Dahlia season 2011: part IV

   Time to look at some more dahlias. Flirt is variety with unknown origin, perhaps it's coming from Eastern Europe. Flowers are abundant and long lasting. Plant is nicely compact.

Flirt

   From French breeder Ernest Turc is coming next dahlia Arica. I planted it late in a pot. So it didn't grow very tall, but it's flowering nicely. The variety isn't perfect though. Inflorescence is held a bit down and is pretty flat.

Arica

   Vista Lindsey is coming from Jean Heeringa (USA). It's tall ~2m. Very abundant bright yellow laciniated. Peduncles are long and a bit thin and are bending down after heavy rain and wind.

Vista Lindsey

   The last laciniated variety for this post is Pinelands Princess was created by Cyril Higgo (South Africa). It appeared to be a nice pot variety. The plant is compact with beautifully shaped leaves, grows without staking.

Pineland Princess

   One of my favourites this year is Mingus Laura, Phil Mingus (USA). Compact plant 1.4-1.5 m tall. Very full well-shaped long lasting incurved cactus.

Mingus Laura

   This variety looked more interesting on photos than it is in reality. Magic Moment, Les Connell (USA), is medium size white with very slight bluish-purple tint semicactus. Although it flowers good on long peduncles it doesn't make much impression on me. It's pale overall.

Magic Moment

   I'll end the post with the tallest variety that I have in garden Wyn's Radiant Star, Lewis Wynn (USA). This plant is for sure much taller than 2 m. Large long lasting inflorescence is held at a perfect angle on very strong peduncles. The plant is so tall that I had to cut the flower to take picture of it. Thank you Walter for sending me this one, it's one of my favourites.

Wyn's Radiant Star

New garden project complete

   A few days ago I finished a new raised bed for small and mini hostas. It differs from the beds that I was making so far. There was no digging or removing grass. Anyway it was not really possible to dig at this spot. The bed is placed right next to the trunk of a maple tree that is growing on a rock. Even weeds were not growing there due to drying out by maple tree. There was very little soil full of fine maple roots. To protect the new hosta bed from maple root invasion I covered the ground with double cardboard sheets.

   To prevent the planting mix from falling between the rocks the bed was lined up with landscape fabric. It also should help to prevent tree root invasion together with the cardboard. Now the bed was ready for filling up.

   Filled with compost and ready for planting

   My latest acquisitions found their home. I'm looking forward to see this bed next spring.

Dahlia season 2011: part III

   Hot July has passed and cooler temperatures give deeper colors in dahlia flowers. I have several dahlias from Austrian breeder Peter Haslhofer that are growing very strong and healthy. The plants are tall, 150 cm in average, and wide with many shoots. Strong long peduncles holding inflorescence well above leaves. Difficult to find the favourite but Hapet 2008/121 seedling has a lot of potential to become my favourite. It has large and very thick inflorescence that opens as bright yellow with dark red tips. With time yellow color changes to pink.

Hapet 2008/121

   Another seedling from Peter is Hapet 2009/77. It has well shaped inflorescence of decorative type. Colors are vivid and seen from long distance. Very long peduncles holding heavy inflorescence at a perfect 45°C angle.

Hapet 2009/77

   Plant of Hapet Red King is about 170-180 cm tall. Bright red slightly incurved semicactus inflorescence of ⌀~25cm on 40+ cm long pedunles.

Hapet Red King

   In the beginning of this post I put the photo of Trelyn Rhiannon. The plant of this variety is setting records in number of simultaneously opened flowers. None of my other varieties have that many of them opened at once.

Trelyn Rhiannon

   Inflorescence of Vicki is huge. It has perfect shape and looks like it was made of porcelain. Plant is not taller than 120-130 cm.

Vicki

Perennials are flowering as well...

   Not only dahlias but some other perennials are flowering in my garden right now. About 2 weeks ago my only lily - Regal Lily - was beautifully flowering spreading amazing scent in the dusk.

   I have only one kind of Garden Phlox in the garden which I brought from Germany last year. It was not labeled, so its name is a mystery. But I like this plant very much. The clump is very strong. Leaves are dark green with no signs of powdery mildew which I see so often on plants sold in garden centers. Flowers are very fragrant.

   There are not many daylilies in the garden. I'm still not sure if I like them. I guess they need several seasons to become huge multiple flowering clumps that I see on pictures in the Internet. My plants were bought on spring sales as half dried root pieces, so I have to be glad that they are alive and even flowering on their second season in the garden.

El Desperado

Strawberry Candy

   Hostas are flowering beautifully but one is a stand out. It's Diana Remembered with its large pure white scented flowers. This kind of flowers it inherited from one of its grandparents H. plantaginea.