OH my Cosey! I have never seen it that pale before! I will be interested in how it looks after it has been open a while.Is this field grown or grown under shade cloth? Anyhow, I am so glad you are enjoying it!
Juliarugula Aug 5, 2022 11:53 AM PDT
Name: Julia NW Indiana
Cosey, your Salish Twilight Girl is gorgeous! I’m still waiting on my plant - only buds so far!
Twilight Girls seem to be just starting to bloom in many different areas. It is not an early one. Mid season, Maybe? Just opening in my garden now
AndreaB Aug 5, 2022 12:54 PM PDT
Name: Andrea SE Michigan
Cosey wrote:
Salish Twilight Girl grown in PA. Well done Noni! I get why people are infatuated with it. Count me as part of the club!
Are these both Salish Twilight Girl? Such variation.
Looking forward to seeing what it’ll look like in my garden.
AndreaB Aug 5, 2022 12:57 PM PDT
Name: Andrea SE Michigan
Noni, Yellow never went out of style in my yard! I tend to grow what I like and not worry about what’s trending. Your seedling is a pretty one.
Cosey Aug 5, 2022 1:36 PM PDT
Name: LeeAnn Zone 6b, Pennsylvania
AndreaB wrote:
Are these both Salish Twilight Girl? Such variation.
Looking forward to seeing what it’ll look like in my garden.
These are the same bloom. One photo taken from the top. One slightly underneath to catch that gorgeous reverse petal coloring.
They are grown in the field. West coast dahlias just land differently on the east coast. It may darken up as the weather cools. It's been steady in the 90s for weeks.
THis is exactly what I want to know about my Twilight Girl! How much does she vary in looks in different climates? Could you pretty please take another photo of her on a darker background though? ITs hard to tell what is light reflection and what is her true color.
teddahlia Aug 5, 2022 4:49 PM PDT
Name: Ted Oregon We enjoy breeding new dahlias!
I could not afford to buy Salish Twilight Girl at our club auctions. Noni let me grow it when it was a second or third year seedling back when. It may have been named Evening Girl and that Girl would have been more naughty than Twilight Girl.
AndreaB Aug 5, 2022 5:30 PM PDT
Name: Andrea SE Michigan
Excellent capture, Cosey! I see the lighter tops on the foreground petals. It’s beautiful.
Yes, Ted. It took aa while to settle into its name...And are you sure there aren't any stray seedlings still popping up from an Evening Girl? MY hobby of geneology has turned up a few of those.... It is an adventure now watching my Twilight Girl seedlings open for the first time. They are a pretty quirky bunch. I Hope there are some good ones left when the junk gets out of the way...
edewitt Aug 6, 2022 8:54 PM PDT
Name: Eric DeWitt Mountainair, NM
I always enjoy seeing photos of Salish Twilight Girl. One of these days I'll manage to get my hands on a tuber. I'll need to get a few more beds dug up for that though.
I've surprisingly had a few dahlias already start blooming despite the long delay they had in pulp pots while I made all my raised beds. SB's Becky, that one produces a lot of tubers. I think I've got about 10 plants from all the tubers I had from last year. Dr. John E. Kaiser is my absolute favorite so far. This is my first time growing it and it just looks better and better as the bloom progresses. My Hollyhill Spider Woman tubers from last year were all diseased so I bought a new tuber hoping this year this manages to be in good shape by the end of the season. Kenora Spirit managed to be exactly what I was expecting. It reminds me a bit of Mingus Ida but not quite as large. I've got a few more ready to pop so I've got my camera on standby.
Juliarugula Aug 7, 2022 6:45 PM PDT
Name: Julia NW Indiana
Akita’s been a favorite for a few years.
teddahlia Aug 7, 2022 7:49 PM PDT
Name: Ted Oregon We enjoy breeding new dahlias!
Akita may be the only dahlia with florets shaped like spoons.
SteveM Aug 7, 2022 8:43 PM PDT
Name: Steve San Diego Commercial cut flower grower
Akita was one of my favorites years ago along with "Akita No Hikari". I always got the two mixed up. One (Akita?) had the nicer bloom but lousy stems. The other (Akita No Hikari?) had good stems but I didn't care for the bloom color. I was able to collect a few seeds from one of them but nothing good came of the seedlings. I think there was a seedling from one of them that was introduced? Or maybe it was a sport? Or maybe I dreamt it.
Juliarugula Aug 8, 2022 5:06 AM PDT
Name: Julia NW Indiana
Steve, yes, Akita’s stems definitely leave something to be desired.
edewitt Aug 8, 2022 8:19 AM PDT
Name: Eric DeWitt Mountainair, NM
Sounds about right. Akita No Hikari grew quite nice for me with those strong sturdy stems but Akita despite having really nice blooms was waaaaaaay too droopy. Does anyone know if Vancouver does the same thing?
teddahlia Aug 8, 2022 9:29 AM PDT
Name: Ted Oregon We enjoy breeding new dahlias!
Margaret used pollen form Akita No Hikari(no seeds for us)and a seedling was introduced from that hand cross. It was a cactus not a spoon flower. Vancouver was so sick and weak that I pulled it out after the first bloom. If one could get good stock of either one, it would be fine project to breed "spoon" flowers.
Juliarugula Aug 8, 2022 4:44 PM PDT
Name: Julia NW Indiana
Steve, the stems on my Alkita aren’t droopy at all - they are quite sturdy. They just tend to be a little short. But with disbudding, I wind up with eight inches or so, which is workable. I just have to use them towards the bottom of an arrangement.
I don’t recall having a problem with droopy-ness in past years either.
Cosey Aug 8, 2022 6:37 PM PDT
Name: LeeAnn Zone 6b, Pennsylvania
Salish Twilight Girl in the field. I have one plant that is blooming darker but the others are still very pearl-like.
AndreaB Aug 8, 2022 6:54 PM PDT
Name: Andrea SE Michigan
I grow Vancouver and Avignon. Used to grow Akita, too. If memory serves me correctly, the stems aren’t weak, providing you disbud. If you don’t, the flowers tend to open at once, and the stems can’t support 3 A-size blooms. Akita was a pretty bloom, but did have more of a downward facing flower. They’re all on the short and stocky side (3-4’ H).
My Avignon is starting to bloom. I’ll post a pic soon if the Japanese beetles leave it alone. I believe this variety has “spoon” florets as well.
Eric- I don’t think Vancouver is droopy. Not too much longer till it blooms so I’ll keep you posted,
