I believe that is supposed to be "Rogue" rather then "Rouge".
vikingcraftsman Jul 30, 2018 11:36 AM PDT
ANGELS OF 7A (WL) A very special dahlia dedicated to the outstanding staff of the OHSU TRAMA unit. We will always remember your kindness, dedication and care for Ted Gitts during a very difficult time for our family. These Gorgeous 4" waterlily blooms are a true red. Wonderful garden plant at 3 1/2' with good stems for cutting.
I am liking this newer Swan Island variety, "Tapioca". Its a nice size and creamy color.
teddahlia Jul 30, 2018 12:38 PM PDT
Name: Ted Oregon We enjoy breeding new dahlias!
Ted Gitts and his ex wife pulled out onto a busy highway(the most dangerous highway in Oregon in deaths per mile) and the car was t boned by an oncoming pick up truck and was pushed into the other lane where the car was hit again by another pick up truck. The ex wife died at the scene as did their dog. The occupants of the pick trucks were not injured significantly. Ted Gitts was taken to the University(OHSU) hospital and operated upon numerous times over the course of about 6 weeks. He was in a coma the entire time and died without regaining consciousness. They named the flower after him.
Ted Gitts was the unsung hero at Swan island Dahlias as he did not like marketing and such. He operated the tractor with the 5 foot tall wheels that they used to plant the dahlias. It had a hydraulically lifted platform on the back and boxes of tubers are loaded onto the platform. Two workers drop the tubers into holes in the platform as the tractor moves at a slow even pace in a pluperfect straight line. A device opens a furrow and the tuber is dropped into the furrow and a second device closes the furrow. I believe it took about 10-15 minutes to plant the two 300 to 350 foot long rows. Ted was able to make the rows perfectly straight.
Both of Nick and Ted's parents are now deceased. Nick Sr was the hybridizer and Marge Gitts was the all around 16 hours a day farm wife. One of the sisters lives in Marge's house on the property. The home where the family was raised is now the office for the company. The operation grows about 45 acres of dahlias and when I asked Nick Gitts how many plants they grew each year, he had no idea.
What a great dahlia and a great kid also! I grew Big Mary last year and loved it but it didn't make any tubers. I'd suggest starting some cuttings and making pot tubers to hold over.
DillyDahlia Aug 1, 2018 2:04 PM PDT
Name: Tina NY Zone 5b/6a Flower Power!
How cute, Drew!
addicted Aug 1, 2018 2:52 PM PDT
Name: Em NY
Both are beauties, Drew!
blown_dry Aug 1, 2018 3:00 PM PDT
Name: Amanda CA Redwood Coast - Zone 9b DahliaAddict.com
I never saw HH Leda with split ends. Mine always looks like a WL but with rather pointed petal tips. Is this what it does in the heat? Or has it morphed to a new form?
teddahlia Aug 4, 2018 8:27 AM PDT
Name: Ted Oregon We enjoy breeding new dahlias!
Heat can cause split tips. Chilson's Pride looks like a laciniated in hot climates. Leda starting to bloom here too.
This very shallow and loosely formed dark blend flower may have future as a cut flower. A good friend commented that it would look good in an arrangement. Sort of the color of a Dungeness crab.
Hollyhill Pixie. I have noticed that some plants sport to a mostly solid unattractive(to me) color. Bicolor is not all that stable. Pixie seedlings have been not very good and none have even sort of looked like Pixie. Picture is a bit darker pink than most flowers.
ANGELS OF 7A (WL) A very special dahlia dedicated to the outstanding staff of the OHSU TRAMA unit. We will always remember your kindness, dedication and care for Ted Gitts during a very difficult time for our family. These Gorgeous 4" waterlily blooms are a true red. Wonderful garden plant at 3 1/2' with good stems for cutting.
I am liking this newer Swan Island variety, "Tapioca". Its a nice size and creamy color.
one 12", the other 52"
