Betty's Pics From My Garden

Betty and Jim stopped by before the frost.  Betty's gorgeous photos captured the dahlias before they shriveled.  The last picture is close-up of a giant red dahlia.  It was used as a desktop on her tablet and it's headed to my iPad!

'Immortality' still blooming.  Note the buds
in the background. 

A gathering of dahlias by the pond.

KODA!  World's Best Dog!

More Dahlias by the pond. 

If it's not named 'Van Gogh' it should be!

The Hard Freeze

It took only one night of 30 degree weather to bring the season to a screeching halt for iris and dahlia.  After a summer waiting for the moon flower to bloom, a week later... well you can see what Koda thought of that.

'Immortality' - expect resurrection in 2013

 

The black dahlia

The last of the bunch rescued by Kyle.

Returning to the Devastation

After a weekend in NYC at a Provincial Council meeting wrapped in Broadway, I am expecting the annual science of death.  Friday night was a killing frost in Mendon.  The garden will look like the Addams Family visited Tim Burton.

It was only one night and the week promises to be warm enough to work comfortably.  The dahlia tubers will be dug and put up in bags that allow for air circulation.  Jim is bringing onion bags and I have saved some mesh bulb bags.  I will also buy some knee-high "nylons" as these work well. The bags will be hung in a cool dry place. Because my house does not have an optimal location I'll be lucky if half of them make it till spring.

New Daylilies from Cobbs Hilll

Charlie Zettek dug me some great clumps this year!  Two are cultivars registered by Charlie in 2004.  'Clowning Around' is a jester ready for Mardi Gras.

Clowning Around (Zettek, 2004)

'Prince Dimitry' holds court with a royal purple towering over the serfs at 40".

Prince Dimitry (Zettek, 2004)

Among the others new to my garden are these beauties.

'Frosted Vanilla'  (Kamensky, 1988) 

'Brocaded Grown'  (Millikan-B., 1979)

'Hazel's Gift' (Valente, 1992)

'Hortensia' (Branch, 1964)

'Love Those Eyes' (Rasmussen, 1987)

'Golden Scroll' (Guidry, 1983) 

Dahlias Closing Out The Season

The foliage on most plants on the garden is looking ragged and the dahlias are very leggy and many are flopped over.  My fault.  I should have staked them more carefully.  Dahlia stems are hollow and very brittled. The position in which they grow is the position in which they stay!  Try to straighten them and you have just picked an entire plant of Dahlias.

Dahlia Time (and re-blooming iris)

It's been a while.  This season has been keeping up with weeds and waiting for dahlias.

Moonflower vines on the arbor, purple dahlias beside. 

Early evening by the pond.

Kogane Fubuki dahlia

'Penelope' ? dinnerplate dahlia

Dahlias by the pond

 These re-blooming iris started several weeks ago and are still putting up stalks.

Rebloomers: TB 'Imorrtality' and an unknown relative.

Some More from Mid-America Gardens

Here they come... Those Beautiful Girls! Yes Follies fans the next few posts will highlight the the other new cultivars from Mid-America.

First a median.  This IB has "upright grape juice purple standards reveal red plum styles. Very round, palest pink white falls have dark red purple hafts changing to grape juice purple plicata bands. Short purple veins and sanding flank mid burnt orange beards ending in violet. Showy clumps are filled with stalks having 2 branches and 5 buds."  Or so it will soon in my garden!

'Outer Edge' (Black '11)  IB 23" (58cm) Midseason Sdlg. P108C

"Standards are white almost completely sanded and washed deep lilac-rose except in their centers" on Ballet Performance.  "Styles are honey with buff-pink crests. Wide stark white falls have narrow lilac-rose plicata bands with paler dotting inside them and darker hafts. Beards are tangerine over a white base."

Ballet Performance (Johnson, 2007). Seedling T94D . TB, 31" (79 cm), Early bloom season.

Then there's Satin and Lace: "Orangey peach standards top slightly lighter falls. Darker style arms peer from between ruffled and domed standards. Soft tangerine beards are the perfect accompaniment."

'Satin and Lace' (Black '11) TB Midseason-Late 34” (86cm) Sdlg. O50A

Secret Affair displays, "palest milk glass pink standards become the color of the reverse on bluish milk glass falls blushed pink over hafts. All petals are ruffled and edged in lace. Pastel blue beards are tipped palest tangerine in keeping with the overall elegance of these flowers."

'Secret Affair' (Johnson '10) TB Midseason-Late 39” (99cm) Sdlg. TW3B

A child of 'Paul Black' and 'Saturn', 'Sharp Dressed Man', grammar notwithstanding, promises to be another striking display of a bright orange beard against a rich dark color.

'Sharp Dressed Man' (Johnson '10) TB Early Midseason 36” (91cm) Sdlg. TZ58A

Paul Johnson says, "Think Tina Turner and spiked heels." This space age display of ruffles and frills is accented by thin, dramatic violet horns.
  

'Stilletos' (Johnson '09) TB Midseason-Late 39” (99cm) Sdlg. TW3B

This heavily violet promises to be a sturdy increases as noted by AIS convention visitors.

'Super Model' (Johnson '07) TB 40" (102 cm) Sdlg. T125B

Here's one that I am really looking forward to!  Creamy white. the falls are washed with an amazing display of color, it won honorable mention and later an award of merit.

'Wonders Never Cease' (Black '07') Seedling L83B. TB, height 40" (102 cm), early to mid season bloom