I wasn't in love with Peppercorn. It has a shrubby growth habit which isn't bad for landscape dahlias but didn't suit me for cut flowers. The tips were actually yellow in the summer and only turned white at the very end of the season. It did make oodles of tubers.
I am not really enchanted with it either for all the reasons you mention. SO many other KA's I would rather have! I am taken with its struggle to survive and the fact that it made it though! I do love a good survival story. I think I might like it more in cooler weather when it would not fade out so badly.
edewitt Oct 7, 2022 9:42 AM PDT
Name: Eric DeWitt Mountainair, NM
Hollyhill Aurora is really hard to capture the color of correctly with a camera hopefully this is close.
The first few blooms of Hy Mom were "meh" but I'm really enjoying them now. They're about 9-10" in diameter.
teddahlia Oct 7, 2022 9:57 AM PDT
Name: Ted Oregon We enjoy breeding new dahlias!
HH Aurora is the most reliable flower we have ever bred. I have completely abused the plants, divided the tubers and stored them terribly, not watered, not fertilized it well, not disbudded or even topped the plants and that son a bitch just grows and throws up nice flowers.
It is the pink one one the left used to make the orange one pop in the color.
edewitt Oct 7, 2022 10:27 AM PDT
Name: Eric DeWitt Mountainair, NM
The coloring in the petal creases of that orange one really add quite a bit to the bloom. I like it quite a bit.
Juliarugula Oct 7, 2022 11:25 AM PDT
Name: Julia NW Indiana
Ted, I’m happy to hear that HH Aurora is tough! It's been one of my top ten favorites this year. I love the subtle white tips on each petal.
I do like it with that orange. I think I need more pure orange varieties like that.
Eric, I’m having the same experience with Hy Mom. I had decided to eliminate it, but now I’m thinking I may need to keep one next year after all.
edewitt Oct 7, 2022 11:38 AM PDT
Name: Eric DeWitt Mountainair, NM
It seems the colder temps really help bring out the blooms in this area. It's been raining here for a week and dropped down into the 50's for the high temps.
blown_dry Oct 7, 2022 1:23 PM PDT
Name: Amanda CA Redwood Coast - Zone 9b DahliaAddict.com
I'm glad to hear Aurora is tough! I have a Margarita run wild and she totally swamped my Aurora planting. Thanks for the photos, Ed!
edewitt Oct 8, 2022 7:26 AM PDT
Name: Eric DeWitt Mountainair, NM
You're welcome!
Erma is very bright. It's a nice juxtaposition to the dreary weather we've been having for over a week now.
edewitt Oct 13, 2022 10:47 PM PDT
Name: Eric DeWitt Mountainair, NM
Mystery tuber from Hollyhill. I thought it was half of 2 connected tubers of Hollyhill Dungeness but it appears not. It's about 6-7" in diameter. It started blooming a few days ago so I'm not sure how big it will be. Maybe HH Firelight? It's a very bright red.
EDIT: Maybe Hollyhill Diablo?
teddahlia Oct 14, 2022 8:18 AM PDT
Name: Ted Oregon We enjoy breeding new dahlias!
Not Firelight as it is a tight cactus. Perhaps the red sport of Warlock called Red Warlock by Margaret and called Judith Elizabeth by a person who had Warlock sport in his garden.
teddahlia Oct 14, 2022 9:58 AM PDT
Name: Ted Oregon We enjoy breeding new dahlias!
Roscoe by the late Mike Iler. They told me it was fairly big and made seeds. The jury is still out on both.
edewitt Oct 15, 2022 3:09 PM PDT
Name: Eric DeWitt Mountainair, NM
teddahlia wrote:Not Firelight as it is a tight cactus. Perhaps the red sport of Warlock called Red Warlock by Margaret and called Judith Elizabeth by a person who had Warlock sport in his garden.
It's a beaut. I'm really enjoying this bright red bloom. I bought AC Kuntz for the same reason. I need more orange and bright red in my garden next year.
blown_dry Oct 15, 2022 4:15 PM PDT
Name: Amanda CA Redwood Coast - Zone 9b DahliaAddict.com
Lovely! I always want to see an Iler dahlia.
teddahlia Oct 15, 2022 4:56 PM PDT
Name: Ted Oregon We enjoy breeding new dahlias!
Any word on how Kathy Iler is doing?
dahlia53 Oct 16, 2022 2:40 PM PDT
Name: Brenda Orcas Island, WA
I may have the last or almost the last of this nearly extinct dahlia. I thought I lost it so many times; it barely survived the storage unit freeze disaster of last winter. I was sure I would lose it this year. I never imagined it would bloom but then a friend gave me some horse manure and every single dahlia, even the slow and slug damaged stragglers, bloomed - or at least grew to make buds, which was a miracle if you could have seen the plants in July. I wish i had the setup to grow cuttings; this stock deserves to be preserved IMO. Fernridge Pride. Probably a size A - mostly a size B in my garden but this year with the horse manure it has thrown some 8" flowers. I still love it; still one of my favorites. So thankful for this long Indian summer that allowed so many late bloomers to shine and produce lots of flowers to give to friends.
AndreaB Oct 16, 2022 3:37 PM PDT
Name: Andrea SE Michigan
dahlia53 wrote:Fernridge Pride.
You’re right… she’s a beauty. Wish I lived closer to help you with cuttings!
blown_dry Oct 16, 2022 3:55 PM PDT
Name: Amanda CA Redwood Coast - Zone 9b DahliaAddict.com
Lovely! I hope it lives on.
teddahlia Oct 16, 2022 4:05 PM PDT
Name: Ted Oregon We enjoy breeding new dahlias!
I believe the name fernridge was used by an Oregon nursery west of Eugene. Another very popular yellow and white bicolor was named Popcorn.
Cosey Oct 16, 2022 4:58 PM PDT
Name: LeeAnn Zone 6b, Pennsylvania
Fernridge Pride is lovely! I haven't seen it anywhere else.
I recently came across Fernridge Fancy, propagated it sold it for two years. I hope others keep it going.
