Hmmm... I misspoke on the height of my plants. Most actually are 4-5 foot tall, with Smoky Skies around 4 foot.
As for fading, to my eye, it is already a confused blend of orange and blue tones that looks a tad desaturated, so I don't think fading would detract from folks that enjoy that 'smoky' look.
(sorry, this color is just not my thing... can you tell? )
CarrieP Aug 16, 2017 10:11 PM PDT
edewitt wrote:
So just slightly more than a Sellwood Glory tuber then, eh?
I'm super excited to see my Dahlias bloom in full glory. The fruit of my hardwork gives me so much satisfaction and joy. I give special care and I can see the results. Encouraging results!
Ensure you feed them with high potash liquid fertiliser which would encourage more flowers. They just brighten up any garden.
Check for pests like slugs, mites, ear wigs, cucumber beetle. Give extra care and attention. Dahlia foliage blackens with the first frost. Dahlias are hearty to zone 8 and can be cut back and left in the ground to overwinter.
Yesterday I had all the dead leaves removed. Stems, bulbs and flowers using a pair of pruning scissors. Nothing but "deadheading" to remove any dead flowers from plant. Did seek help of a yard waste removal service to get waste removed.
I have in my garden, Bishop of Llandaff, Miss Rose Fletcher and Kidds's Climax. I am searching for Jersey's beauty'.
I usually dig up the tubers in early fall and sore them over the winter which is the most advisable way of doing it.
melissamaeday Aug 16, 2017 10:54 PM PDT
Name: Melissa Omaha,NE
Hey Carrie P-
If you can convince me that you're not like "Extra Terrestrial", I can tell you who is open and selling "Jersey's Beauty"!
teddahlia Aug 17, 2017 8:32 AM PDT
Name: Ted Oregon We enjoy breeding new dahlias!
Some commercial dahlia growers apply potassium sulfate 0-0-50 to their fields in the last fertilization of the year. The purpose is much more for the production of tubers that have themselves a very high potassium content. I doubt that it has much effect on flower production as the element that affects flower production the most is adequate nitrogen and that would have been applied no later than about August 1st. There are lots of myths about both phosphorus and potassium producing more flowers. Excess phosphorous causes plants to have problems taking up other needed minerals like iron and magnesium. The effect of excess phosphorous in a greenhouse environment is much longer stems and stalks and if continued, the plants become weak and fall over. One application causes the plants to set more flowers and some growers do this one application. In the garden, the results would be much different as phosphorous builds up in the soil and that is not good.
Jersey Beauty was the one of the most expensive dahlias ever sold when it was released in the late 1920s. $25.00 a tuber. That is probably a record if you correct for inflation. I grew it once and can say that compared to modern dahlias it is not all that good. In those days, it was much better than anything else out there.
drewtheflorist Aug 17, 2017 3:19 PM PDT
Name: Drew the Florist 14 miles S E of Pittsburgh
So far, in the Stem of the Year category, Tahoma Lace at just about 24" down to the first leaf.....
FLflowerboy Aug 17, 2017 4:10 PM PDT
Name: Jon George Gainesville, FL ...crazy enough to grow dahlias in
Drew, Tahoma Lace has been phenomenal this year for me with super long stems for cutting as well. I think those pics are mighty impressive!
I seem to have insane amounts of flowers blooming this week! Sure glad I got it down to 600 plants! Zach and I have been picking all day and still didn't finish. I am so proud of my son who suddenly is ready to help me with the business, instead of being a whiny little kid, LOL...UP to this time he has liked helping at the market by handling the money, but he decided he could run the Bouquet Bar by himself tomorrow. I think he can too but it is a giant step for my special guy...and one that means I have to manage my booth all by myself this week He will be about 15 feet away but with other booths between us. I still have to divide up things into buckets with a uniform price..this week probably just small dahlias and bb's at the bar, and some fillers. I haven't even had time to pick foliages or hydrangeas but I did get some roses...
The last bucket I picked tonight was HH Serenity, HH Zarina and HH Jeanette....Heady stuff! They are all amazing!
DillyDahlia Aug 19, 2017 10:47 AM PDT
Name: Tina NY Zone 5b/6a Flower Power!
I hope Zach has a fun and very successful experience today.🌷
anniecan Aug 19, 2017 1:52 PM PDT
Name: Annie Luck Apex, North Carolina BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN TH
How do you price your Bouquet Bar Noni?
melissamaeday Aug 19, 2017 3:25 PM PDT
Name: Melissa Omaha,NE
Everyday is like Christmas right now!
Who Dun It
Gaylen Rose
Alpen Chips
Tara Brian- this was a gift tuber and I was ambivalent about it. She has won me over. :)
Most items in the bouquet bar are either 2/$1 or $1.... When the bigger dahlias come in abundance I will go up to $2 on B's and $3 each for A's. I Have very few A's and even fewer AA's this year. And Zach did great ...we were surprised how much he took in. I think he might just take it on now when he is here...and I think it definitely added to our income rather then subtracting from mine to add to his. That leaves me to be creative with my bouquets and lets people have the fun of trying out their own ideas....and for Zach, the time spent with people is way more important then an actual artistic trend . But I think he is picking up some of that too by osmosis...
anniecan Aug 19, 2017 5:46 PM PDT
Name: Annie Luck Apex, North Carolina BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN TH
So you price them individually, rather than just what fills a vase or cup. I thought I remembered you saying that. Since I hate doing any math, I'd probably just price by the vase, but I can see why you price that way. Glad it worked out for both you and Zach!
anniecan Aug 19, 2017 5:54 PM PDT
Name: Annie Luck Apex, North Carolina BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN TH
Enjoy your Christmas gifts Melissa, and keep on posting! I love Who Dun it and Gaylen Rose.
I've gotten one of each this year so far. Stingy in this heat.
I hate math too, Annie...my brain just doesn't go that way...which is one reason Zach is running the bouquet bar. He has photographic memory particularly for numbers and has no problem pricing out the bouquet once he knows what is what. When he first came to us as a 6 year old and didn't understand English, he would draw me pictures complete with street signs with the numbers on them, to show me how to get some place I wasn't sure of! It boggled my mind! THank goodness he hasn't lost this special gift so it makes market much easier for me. If I am making a "$15 BOUQUET" and I forget how much value I have put in it, the customer just gets more flowers and no one gets hurt,
anniecan Aug 19, 2017 6:11 PM PDT
Name: Annie Luck Apex, North Carolina BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN TH
Wow, Zach is perfect for that job then! I'm far more like you.
) 
He will be about 15 feet away but with other booths between us. I still have to divide up things into buckets with a uniform price..this week probably just small dahlias and bb's at the bar, and some fillers. I haven't even had time to pick foliages or hydrangeas but I did get some roses...
How do you price your Bouquet Bar Noni?
Woodland's Vortex
AC White Rabbit
Bloomquist Karen G
Peaches-N-Cream
Tahoma Big M
AC Abby
