O Dahlia! My Dahlia!

There are so many things I love about fall. I could dedicate multiple posts to the subject. Let's do. And let's start with everyone's favorite renegade flower-the dahlia.

Last spring, no back up, last fall I laid eyes on the most gorgeous dahlias I'd ever seen. I quizzed the owner of these flowers and she told me they came from her neighbors' yard. This is a neighbor I need to be friends with, I told myself. A few hints here and there and next thing you know I'm meeting this neighbor about his flowers. I assumed it was a hobby he had picked up in retirement and prepared some old people chit chat about gas prices and Dancing with the Stars. When I got there he was young (and straight) so there went the jokes. It didn't matter, I was wowed by his flowers. Just stunning. He offered to give me some tubers come spring, because that's when you plant them to bloom in the fall. I knew nothing about growing flowers other than I wanted the blooms for myself. I went home with a milk jug full of his flowers and the promise of tubers in the spring.

Tubers- they look like small, shriveled up rotten potatoes. It's a complete miracle to me that they turn into vividly colored flowers.

Come spring, my dahlia expert came through with the tubers so I attempted to grow them. I knew nothing about gardening then. I was a little scared by his warnings "fertilize them! But not with too much nitrogen, you'll burn them! Make sure they get enough sun. What's your soil like?" All things I new nothing about. But I attempted. I planted about 15 bulbs or tubers. I followed all directions and added sand and feathery wood stuff to my soil. It rained and rained in May, which made for "a hard year for dahlias", since they like it drier and sunnier. About half of my bulbs sprouted. Whitman snapped the budding sprouts off two or three plants. I was furious.
Here are the remaining results:



Just kidding, those are from another dahlia farm, more on that later. Feast your eyes on these babies:


This last one was my most successful plant. Or at least it grew the tallest, as this picture is meant to show you. It it a couple feet taller than me but the blooms are on the small side. It's a start. Next year I think I will fertilizer more.



Now about that other dahlia farm. I was told about them last fall, a little late in the season. Located off Scholls road just south of Groner Elementary, this place is a flower pickers paradise. You pick all you want and then put money in the drop box, on the honor system. (And no, I didn't steal flowers from Debbie. I told you I don't steal from cultivated gardens.) I was like a kid in a candy store, clipping flowers left and right. It's what I always want to do when I see a gorgeous garden but can't. Debbie has a large variety of dahlias to choose from. I go there several times during the season and look forward to it all summer.

Debbie's Dahlias-I'm really glad Debbie went with dahlias and not something more mundane like daisies. Now I wish there was a Penny out there willing to grow peonies and sell them u-pick. Just imagine how long that post would be.

One thing I will say, Debbie's flowers don't last very long once cut. I saw one of the owners once, an older man like you'd expect, and he said they used a 16-16-16 fertilizer. I am guessing it's the higher fertilizer that results in great blooms but they rot faster. Take that "Debbie", if there even is a Debbie.


Have I mentioned how cheap these flowers are? I bought all that you see here and more for $28. I could do a small wedding for $30!! I told myself. And than a few weeks later I did get a chance to make dahlia wedding arrangements which was completely satisfying.

I love the variety that dahlia's come in. So many colors and shapes and textures. Some of my favorite, not shown, are the flowers that looked freckled. Someone should write a poem about them!

I can't think of a question to go with this post.
Wait! An offer! The first person who loves dahlias enough to drive to my house to pick up a bouquet wins, well, a bouquet of flowers.