Dahlias, Fife Flower Show, 20th August 2009

so beautiful.

These Dahlias are really beautiful! I like them very much & have added them to my favourites!

I'd never be able to get blooms to reach Show standard; I admire the growers who have the patience and skill to achieve this.

It's certainly an art Dave and a fine one at that. Still, at least we all get to share in viewing them.

Amazingly great 'bag of sweetie' type colours!!

Great sharp pic, mate well done!

This is true, Dan. Never saw them as swets until now. mine is the purple one left centre, lol! :-)

I'm liking the yellow but especially orange ones.....!!

Isn't it great, Dan? And there are no "Es" in dahlias, either - Yippee!!!! - Oh, but made up for that with that last word. :-)

lol!!

The Aztecs used to eat the original dhalias, btw!!! :-))

The Aztecs seemed to have eaten practically anything that grew! We have to be grateful to them for giving us potatoes, tomatoes & yes, Dahlias - even though we don't eat them!

I liked your photo very much but I'd never consider growing them for a show, I just enjoy growing them for themselves too much, the same with all my other plants & the reason I'd never go in for a competition.

I think that I'd find it all quite stressful, Balcony. I'm like you, just growing for the simple enjoyment and pleasure of it. Another thing the Aztecs helped introduce to the wider world - chocolate. :-)

Wow ! They're beautiful :)
The Waterlilys and Cactus are definately my favourites :)

Mine, too, Louise. :-))

Just put my chocolate coloured Dahlia seeds I collected from the "triangular roundabout" a few days ago into a tiny plastic bag & sealed it for the winter. I had collected only one seedhead but got about enough seeds to fill a seed packet which would probably cost a couple of quid in a GC!

Now I have to remember to plant them in Feb or March!

I have never grown anything chocolate coloured before & your garden has inspired me to give them a try!

I have always liked the Cactus type over the Decorative but I love them all anyway!

Well done, you! It will be interesting to hear how you get on with those seeds.

Now, I feel a heavy weight, called "responsibilty" on my shoulders, lol!

I wrote a blog recently on how dahlias are growing on me; I'm liking them more and more every day. :-)

My first year in this flat I grew Dahlia seeds & had quite an exhibition. I should have some photos of the balcony from that year. I'll have to see if I scanned them into the computer. They were the dwarf ones but I've also grown a couple of white Cactus type ones the flowers were face high!

The survivor was planted in my sister's garden one year & has survived there ever since! It gets no more water than that which falls out of the sky, (which is a lot less than you get!), as she never does anything in her garden. It has remained undisturbed in the same spot I planted it at least 4 years ago. Each year it flowers as well! Obviously it doesn't flower as much, the duration is much shorter & the plant itself is not as big as one that is well cared for, but it has survived & kept on flowering all these years!

just beautiful

A couple of weeks ago I sowed the seeds I'd collected at the end of the summer of the dark leaved Dahlias. I looked at them a couple of days ago but they hadn't germinated. :-(

14 days - perhaps they need longer? Don't know anything about dahlia seed. :-((

Will they need more time? Will they require bottom heat? Will you need to put the seeds in the fridge for about 4 weeks to fool them into thinking they have overwintered??? Sorry, I dunno what to do!!! :-(

They don't need any special treatment. Just sow them in compost & wait! Two seedlings have germinated but I'm, obviously, waiting for more! LOL!

I won't get much of a show with two, will I?