As predicted we have snow – around 14″ of snow! It is the fluffy, packing kind of snow that leaves your world looking all fresh and new! Driving in it is another story!
LEARNING SOMETHING NEW
February is the best time to get familiar with the new plants and seeds that I have on order. It’s easy to fall in love with the pictures! 😳 But, eventually I have to do something with them! 🤣
This week is was the dahlias. These beauties have always caught my interest, but spending time in England and following so many English gardeners online – has taken my interest to an all-time high! And, they are such good companions for roses. I love adding them to rose bokays!
I’ve grown a few here and there but there are many gaps in my knowledge about them… so this week armed with two new books, I’m filling some gaps.
DISCOVERING DAHLIAS by Erin Benzakein of Floret Farms
This book is just amazing if only for the photography and the inspiration that Erin gives. Erin leaves nothing out. She beautifully takes you from … understanding dahlias, to their care and overwintering and onto designing with dahlias and ends with a fabulous “variety finder” to help you choose dahlias for your garden. I particularly enjoyed looking to see if Erin reviewed the ones I bought. Truth be told if I read Erin’s book before purchasing, I probably would have ordered differently based on her recommendations. Erin’s book is truly wonderful. I just checked availability on Amazon and it has been marked down. Check Amazon… here. A great value!!
CONNIE’S DAHLIAS … A Beginner’s Guide by Connie Thompson
Connie and her husband own a small commercial dahlia farm on Vancouver Island, BC.
Connie shares all the basics as she goes through the seasons. She also has practical information and helpful information in identifying and dealing with in pests and diseases.
As I make my way through these books I am learning so much. I find it very funny that these two dahlia experts live less than 2 hours from each other. Ooooo that pacific NW has great growing power and it’s not just dahlias.
A NEW WAY
I bought these books through my iBook app. While I love REAL books and will continue to buy them, I am using the E resource more and more. Having these resources on iBooks puts them on all my apple devices and at my fingertips. They look fabulous on my mac laptop! That high resolution pays off! Other great features about ebooks … highlighting, note-taking, references, and magnification when needed! Don’t judge me but I have Erin’s book in printed form too. It is such a pretty book!
NEW DAHLIAS FOR 2022
Here are the latest lists.
SWAN ISLAND DAHLIAS
- Bliss
- Charlotte Mae
- Day Dreamer
- Frank Holmes
- Sheer Heaven
- Cafe Au Lait (Did not do that great for me last year so trying again.)
- Black Satin (Swan Lake added this one to my order as a gift.)
Longfield Gardens
- Milena (have grown this before and loved it)
- Break Out (I grew one in a pot a few years ago and LOVED it.)
- Cafe au Lait
- Creme de Cognac
I have last year’s dahlias that came from a mixed bag at Lowes, over-wintering in the garage, but I don’t have much confidence in my ability to make this happen. I did look at them this week and they didn’t look shriveled up or anything. Since the tubers aren’t cheap, it sure would be nice to master the over-wintering process. Time will tell.
WHERE TO PUT THEM
My garden certainly has an overcrowding problem. So the first thing I did was search for a place. Of course, I could always put them in random places around the garden. but, I really wanted most of them to be planted together for impact! ⭐️ As you know I changed up my herb garden last year leaving walking room around all the raised beds!!! When measuring the space I had left for walking room in the back of the herb garden … I realized it was the perfect size and place for most of the dahlias. Less walking room, yes – but I knew it wouldn’t last! 🙄🤣 The ground is good there and this should be a really good spot for them! #fingerscrossed
NEW ROSECHAT PODCAST
RAMBLINGS WITH DER ROSENMEISTER
LEON GINENTHAL
Leon and I met several years ago in Syracuse, NY at the wonderful ARS convention. I love Leon’s rose story. Leon is a remarkable gardener and self-professed horticulture nerd. I think you’ll love this podcast for all the rose information and inspiration, but there is so much more! LISTEN HERE…
On the podcast player below you can choose Leon’s episode on one from the recent listing…
WHAT'S NEW AT DAVID AUSTIN ROSES – Rose Chat Podcast
Friends, hope you are safe and warm and have enough garden planning going on to make you think spring. It’s coming! 43 days!
Beautiful flowers in your post! I wish you Spring.
You must be in Snow Heaven! I really felt JOY when I saw our beautiful first snowfall this season. And the second was even better (x) 4 inches of it. I took lots of pics, too, and fed the birds with good birdseed and suet and peanuts for the squirrels. I got stuck on “It’s a Marshmallow World” for a few days. Today was like spring here (65 degrees). Always sunny even when it snows. My spring bulbs are coming up now, and I saw two robins in my yard yesterday, a sign of spring. Even my red quince shrub has buds all over it. I love dahlias, and I plan to purchase some again. They are beautiful! Soon another holiday or special day will be coming, Saint Valentine’s Day, and roses, of course. I love those little miniature roses in pots as I plant them in my flower bed after they have bloomed indoors which is a long time. They are not very expensive.
Spring is my favorite season of all. Stay warm, safe, and well.
Not much snow, but ice makes up for it. My amaryllis has hit the dirt, but Chinese money plants have taken its place. The best I can do.