{"id":3027,"date":"2020-04-13T12:43:30","date_gmt":"2020-04-13T20:43:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/?p=3027"},"modified":"2020-04-13T12:43:30","modified_gmt":"2020-04-13T20:43:30","slug":"dahlia-investment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/dahlia-investment\/","title":{"rendered":"Dahlia Investment"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Dahlia<\/a>Planting anything is an investment in hope and optimism.\u00a0 You put a seed or young plant in the ground because you believe that with time and care, it will turn into something that resembles the gorgeous specimen on the plant tag or catalog page. \u00a0It might also give you flowers, food, or shade. \u00a0The whole plant growth process\u2014from acorn to oak tree\u2014can be explained scientifically, but even though I have been a gardener all my life, it always seems like a miracle to me.<\/p>\n

In times of crisis, I look for signs of hope.\u00a0 Right now, in spring, I see them all around me.\u00a0 The Korean spice viburnum or Viburnum carlesii that was partially demolished by a falling tree limb last year is back and covered with round, clove-scented flower clusters.\u00a0 The daffodils are glorious and the hyacinths divine.\u00a0 Many of my established hellebores have self seeded and the seedlings are now healthy little plants that I can move around the garden.\u00a0 The flowering quince is bright with an avalanche of flowers.\u00a0 All of that abundant growth means that I can follow the current movement and travel restrictions and still find spiritual solace in my front and back yards.\u00a0 I wish everyone could share my good fortune.<\/p>\n

Now I have made a new investment in hope and optimism by ordering lots of colorful dahlias.\u00a0 I chose a mix called \u201cSummertime Splendor\u201d, which advertises itself as \u201cvarieties of different shapes and sizes\u2026from coral through deep rosy pink to pastels.\u201d\u00a0 The twelve dahlia tubers should arrive in a week or two and will go in my front border as soon as the ground warms up a bit more.<\/p>\n

Dahlias are late summer\/early fall plants, so I won\u2019t see the fruits of these particular labors for some time.\u00a0 Just as I always plant fall tulips and daffodils in the knowledge that spring will eventually arrive, I\u2019ll plant these dahlias in the hopes that by the time they bloom, all the suffering from coronavirus will be a thing of the past.<\/p>\n

Dahlias have made a long journey from their native Mexico, arriving in Spain in about 1804, courtesy of European plant explorer Frederick van Humboldt.\u00a0 They were introduced shortly afterward into England by Lady Holland, wife of the British ambassador to Spain, where the first flowers bloomed in the conservatory of the family\u2019s estate, Holland House.\u00a0 Laden with the name \u2018Cocoxochitl\u201d at first, they were later called \u201cGeorgina\u201d, until the great plant taxonomist Linnaeus finally christened them \u201cDahlia\u201d, after one of his Swedish pupils, Anders Dahl.<\/p>\n

The original species dahlias were propagated and hybridized, becoming popular as garden and florist\u2019s flowers.\u00a0 They have gone in and out of fashion many times, and are currently enjoying resurgence.<\/p>\n

The universe of dahlias is large.\u00a0 Some plants are extremely tall, while others hug the ground.\u00a0 There are the many-petaled \u201cdinner plate\u201d types, with enormous blooms up to 10 inches wide.\u00a0 There are the small collarette varieties that look almost daisy-like, with flowers that span only about four inches.\u00a0 Waterlily dahlias resemble their namesake water plants, with rounded petals, while cactus dahlias feature narrow, spiky petals.\u00a0 Pom pons look like big round buttons.\u00a0 All come in an array of colors, and some, have dramatic near-black foliage, adding an extra dimension to these garden divas.<\/p>\n

\"Bishop<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Depending on your taste, you can indulge in delicate pastels or big, brassy reds, oranges and yellows.\u00a0 Dahlias range throughout the color spectrum, except for true blue, which is not in their genetic wheelhouse.<\/p>\n

As garden flowers go, dahlias are easy to grow.\u00a0 The tubers or young plants should be given as much sun as roses or tomatoes\u2014about six hours per day.\u00a0 Once established, they don\u2019t mind dry periods, but mulch is always helpful.\u00a0 Taller varieties have sturdy stems, but still need the help of plant stakes. \u00a0Needless to say, many dahlias make excellent, long-lived cut flowers.<\/p>\n

In fact, the only wrinkle in the fine fabric of dahlia existence is that the tubers are not hardy in cold winter climates.\u00a0 They can, however, be lifted in the fall and stored in a cool dry place for the winter, before being replanted in late spring.<\/p>\n

If you want to get a great start with dahlias, go to Swan Island Dahlias, which has an amazing selection.\u00a0 They are at PO Box 700, Canby, OR 97013; (800) 410-6540; www.dahlias.com<\/a>.\u00a0 Free print catalog.\u00a0 My mixed assortment is coming from White Flower Farm, P.O. Box 50, Route 63, Litchfield, Connecticut 06759; 1-800-503-9624; www.whiteflowerfarm.com<\/a>.\u00a0 Free print catalog.<\/p>\n

Many people know the proverb, \u201cA society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.\u201d\u00a0 I think a society grows more hopeful when its people can plant seeds or cultivate plants whose moments of glory are months away.\u00a0 I have invested a lot of hope in my dahlias, and, as the world turns, I believe they will deliver.<\/p>\n

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Planting anything is an investment in hope and optimism.\u00a0 You put a seed or young plant in the ground because you believe that with time and care, it will turn into something that resembles the gorgeous specimen on the plant tag or catalog page. \u00a0It might also give you flowers, food, or shade. \u00a0The whole … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,2,3],"tags":[2280,2281,206,737,91],"class_list":["post-3027","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fall","category-general-interest","category-spring","category-summer","tag-cutting-flowers","tag-cutting-gardens","tag-dahlias","tag-perennials","tag-summer-flowers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3027","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3027"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3027\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3028,"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3027\/revisions\/3028"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3027"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3027"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3027"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}