Help, I have a dahlia problem.
At least twice a day, my family knows I’ll disappear into the backyard for a garden check. Sometimes the boys walk with me to examine bugs or pick raspberries. My favorite thing is when I’m squatting down to study my seedlings and look up to see Otto squatting with a serious look on his face, too. The other night, I walked out to the garden while Theo sat on the patio steps with a snack. As he ate, he wandered to his tomato plant and called me over to see its yellow flowers.
“This is a special night where I get to go out with you and check my own garden, my tomato garden,” he said.
I don’t know if they will grow to love gardening, but I do hope I’m teaching my kids to slow down and appreciate a quiet moment, one garden check at a time.
How it started
I ordered two dahlia tubers in March from & Lummi Island Dahlias, then came across a local tuber sale in early May, where I grabbed more. I potted the tubers in peat-free soil for about four weeks before moving them into their raised garden bed. In my typical fashion, once I saw those tubers thriving, I wanted MORE. Mid-June is not too late to plant dahlias in Wisconsin, but it is tricky to find quality tubers on sale. Connell’s Dahlias still had some pretty varieties, so I ordered three more, and they kindly sent extras, bringing my total to about 13-14 tubers planted. Here’s a breakdown of my dahlia collection by source and variety, with photos from Lummi Island and the Floret library.
Lummi Island Dahlias
Parkland Tribute
Bloomquist Alan
Local Tuber Sale
Ivanetti
Irish Ruffles
Genova
Cornel Bronze
Camano Sitka (Theo picked this one because it looks like a sea anemone)
Connell’s Dahlias
Velda Inez
Tahoma April
Narrows Ryder
How it’s going
Of all my plants, my dahlias are looking the best (for now, knock on wood!). I’m pretty sure every tuber I planted has now sprouted above ground, but there might be one dud (I’m worried about the gorgeous purple Ivanetti, but we’ll see). As soon as the young plants develop another set of true leaves, I’ll pinch them for more blooms.
In other news
My zinnias are waiting for a heat wave (90 degrees coming atcha this week, babes!).
The pole beans are ready to climb! They can almost reach the trellis.
I planted herbs, nasturtiums, and more zinnias in my one weird garden bed where the animals and bugs kept eating my seeds. An heirloom pumpkin sprouted up, and the zinnia seedlings are popping.
I am ANTSY. I cannot wait for blooms. At least we’re entering raspberry-picking season to tide me over.
Garden Media
The books, videos, and other media we’re enjoying for gardening season.
What is growing in your garden?
