Dahlias in bloom
Larry expanding the garden to accomodate the dahlias
Every year I ask myself "how did I get into this crazy dahlia thing?" It all started when my friend Bill walked over to the Farm and asked me why I wasn't growing any flowers. "Well, Bill, we're kind of all about vegetables here." Bill has difficulty hearing sometimes, but I'm pretty sure he ignored me on purpose. Somehow he convinced me to let him grow dahlias on a dry, dusty patch of ground off to the side of our main growing area. At the time, I wasn't quite sure what a dahlia even looked like. But that year, Bill grew some pretty spectacular flowers on that once barren piece of earth and the rest, as they say, is history. Naturally, I became smitten with Bill's special flower. A dahlia in full bloom is quite irresistable. He is a good looking and well mannered fellow and I was charmed by his brilliant colors and sunny personality. Against my better judgement, I let myself be taken by his alluring nature. In fact, I fell head over heels in love. But my dahlia paramour is demanding. He wants to be staked and disbudded and dead headed. He prefers to be fertilized regularly, lifted out of the ground in the fall and stored inside for the winter. In spring he wants to be divided and labeled and preplanted and then planted in excellent well drained soil in a sunny spot in the garden. And this is where my strategy of 'too much is better than too little' got me into my current predicament. You see, you can never have just one dahlia. At last count, there were more than 23 boxes of them up in the attic of my house. Sometimes I think that carrying on this love affair can't be good for me. I get irritable and impatient and tire of being pulled away from other interests and responsibilities. But I know that in July, when I look out the window waiting for the first flowers to bloom, I will be giddy with excitement and will fall in love all over again. It seems I can't resist.
Cost: more fencing $68.00
Needed: 11 and 12 foot rails for the fence. A lot of fences fell over during the last storm. Please keep your eyes open for discarded rails
Also needed: bamboo poles to make teepee trellises.
OK, I am trying to get with the blog program and I think I am finally set up!
ReplyDeleteAs far as the Dahlia's, I am now talking to myself when I work with them so I think I have gone bonkers do to the endless boxes that Jen keeps dropping on my doorstep to bring to St.Peters Farm.
We have well over 140 tubers planted in trays in the hoop house and when we hit 200 THAT'S IT!
The rest will have to make it on there own or I will give them to Bill to donate to the Dahlia Society.
I worked in my yard today and started moving my perennials, dividing and replanting, I sometimes think I am mad doing this year after year. But it does feel nice to be out in the garden again, collecting my much need vitamins from the sun.
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ReplyDeleteMom I loved reading about your love affair with the dahlias!! They are gorgeous, our homestead is going to be looking in tip top shape. Dads always diving into another project :) As he would tell us "just say it, you da man!" haha
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