Although a number of the larger, later dahlias have not even bloomed yet, many of them are doing very nicely. Yes, I know some of the petals look a little chewed. I’ve had a bad problem with Japanese Beetles this year; I pick them daily but they can do a lot of damage before then. I have decided the chewed petals are a badge that proclaims I like bees.
Dahlia Patches was initially a disappointment to me. The colors were not at all what Swan’s website shows, and I expected a pink/purple blend. I planted it at the end of the bed with other pinks and instead it’s a white/purple blend with more contrast than I expected. But it’s beginning to grow on me. It is a good size, it is early and the mix of purple and white does vary from blossom to blossom. As the blossoms fade, the purple does get pinker and the white does get a little pink so that I can ALMOST see the dahlia I thought I purchased. Almost.
Hy Mom is just what I’d seen in other gardens and Yvonne is a lovely waterlilly variety that I hope to grow year after year.
Dahlias Esther, Kasasagi, lil Scotty and Ellen Houston, all from last year’s plants are very happy. And I think that’s my lesson learned, in year three of dahlia growing (with a few years off between year one and two), people who save seeds say that the plants that do well in your microclimate adapt and do better, year after year. That may be especially true with dahlias and the tubers that I save. One can hope.
gorgeous, chewed or not! I do love Dahlias.