Thursday 6 October 2011
Ends not with a bang but a prolonged season of weeding.
After the high point in July, when all was present and correct for the family shindig, the garden was left to its own devices till mid September, when we returned from the States. Our many crops of self-seeders that are rather sweet in June and July had become scraggly heaps of crowder-outers. I've filled up several cubic-metre compost bags with that green stuff. The area where the old conifer was removed has been cleared of weeds and mulched with weed-free peat compost left from potato experiments. In that area 3 ruffly multi-coloured California poppies were been flowering away during an unexpected week of summer that we got in late September. As I weeded, I enjoyed each poppy as it opened.
Sunday 2 October 2011
Dahlia Review for 2011
Each plant had a tag at its base, with the catalogue number from National Dahlia Collection. However, it seems the tags didn't necessarily correspond to the tuber as planted.
Ivanette is a miniature ball dahlia, very round and regular, dark purple in colour. Not such a prolific flowerer as some of the others this year. But that shape is a good addition to the mix. About the size of a cricket ball I think. Long lasting flowers in vase.
Glorie van Heemstede. Waterlily flowers in butter-yellow range from 4 to 6 inches in diameter. More like 4 than 6 inches in our soil. Lots of flowers and long stems. Nice open flowers. About the tallest of this year's lot.
Raffles. I'm not sure which one this really is. Look for 0825 on label.
Colour: Orange Blends Classification: Decorative Description: Small Decorative - Flower size between 102mm/4 inches and 152mm/6 inches in diameter.
Chat Noir. Very dark and cactusy. Almost too dark and some flowers too big for the strength of the neck. Not very good as cut flower.. Tall.
Cactus Dahlia Karma Sangria-Deep pink buds opening to lustrous pink with a yellow base. Check which one it is.
Gerrie Hoek. "Small decorative". Not that small. Formal shape but not a ball shape. Good pink/orange shading colours. Not that many flowers this year.
White dahlia, not too unlike Glorie van heemstede. Don't know the name. Good flowers, weak necks, not too many flowers. This would be White Ballerina from 2010.
Ivanette is a miniature ball dahlia, very round and regular, dark purple in colour. Not such a prolific flowerer as some of the others this year. But that shape is a good addition to the mix. About the size of a cricket ball I think. Long lasting flowers in vase.
Glorie van Heemstede. Waterlily flowers in butter-yellow range from 4 to 6 inches in diameter. More like 4 than 6 inches in our soil. Lots of flowers and long stems. Nice open flowers. About the tallest of this year's lot.
Raffles. I'm not sure which one this really is. Look for 0825 on label.
Colour: Orange Blends Classification: Decorative Description: Small Decorative - Flower size between 102mm/4 inches and 152mm/6 inches in diameter.
Chat Noir. Very dark and cactusy. Almost too dark and some flowers too big for the strength of the neck. Not very good as cut flower.. Tall.
Cactus Dahlia Karma Sangria-Deep pink buds opening to lustrous pink with a yellow base. Check which one it is.
Gerrie Hoek. "Small decorative". Not that small. Formal shape but not a ball shape. Good pink/orange shading colours. Not that many flowers this year.
White dahlia, not too unlike Glorie van heemstede. Don't know the name. Good flowers, weak necks, not too many flowers. This would be White Ballerina from 2010.
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