Thomas A. Edison Dahlia

Today’s Fiasco

| Flower Roberts

I guess it is obvious to my followers that I am accident prone. My left hip is still bothersome after plummeting off the deck while holding a hose. My new right hip is great, but neither leg is strong yet. My mountain goat status has been put in jeopardy indefinately.

Well, today I got stuck on a bucket.
This is the type of thing I would call Sandra about to make her laugh. We loved the word fiasco.

All I wanted to do was cut some of the broken dahlias for a vase before they got ruined. I grabbed some scissors and headed down to dahlia row.

Upon closer inspection I realized that months of neglect had caused havoc among the dahlias. One Thomas A. Edison had never even been put in a fence ring.

Poor Thomas

I started trimming them up but got very tired after only a few minutes. The only possible thing I could use as a seat was a nearby five-gallon bucket.

When I finished pruning all the plants within reach, I realized I could not get up off the bucket. Luckily, for me not for him, Mr. Flower was down the hill picking up limbs from Helene’s wind.

I loudly announced that I could not get up. Then I had the idea that if I fell off the bucket uphill I could push myself up. By the time he got to me I was cussing and crying with my face in the four o’clocks.

He helped me up and went to find a more suitable seat for me to sit on. He brought back an old church chair that I had painted bluebird blue.

I told him to look up here once in a while to make sure I wasn’t lying on the ground. He said he was sure that if I fell again, he would hear me before he saw me.

This is wisdom after almost forty years of marriage. He knows me well. My response was a loving hand-gesture.

FLOW

It is Friday the Thirteenth

| Flower Roberts

My dahlia post that I published on the wrong blog in the middle of the night is now lost in cyberspace. Sometimes it is easier to start over than backtrack.

Many strange things have happened since my hip replacement. My head is still spinning. When I tell folks about the events they ask if I am still on pain medication. The answer is no. The craziness could be from the eight nights of insomnia. I am laying low today since it is Friday the 13th. I feel like the universe is messing with me!

I am stuck on my decks for a while longer until I am more stable and all the railing has been installed. My daughter fell up some steps last week. We live on a hill, so there are few flat spaces and steps are everywhere.

I have watched my dahlias from afar. No watering, weeding , deadheading or feeding.

Here they are. Their success is a testament to the soil prep and the staking I did in April before my right hip gave out and I jarred the whole left side of my body stumbling down some steps as I wrestled with a hose.

Firepot dahlia
Snow Country dahlia
Thomas A. Edison and Katydid

I hope this post makes it to you. Thanks Susan for letting me know that the booboo was worse than anticipated.

FLOWER is going back to bed. I am too tired to handle any more mischief.

Happy Friday the 13th!

September Plant Surge

| Flower Roberts

It seems as though the garden celebrates its survival through the summer in September. I know if I can just keep plants alive until now that they will experience a second wind. My new Oxblood Lily has shown up to celebrate fall.

Oxblood Lily

I am glad that I am home to enjoy this last little splurge of garden flowers.

Thomas Edison dahlia

The blue ginger has finally settled in after years of struggle. It bloomed last year but is much healthier now.

Blue Ginger

The Life Saver plant, Huernia zebrina, is putting out many blooms and buds.

Life Saver Cactus

Even the Night Blooming Cereus is budding one last time.

The dahlias are blooming as well. I am glad they survived another summer of neglect.

Firepot dahlia

I guess all living things breathe a sigh of relief as cooler and wetter weather moves in. I am glad to be home for a bit.

FLOW in fall

Neglected Green Babies

| Flower Roberts

I have tried to explain to people that a plant acquistition is an adoption with responsibilities. I am serious about this. Plants know things and communicate in their own way with posture and color just like humans, only more subtle.

My neglected dahlias are falling over with heavy blooms.

I let Mr. Flower use their tomato cages for his garden, thinking I would get more later. The Dahlia row looks like a junk yard of fences, sticks and stakes that I have haphazardly added to the unsupported bloomers. Bless them!

My beautiful, messy life!

This mess is a visual representation of my present life. A gorgeous ghetto of growing problems, half-ass solutions and sincere love. I would prefer neat and tidy. I won’t hold my breath waiting for that.

Thomas A. Edison dahlia

I will go out into the garden in my pajamas and enjoy my floppy Dahlias this morning before I take off again to take care of needs elsewhere.

Cafe’ au Lait dahlia

My apologies to my flowers and friends. Family comes first.

FLOWER

Dahlia Disaster

| Flower Roberts

I try really hard to be a good ‘plant mama’ but I fall short each spring and summer. This year it was the dahlias that took a hit.

The dahlia ‘Nonette’ got left in the bag until I discovered it in June when I almost threw it away. It could not be revived.

The lovely ‘Kelvin Floodlight’ got a disease again this year. My overzealous treatment killed it. I will miss its giant yellow blooms.

I had two batches of ‘Thomas Edison’ dahlia. My usual potting soil messed up the mix this year. It was too wet. Many of my plants rotted including one pot of ‘Thomas Edison.’

‘Cafe Au Lait’ is spindly and floppy with no blooms. I keep propping it up, hoping for improvements. The weather has cooled so there is hope for it.

I know this row looks lovely from afar. I know how it could look. That’s my problem. Gardener’s Guilt is real!

The “glass is half empty” and the row is half empty. I am extra grateful for ‘Firepot’ and ‘Snow Country.’

They have survived the many mishaps and are happily blooming.

FLOW

Dahlia Row

| Flower Roberts

There are some new beauties in the line-up this year.

These were introduced to me last fall by the famous pianist, Harold Brown of Bramwell.

The three new faces are Nonette, Cafe’ au lait and Kelvin Floodlight.

I ordered these from Old House Gardens. https://oldhousegardens.com/

The Kelvin Floodlight photo does not do it justice.

Kelvin Floodlight Dahlia

Cafe’ au Lait is even more gorgeous than I expected.

Cafe’ au lait dahlia

Nonette needed some extra water to make bigger flowers, but did not disappoint.

Nonette Dahlia

My heart still belongs to my three favorites Thomas Edison, Firepot and Snow Country.

Thomas A Edison Dahlia

Firepot Dahlia

Snow Country Dahlia

Dahlia Row has taken a lot of feeding, composting and watering BUT these blooms are worth it.

Dahlias

Flower

Cool Dahlias

| Flower Roberts

Dahlias need four things to thrive.

First, they need rich soil. I enrich mine with homemade compost and mushroom compost.

Second, they need a lot of water to grow. Mine are at the bottom of a hill with a berm.

Third, they must be supported. I have been negligent in this so excuse the messy stake job.

The fourth thing that MUST happen is cool weather. Dahlias struggle until it cools down.

Then they show off with giant, heavy blooms.

These are my three favorites, Thomas A Edison, Snow Country and Firepot.

Thomas A. Edison Dahlia
Snow Country Dahlia
Firepot Dahlia

I love the cool weather, also.  I have wilted and withered all summer. Hooray fall!

FLOW

My Three Favorite Dahlias

| Flower Roberts

I have many dahlias.  It may not surprise you that most of them are purple.

I have three favorites.  Only one of which is purple.

These three are the most trouble, because they are dinner plate dahlias.

The blooms are so large that plant must be supported by stakes and fences.

These three need more water that the smaller dahlias. They need more nutrients.

It takes a lot of work on my part and the plant’s part to produce those big beautiful blooms.

I have decided to let some of my dahlias go.   I can’t bring them all in.

There is not enough space… or energy… or time to save them all.

So which three will be dug up, stored and treasured?

Firepot Dahlia

The three big, needy ones will.

Thomas A. Edison dahlia

Snowy Country dahlia

Because when we work together, we make something beautiful.

Synergy in the garden.

FLOW

The Heat is Gone

| Flower Roberts

I hope this cool Monday morning is a sign of things to come.

There seems to be a collective sigh from the garden.

IMG_2468
Water hyacinth blooming among parrot feather and water lettuce in the pond

This summer has been a struggle.

I have constantly pruned and watered in an effort keep things alive.

The stress has shown in yellowed  leaves,  fragile stems and smaller and fewer flowers.

IMG_2480
‘Picotee Blue ‘morning glory single bloom

The tide seems to have turned this morning.

A light rain has plumped up the plants and made them glisten.

IMG_2478
Pink Muhly Grass/ Muhlenbergia capillaris

My favorite dahlia, Thomas A. Edison has decided to stand up and bloom at last.

IMG_2474
Thomas A Edison dinnerplate dahlia

Let’s hope that we all can thrive for a bit in this cool.

Except for the weeds. They will be killed as usual.

FLOW