only. Each time I have gone I arrived before the scheduled time that the sale is open to the public but by then there is little, if anything, worth buying. I heard Paul tell someone that they need to come in the first five minutes of the members only hour to get a good selection. Apparently the members bag and label their own tubers; they aren't checked or approved by anybody before the sale. My experience has been that anything I might be interested in is either already sold out or in such poor shape I wouldn't buy it. It is too bad; I wish there were more good tubers available to the general public.
CCvacation Sep 12, 2016 4:13 AM PDT
Name: CC PA
Annual membership dues are $10 for the two clubs I joined... The best part of being a member is the chance to get to know other members and trading before the sales (set up prior to that day, so you trade boxes to avoid problems).
NoH2O Sep 12, 2016 7:42 AM PDT
Name: Candy Everson, Wa
The cost of joining is not the issue for me. I live way out in the county and don't drive because of poor vision. I would love to be part of a group of dahlia lovers (which I am on here LOL). I am the secretary of the local garden club but I can catch a ride with other members or even walk to the meetings if I need to. I love gardening and the pleasure is multiplied many times when it can be shared with other enthusiasts.
I've been out checking my dahlias against the records I made when I planted them..a few surprises along the way. Something is a pretty golden ball or fd (I think fd) on nice stems and it is not Valley Rustbucket which it most closely resembles...Doesn't fit anything on my chart but its very pretty! And that beautiful big orange fim I just realized is the Mel's Marmalade that Tod sent me that I had lost track of! (Tioga Maiden is going nicely too but the other one looked virused and I had to remove it. Really enjoying the pretty pinkness of Tioga Maiden!)..One that I thought was Linda's orange seedling was actually my Paris Tea Time! It grew much larger this year then its first year but the back petals do fade to tea color.(I am calling it virtue rather then a fault)
Customers are starting to come and make up their lists of what tubers they will want. I hope I can do better book-keeping on it this year so I don't get so frazzled. I showed the patch twice today...(I think Weds will be my "Open garden" day where possible.
mandolls Sep 15, 2016 1:35 PM PDT
Name: Geof WI
I have a few dahlias that are finally putting out blooms after doing some very very slow growing all summer. Still a few more with only buds, that I am waiting on and hoping they will bloom before frosts hit.
Newaukum Honey - A bit past its prime here, but I am loving all of the new Stellars that I have this year.
Tanner Joe. I am a bit ho-hum about this one
Woodlands Wildthing - Being a huge fan of John Kaiser, I decided to try this. I like the colors in JK which have more variation, but this is bigger and the form is beautiful
Newaukum Honey is a totally sweet dahlia...fantastic color and often chosen by market shoppers. I find it a bit late to come on here too, No exxperience with Tanner Joe. I do love Woodland Widthing too and all the ways it twists and shouts! I bought a Dr Kaiser but not sure where it ended up this year...it hasn't come to my attention.
CCvacation Sep 17, 2016 7:20 PM PDT
Name: CC PA
Here's my Tanner Joe... one plant reverted, had to yank another due to virus, but the third looks okay. It pushes out the blooms.
CCvacation Sep 17, 2016 7:29 PM PDT
Name: CC PA
One of my favs this year is AC Todo. I was hoping to compare it to NTAC Patricia, but that one hasn't bloomed yet.
This one is new to me this year... NTAC MIA LI, and it has grown on me with its complex color blend that is rich enough for a second (and third) look. I'll grow it another year before I decide if I like it or not. nice form.
Bloomquist Kevin J is a workhorse bloomer, with many flowers recurved to the stem. This one got accolades from Noni when she reported on it from the test garden last season for it's delicate variegations. I have lots of plants of it, and will definitely grow it again.
CC, I am having so much trouble with Kevin going open centered. Is that happening with yours? Other then that it is a great little flower and I still love it. Just wondering if I got a bad plant or whether it will straighten out next year. It does produce a LOT of flowers.
mandolls Sep 18, 2016 5:13 AM PDT
Name: Geof WI
"I was hoping to compare it to NTAC Patricia, but that one hasn't bloomed yet."
It seems odd to me that a variety can bloom at such different times for different people. My NTAC Patricia has been blooming since mid June. It was one of my very earliest.
CCvacation Sep 18, 2016 6:34 AM PDT
Name: CC PA
Noni, it keeps its center tight for a while, then shows its yellow when overripe. No different then any other double bloom.
Geof, I've never had a great plant of NTAC Patricia with tons of blooms. It always struggles along, showing one or two breathtaking blooms before frost. Remember that there is lots of competition in my beds for space, as I plant tight. Ones that need extra pampering don't do too well in my garden. Might be just another poor year for NTAC P, and it would do spectacular next season. I like the blooms enough from last year to try it for a third/fourth (?) year.
Did anyone buy and have bloom picts to share of Les & Viv's 'Dark Shadow' new release? I think they renamed it 'george' or something... at the last minute, I switched that one to B. Kevin, and have been wondering all season why I didn't just pop the cash for both.
CCvacation Sep 18, 2016 6:38 AM PDT
Name: CC PA
This one exceeds my expectations... actually recurves to the stem, with delightful color that makes you want to eat it like sorbet. Normandy Sweet Lucy
.
teddahlia Sep 18, 2016 9:45 AM PDT
Name: Ted Oregon We enjoy breeding new dahlias!
Nice pictures of the Normandy intro. Normandy is a park in the neighborhood of Bill and Delores Schwink who named their intros after it. My favorite Normandy was Normandy Promise, the electric pink semi cactus that we used as a seed parent when we first started. They always appreciated good looking flowers that would be both show and cut flowers. I visited their garden(just a house in a neighborhood) back when. I also judged with Bill once.
Benny101 Sep 18, 2016 11:38 AM PDT
Greenville MI - zone 5b
Um Noni ?
What happened to Calico Evening Glow being " five to six feet tall " ??
Just measured her for fun at 8'9" tall , the plant is in a raised bed bringing it up another 12" or so
I need a ladder to fetch any blooms for a bouquet
Well, she is probably heading for 7' here in full sun! I don't remember how tall Wyn's Garden Glow was but I don't think that high, and with Bahama Mama probably being the other parent, that one seldom makes 4' here. It must have gotten some of my family genes mixed in, LOL...those cousins who are 6'10"... Maybe I should take my yardstick out and measure mine. She just keeps growing and growing.. Her colors are a little paler then I like right now...
teddahlia Sep 18, 2016 12:27 PM PDT
Name: Ted Oregon We enjoy breeding new dahlias!
And they say some Hollyhill varieties are very tall but nothing approaching 9 feet this year. In the picture it looks like you could get a 4 foot long stem.
Benny101 Sep 18, 2016 2:22 PM PDT
Greenville MI - zone 5b
That particular bed gets a good amount of shade , I keep trimming at the maple trees nearby , gaining more sunlight little by little .
there are a few at mom and dads that are 8' or more , HH Moondong , Kenora Clyde and HH Zarina is incredibly tall even out in FULL sun . Skiply Ida Bella and HH Karen Lee are quite tall here also 7'+
OK, I measured my Evening Glow.... 6.5' in full sun. And of my seedlings the Cranberry incurved cactus is 5', The red violet one is 6'4" and the yellow fimbriated one, Salish Duckling, is 5'3". Going Dark comes in at 4'4" and we have a sunny afternoon so I have hopes it will open for tomorrow evening. The others looked between 4 and 5'.
Maybe I should take my yardstick out and measure mine. She just keeps growing and growing.. Her colors are a little paler then I like right now...