Quote:
Originally Posted by MG1
I purchased a bag of red dahlias years ago from Costco. Not sure what variety, but it is as hardy as any plant can be. Over the years, it kept growing bigger and bigger. I don't look after them at all. Five years now, I think. It got so big that I dug the tubers up and gave more than half away to my Italian neighbours. I thought for sure they wouldn't grow back, but there they are. As bushy as ever. They're almost like weeds, the way they grow. The pom pom dahlias I purchased this year for the first time, is from a place out in Mission. Ferncliffe Gardens, I believe. Five out of five of them have sprouted (can I use that term for tubers?). The three I bought from Gardenworks are the ones that are wilting in this heat. Only two of them have come out of the ground. They are beside the original bushes, so not sure why they aren't doing well. I may have forgotten to put bonemeal into the dirt when planting. My gladiolus are looking great. I tell ya, nothing like sea soil. SO, I really don't know much about dahlias, except aphids are gross. I used to use pesticides (Safers Endall), but started just spraying them off with a powerful shot of water. Like when that planet was destroyed in Star Wars, I heard/felt a thousand screams as they all died in an instant. Aphids' heads are stuck on the plant and the water just decapitates them, as the bodies aren't sticking to the plant. My neighbour just wipes them off the plant stalks with his fingers. Yuck, not me. I don't want to go anywhere near those ugly things. From far away, they look like a coat of tar. Up close, there are thousands of them. Ants actually farm aphids, so get rid of them and the aphid problem isn't as big a deal.
As for Hydrangea's, I have no luck with the one I have. It looks like Charlie Brown's christmas tree. Sea soil might not be for them. I will have to transplant it into a pot. Roses don't like sea soil, either. According to Brad at Select Roses. Now roses, I have lots of. Everything from Florabunda and climbers to the most amazing hybrid teas. I have this rose called dark knight. It starts out black and turns into a deep deep purple. I have a pure white variety called, Pope John Paul, that's stunning next to a velvety crimson red rose variety I have no tag for. Anyway, an orange coloured rose just started to bloom. So many varieties of roses. So beautiful.
Anyway............... I talk too much.
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Wow, that's amazing! I wish I had the space and skills to grow so many types of plants. I'm still a novice at dahlias so they don't always come back and I have to add new tubers every year. I bought from Ferncliff for the first time and it came to almost $20/tuber after shipping..and one of them didn't grow. I added some cheaper ones too, from Home Depot, Costco, and the Vancouver Dahlia Society tuber sale. With my crappy gardening skills, I've learned to accept that those rare and really beautiful varieties will be nothing more than one-year wonders for me. Squishing aphids is pretty satisfying. I use a dilute vinegar spray that causes the ants and aphids to move around so I can squish them easier.
Usually the heat wave comes later (in July/Aug?) and the blooms get deformed or the petals burn, but if the temperature cools down from here on and the plants survive, I think it could potentially translate to a better blooming season. I guess we'll see!
