Regarding dahlias

Swan's Sunset at the Evergreen State Fair

A few of you may have noticed that I'm a wee bit preoccupied with dahlias these days. To be honest, I feel kind of embarassed about it. I mean, compared to my beloved herbs and vegetables, flowers are so... frivolous. But front yards full of lush foliage and huge dinnerplate blooms are one of the main botanical highlights of Northwest summers, so when it comes down to it, I just wasn't able to resist their temptation.

Last summer, I splurged on a couple of $4 multi-packs of dahlia tubers at Lowe's, figuring I'd get some nice cut flowers and my craving would be satiated. But alas, my luck with home-improvement store tubers has been less than fulfilling. Over the past two seasons, I've been disappointed time and time again: tubers packaged as "dinnerplates" have turned out to be no more than 4 inches across, and out of five varieties purchased this year, only one came up true to label. Grr!

It's not that I don't love my little darlings:


It's not red and gold, but at least the blooms are large (if bug-eaten!)


Right general color, wrong shape... but cute

After all, they all have their own charms, and they've brightened the house considerably. They're just not what I was planning on. Actually, every mislabeled tuber has just made me more determined to get it right the next season.

I can feel it already-- 2006 will be my lucky year! I've visited two dahlia shows (one in Palos Verdes, CA, with C & Y -- hi guys!; the other at the Evergreen State Fair in Monroe) and catalogued pictures of the exact varieties I want. I've researched reputable local organizations and growers. I've read up on growing practices at the Colorado Dahlia Society's excellent website. And I'm already drooling at the thought of catalog releases in January.

In short, I am well on my way to cooking up a veritable obsession ;-)


This tiny little frog likes my dahlias too.

How to care for cut dahlias (information courtesy of a very nice woman tending the exhibit at the fair): Set cut stems in warm (100 degrees F) water for 30 minutes before moving them to their permanent vase. Trim stems and change water every day-- cared for this way, blooms can last up to a week.