Dahlia 'Brookside Snowball'

This is a big white beauty!  She has layers and layers of pointy petals and the three I have blooming are stunning.  While she only grew to 3 feet for me this year, her stalks are extra thick and sturdy.  This bloom is just over 4 inches across.  Brookside Snowball is a ball type dahlia.  This is one of the dahlia that Danielle brought me in July and it's going to get a more prominent spot in the garden next year.

Time to Winter Mulch

In my zone 3 garden, it is time to think about winter mulch. I have several zone 4 Lily and now a few zone 4 Coral Bells that came from Linda's Garden. The theory behind winter mulch is that you put it on in Fall and take it off in Spring. I have not been historically good at the taking it off in Spring part of that equation. Mostly because I have a huge list of other chores in Spring that bump removing mulch so far down the list, it never happens. Although my garden has never suffered any visible effects of this particular neglect, I often wonder when the Lily stalks will start to have trouble getting through all that year after year mulch and Coral Bells stalks are not as strong as Lily. So this year, I am trying a new strategy with the Coral Bells. I am going to drop full bags of mulch on top of them as late as possible. They will be easy to pick up first thing in Spring and I can use the mulch in the garden where I need it next season. Since the Coral Bells also reside in a raised bed, this method should ensure the mulch does not overflow the bed. I have no clue if it is going to work because I came up with the idea after reading an article about planting annuals in bagged soil that stays in the bag. I can think of no reason that it shouldn't work though and if it does, I have made that Spring chore so easy and fast it will never be bumped to the bottom of the list again!

Beneficial Bugs

The addition of Dahlia seems to have brought with it an abundance of bees in my garden this year and I love bees. Bees are the reason I have so many different cross pollinated Delphinium in the Nursery that brought all of the hummingbirds this year. I also love hummingbirds and for years we have fed them in the Bird Sanctuary but this year we didn't have to. The Delphinium patch was bringing them in droves all season without any help from the feeders. We had bald-faced hornets show up and nest as well. Once I looked them up and found out they ate aphids and were not aggressive, we let them stay and my roses were aphid free this year. I don't think they eat thrips though but that is for another post... on not so beneficial bugs. I think if I had to pick the three most beneficial bugs in my garden this year, it would be the bees, the hornets and the earthworms. With all of the compost I added last year, this year, there were more of all three.

Fall Seed Sowing

Hardy perennials and self-seeding annuals in your zone can be sown in the Fall. The advantage to Fall sowing is that your plants will get a head start in the Spring, bringing you an earlier display the following season.

With hardy perennials, they should just be dropped where you want them. The key is to wait until it is cool enough that they will not start germinating in the Fall or to sow them early enough that they can germinate and set root in this season. You do not want them starting germination but not able to set root before your winter. Seeds require specific light, water and warmth conditions before they will germinate so once your weather turns cool, you are usually safe for Fall sowing. Just remember many perennials will not bloom their first season.

With self-seeding annuals, you know the seeds will survive the winter. In this case, you can get a jump on Spring by sprinkling the seed in your garden in the Fall, the same way the plant would release the seed on its' own. You can let the plants do this for themselves if you want to repeat them in the same space or you can harvest the seed and drop it in any new garden space you would like the plants to grow next season. The seeds will germinate in your garden often earlier than you would consider sowing them in the Spring, bringing you flowers earlier in the season. Another advantage of this schedule is that you need not worry about Spring weather. This year, for example, my garden was too wet to walk in long after seeds should have been sown.

If you collect seed, garden experiments are free of charge and are the best way for you to discover what works in your season, your soil, your garden. In my zone 3 garden of largely clay soil, I have had success with Fall sowing of Marigold, Hollyhock, Delphinium, Viola, Pincushion Flower and Forget-Me-Not. This year I am trying Hollyhock again because I want a new patch in a new space and I am leaving the Marigolds and Calendula to drop their own seed in hope they will appear in the same space next year.

Lift in Fall - Dahlia

The biggest problem with gardening is that advice is often contradictory. This is a function of two things: 1) each plant is often treated differently from zone to zone and 2) often more than one method will work for a single plant. Geranium winter storage is a good example of this, having several methods that will produce very similar results. Although I have lifted Dahlia before, I did not have a quantity that made me feel like I needed to over think the process and also felt that if I lost the few I had, the consequences would be minimal in my garden. This year, my Dahlia stock has become very important to me. The result is that I have been reading Dahlia lift in Fall instructions for a week now. As usual, the advice is endless and contradictory. I have decided to pull the recommendations that make the most sense to me from a gardener's point of view and will be using the following simple 4 step process.

1) Begin the process after the first couple of sharp frosts have killed the tops of the plant off. Above ground plant material will be black when you start. Cut the black, frosted off tops down to 6 - 8" and leave the tubers in ground for a week or so.

2) Dig the tubers, shaking all excess soil off them and removing any obviously damaged root. Label and store upside down for the first few days.

3) Upright the tubers and let them dry in a tray with an open weave bottom. As they dry, inspect regularly and discard any damaged or soft material.

4) Pack and store them in a cool, frost free location until Spring, being sure to keep them dry.

Leaving the tubers in ground for a week or so after the tops are frost killed makes sense because success is always increased with plants if you do not shock them too much at once. Each change in conditions for a plant can put the plant into shock. Pruning, dividing, transplanting, changing water conditions... all of these can cause some level of shock. So one would normally not want to make too many changes at any single time. My thinking is the week allows the tubers to recover from the tops being gone and put themselves into a dormant state. That week has passed in my garden so I will be digging today.

Labeling is very important and only takes a minute or two extra. You can tie a label on the remaining stock, label the container you ultimately store them in or write with a Sharpie directly on the tuber. Any way you choose is fine but you will regret not labeling in the Spring if you don't take the few minutes when you lift.

Drying the tubers upside down for the first few days makes sense because the stems are hollow and will have water in them. Keeping tubers dry is key when winter storing to prevent rot and mold. The upside down position will allow the stems to drain and dry. If I was using one of the methods that would have me removing the entire stem, I could skip the few days of upside down storage.

Finally, packing and storing can mean different things. I will put the tubers in pails, buckets and boxes and will not add vermiculite or peat between them to keep them dry. They will be stored inside my house in the coolest area of the basement and I should not have to worry about humidity level. Our winters are very cold here and we have forced air heat. Humidity is never a problem inside in a Saskatchewan winter. If I lived in a higher humidity climate, I may consider extra packing. The key is too keep them cool and dry in a dark space. Wish me luck and the photographs next year will tell the story of my success, or lack of it.

Oops, there is another one - Dahlia 'Ferncliff Midnight'

Guess I jumped the gun on the last Dahlia in my side of our Dahlia story for this year. This 'Ferncliff Midnight' was a slightly open bud when I cut it in an attempt to save it from our first frost. Since then, it managed to open inside the house for me. On a 5' plant, these 7" informal decorative flowers sit very upright. Described as reddish-purple, they are bright in the sunlight and darker in low light. Either shade is stunning and overall 'Ferncliff Midnight' is a lovely addition to a pink or an orange garden with it's purple tones setting off either colour pallette. It looks just as good beside 'Gerrie Hoek' as it does beside 'Ferncliff Fuego' but I think next year, I will plant it with 'Wine & Roses'.

My Last 2010 Dahlia - 'Yvonne'

Frost has hit my zone 3 garden and that means no more dahlia to introduce this year. This is 'Yvonne' blooming in my friend, Judy's, garden. She is a recommended cut flower with long stems. The plant grows to 4.5' with 4" waterlily form flowers described as salmon-pink. In Judy's garden she is more pink than salmon but because she bloomed so late, I wonder if that is an oddity of this year's weather.

Dahlia 'Orchid Beauty'

A beautiful white dahlia!  This is another of all the dahlia that Danielle brought me in July.  It's a pure white ball dahlia and stands a little over 3 feet tall.  This bloom is 3 inches across and still has more layers to open.  This is blooming next to dahlia 'Glow' and they're a great pair.

Another Collarette - Dahlia 'April Heather'

'April Heather' is an apricot-pink collarette with a pale yellow collar. She is very dainty and quite pretty in the garden. The plant grows to 4' with 4" flowers. Due to the late planting, she did not put a big display on for me this year. We have frost forecast for tonight in my garden so this will likely be the only shot I get of her single bloom. All of the many buds remaining will wither on the stalks with frost. Next year, I will be planting her in the new front bed, much closer to the house.

Direct Seed Sowing: Fall or Spring?

I only sow seeds that can be direct seeded in the garden, using the method known in the seed sowing world as in situ, or, right where I want them to grow. I also try to direct seed as early as possible. Any seeds that can be sown in the Fall, I will drop within the next few weeks. Any seeds that could not survive my winter will be dropped in the Spring. I find that seeds are enormously rewarding in my garden because it is very little work for a big pay off with blooms right through until frost. Although there are some seeds that require specific or complicated care to sow, the vast majority of seeds are easy, requiring only that you drop them at the right time. The easiest way to know when to drop seeds is by watching which plants will self-seed in your garden. If, like Hollyhock in my garden, a plant will self-seed in your garden, you know the seeds will survive your winter and you can drop them in Fall. The advantage of dropping what you can in Fall is that seeds will generally germinate earlier in the garden than you would even consider dropping them in the Spring. In my garden, Fall dropped seed often starts to appear before it is dry enough for me to consider walking in the garden. If I did not drop them in Fall, their flower display would be much later in the season for me. If the plant does not self-seed in your garden, chances are its' seed is not surviving the winter and it needs Spring sowing. If you don't know if a plant will self-seed in your garden, sow the first seed in Spring. The following Fall, collect some seed and bring it indoors to store in a cool, dry, dark place while also allowing some of the seedheads to release their seed in your garden. You can help that process along by taking the dry seedheads off before the plant releases the seed and spreading the seed manually in your garden. The list is probably much longer but the plants that self-seed in my zone 3 garden today include: Marigold, Delphinium, Hollyhock, Bachelor's Buttons, Viola, Calendula, Daisy, Columbine, Yarrow, Goutweed, Speedwell, Summer Phlox and Knautia. Now the obligatory disclaimer: gone are the days when all seeds produced a predictable plant. Some seeds of hybrid plants will not grow true to seed, meaning that the plant you get will not be the plant you took the seed from. It is more likely to be one or other of the parent plants which are the plants that were used to produce the new variety. Still other plants are bred to be sterile and if they produce seed, the seed will not produce a new plant. Don't ask me! I think it makes no sense to have a plant that doesn't reproduce itself and makes even less sense to have a seed that produces nothing. I tend to stay away from those plants and stick to heirlooom, old-fashioned or country plants that tend to act like one expects a plant to act. If you collect seed though, experiments cost nothing but a bit of space in your garden. Try it. You will find it can be well worth the effort.

Dahlia 'Glow'

Another addition to our mutual dahlia collection, this one has been slow to open.  'Glow' is a pompon dahlia that stands a little less than 3 feet tall.  This bloom is almost 3" across and definitely glows in the garden.

Favourite Hosta Bloom

I want to add my favourite hosta bloom to Danielle's list.  This is a lancifolia hosta - the leaves are long and narrow.  It blooms much later than all the rest of my hosta - the only one with a few flowers left.  The blooms are purple instead of the more common lavender.
Hosta are excellent plants in my garden because I have lots of shady spots and they fill in quickly.

Hosta

Everyone knows the advantage of Hosta in the garden as a foliage plant or groundcover with most varieties hardy down to zone 2. The range of colours and variegation patterns seems endless. Less often do the flowers get noticed. In fact, I know gardeners that cut the flower stalks off rather than let them bloom. I don't think Hosta flowers are given their due. From the bicoloured bud of 'Captain Kirk' (above) that opens to a little white bell with a lavender stripe, to the more pendulous bells of 'Sun Power' in much darker lavender tones, they are almost as varied as the foliage. Some varieties have their flowers all bunched at the top of the stalk like 'Halcyon' with is blue toned buds and others have their flowers spaced out along the stalk like 'June' with her dainty, pale buds that open to almost white flowers. Hosta is easy to grow, requiring minimal care. As long as it is planted in the right spot, it will generally get bigger and bigger until it outgrows the space and needs division. Dividing Hosta is also an easy task since it is very forgiving of the process. The key, in my garden, does seem to be finding the right spot where it will thrive rather than simply survive. Hosta are good at surviving. When deciding on where to plant any new Hosta, a rule of thumb is that the bluer the leaf, the more shade it needs and the lighter the leaf, the more sun it can take. In fact, 'Blue Cadet' will turn green in sun, despite its' name. There are exceptions to this rule such as 'Blue Mouse Ears' which likes a lot of sun so always read the tag. But if you are like me and find yourself often without tags, the rule of thumb will come in handy. Additionally, blue leaf hosta are said to be more slug resistant than their light leaf cousins. Despite their over-use in the building landscape arena, I highly recommend Hosta as an addition to every garden. Their reliability can always be counted on.

Date Night Dahlia - 'Wine & Roses'

'Wine & Roses' is very pretty in the garden and makes me think of Victorian fabrics. She buds up and starts to open quite dark purple but very quickly shows her white, becoming a 5" white waterlily flower with rosey purple tips on a 4.5' plant. I am not entirely happy with the photographs so far but I may not get more blooms from her and I was happy to have been able to see her at all this year. With frost warnings, I won't get that pleasure in regard to most of the rest of the dahlia until next season.

New Gardens

When we moved here, there was not much of a garden. There were the Boardwalk Garden beds which were shade gardens jam packed with full sun plants. It was pretty and built on minimal space because a gardener did not live here then. The first year, we didn't make many changes. I put in the Nursery for all my plants brought from my city garden and we built the firepit which is a 25' circular patio of pavers with a 42" firepit in the centre. Our continued work the next year was all in the back yard where we started. Last year, I managed to get enough done in the back that I felt I could start the front. This garden is new at the front of the house. It is my orange garden. I can tell it is new because I have to weed it constantly which is something that goes away after I have been gardening a bed for awhile. My friends can tell it is new because it has gravel mulch which I would never use and will, eventually, remove. Although this garden is not finished yet, I was very happy many times this season that I managed to get it half done so far. The addition of flowers in my dining room window view and out the sunroom window has been well worth the effort. The number of times that flower view has made me pause to appreciate it as I moved through the house made me decide to deal with the view out that same window in the other direction. I have taken down the bushline along the sidewalk and we are considering moving the chiminea seating area closer to the deck before I start to build the garden there. The only plants left are 3 or 4 Juniper that were inside the bush. I will very likely move them out further because I want flowers up at the house and I can't stand the smell of Juniper, which to me, smells like ammonia. The first time I noticed that, I spent 2 weeks trying to find where in my garden my cat had decided was a litter box until I realized it was the Juniper off the front step I was smelling! I love the excitement of a new garden. I already know which Dahlia will be planted in these two beds next year and which of my perennials will be divided to plant here. The only question left is can I find an orange rose I love.

Storm Update

Follow up to my Waiting for the Storm post:

Dahlia 'Alpen Cherub'

A beautiful collarette, 'Alpen Cherub' is pure white with a hint of pale yellow and a big golden button centre.  The stalks stand at 3.5 feet tall and this bloom is 3.5" across.  It was planted late (in July) when Danielle brought me lots of dahlia tubers, so it may typically get taller.  This would look wonderful with Danielle's 'Hot Lips' dahlia.  Here is another picture of it.

Spot of Sunshine - Dahlia 'Ferncliff Fuego'

'Ferncliff Fuego' is worth a closer look. The first I have that buds up lighter than it blooms, it was my first Dahlia pick when I decided to order them last Fall. Colour and clarity are his best features with clear, bright tones making him look like blossoms of sunshine in the garden. He is a 4.5' plant with 7" flowers in semi-cactus form. I highly recommend him for any Summer garden, he is striking.

Picnic Anyone? - Dahlia 'Kari Fruit Salad'

'Kari Fruit Salad' is on the small side of small with 4" cactus flowers on a 4' plant although she did not get as tall as that for me this year. She is another that was darker in bud than in bloom. She is a purple/pink/yellow blend described as eye-catching, which she is. She also has a lot of blooms and is listed as a good cutflower. I cut all my dahlia because they last forever in a vase but she does have good length to her stems. As Linda says, she looks good enough to eat!

Bright One - Dahlia 'Kasasagi'

Bright red with hints of golden yellow, this dahlia is certainly eye-catching - regardless if the blooms are only 2 inches across.  This is the second to bloom of all the dahlia that Danielle brought me in July.  It's classification is P-FL which means pompon shaped flower and flame blend colouring.  The flower stalks are 2.5 feet tall.  This is its third day in bloom and definitely more rounded than when it first opened.

Planting in Bagged Soil

This is pretty indicative of what my soil is before being ammended. This has been dug to ammend but nothing had been added yet. You can see the little chunks that are obviously not loam. They are also impossible to break up when either too dry or too wet; for different reasons but the result is the same. I can't dig after rain and to dig in the heat of Summer requires watering prior to digging. This year we had a lot of rain in the Spring that left me with much to plant late in the season and I resorted to planting in ground with bagged soil. This is a practice I do not recommend. It is definitely emergency only strategy and should never be used to plant perennials. The problem with planting in only the soil dumped out of a bag rather than mixing that soil with your current garden soil thoroughly before planting is that most plants will typically take the path of least resistance to both water and sun. They may grow roots through the bagged soil and then when those roots hit the permanent soil, which would take more strength to grow through, they will instead curve around the hole and start to grow circular much like a root bound potted plant. The risk then is that these plants never actually set root in the permanent garden soil and a good wind can pick them right up out of the ground to leave them lying in the garden with their tidy little round root balls. Having said all that, if we get the same wet Spring next year, I fully intend to plant all of my dahlia in bagged soil. I figure since they get lifted in fall, it is not such a big risk with setting root and I want earlier flowers next year so I won't be waiting out the weather as long as I did this year.

The Quiet One - Dahlia 'Ferncliff Cameo'

Moving on in our Dahlia story, this is 'Ferncliff Cameo'. She is supposed to be a 5' plant but in my garden this year, she barely made 4'. It was an odd year so I expect she will be taller next year. Her flowers are 5", opening pale yellow but quickly fading to pale pink. She is very pretty and super dainty. This year, I have her planted with brighter colours that really over power her. It was a side effect of my planting season. Next year I plan to plant her in the Bird Sanctuary in the newly created sun spot which is currently under development. That garden will have a pink and white theme she will fit right into with her quiet tones. So far, she is the only yellow I am allowing in that garden. I think she will be well worth the compromise.

Spelling Challenge - Dahlia 'Taratahi Ruby'

I am just now getting to the point where I don't have to look up the spelling every time I want to write it down but this is 'Taratahi Ruby', my next Dahlia. She is a 4.5' plant with 5" waterlily form flowers. She is very bright in the garden, even from a distance. I know she is hardy because I found her down on the ground with one flower and two buds and within 2 days of standing her up, another of the buds is open. Ruby is an accurate description of her colour, with a yellow streak that looks like a very light dry-brush stroke but in a bright colour tone. She is a beauty.

Waiting for the Storm

We are expecting Hurricane Earl to hit Nova Scotia tomorrow morning so I headed out to stake my glads this morning.  Perhaps it's optimistic to think that stakes will actually make a difference!  I've also been out taking pictures because I'm sure the scene will look quite different by Sunday.  It's a little sad to think that I may not even see many of my glads and dahlias that are yet to bloom.  Having seen the effect of Hurricane Juan, I'm trying to be realistic.

There are a few things you can do to help prepare your garden for a storm:

• wrap up and put all your hoses inside
• move anything loose inside, such as ornaments, empty pots, watering cans, buckets, tools, garbage cans, green bins, patio furniture, BBQ
• take down and store portable gazebos, tents, awnings
• move potted plants to a sheltered area or inside
• stake anything tall

Things blowing around can do a lot of damage in your garden!

The Baroness - Dahlia 'Baron Katie'

'Baron Katie' is one of my favourite for sure. Her classification is BB ID FL meaning, small (4-6") flowers in the informal decorative form and flame blend colours. She was described as 4' with 5" flowers in flame colours although the accompanying image looked very pink. Here she is true to description, in very flame colours. The listing also promised blooms and blooms which was right on the money. She sends blooms up forever. She was the first to open in my Front House Garden and there a trio of her is planted close enough to look like one big plant covered in blooms. Her blooms in that garden are 5.5". She reminds me of cat's eye marbles and her bright, cheery colours are perfect for the orange theme of that garden. If I could only have a couple of Dahlia, she would be top of my list!

Dahlia 'Longwood Dainty'

This is the first to bloom of all of the dahlia that Danielle brought me and I couldn't be more pleased.  The plant is small, only a foot or so, and the flowers are small, about 2 inches.  I love this shade of orange!  As it matures, the pale yellow becomes more prominent.  I'm hoping all the dahlia will survive Hurricane Earl this weekend!

Another Dahlia - 'Raeann's Torch'

I am loving Dahlia! Meet 'Raeann's Torch', another collarette flower form. Her flowers are slightly larger than 'Hot Lips' at 5" but she grows to the same height of 4'. This is her colour when she first opens and she buds up even darker than this. However, very quickly, she matures to a lighter colour combination that always makes me think of a child's colouring book. Only her collar remains a darker lemon yellow. Whenever I walk by her in the garden I feel young again.