Dahlia Society of California -
Sept, 2004

LATE BREAKING NEWS!!!

Another Fabulous Annual Show at the GG Park.
Click for more details....

Best of Show :
Hamari Accord entered by Roy Stier

NEXT MEETING:
Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2004 
@ 8PM @ 9th & Lincoln. 
Program: NOVICE ONLY MINI SHOW REDUX. Please limit yourself to two entries in each category: AA, A, B, BB, M, BA, MB, P, WL, AN, ST, NO open, NX closed, MS, S, O, CO, PE, plus x3 & x5.  Please come by 7:30 pm or earlier to set up your blooms. Please bring your garden’s best to share with your fellow society members (Dana? Richard? Virginia?) Melissa & Rose promise delectables.

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NOVICES CASH IN:   
What a novice-only mini show!  Zowie!  Thank you to all 8 participants for showing us your blooms—win or lose, your blooms educate us all how to recognize different varieties, how to stage, what to strive for, and what to avoid.  DJ printed up excellent demarcation signs for the various categories as well as bringing photos of the highlights of the San Leandro Show. 

Lou won the Best of Show! Congratulations.

Judges Gerda, Tinnee & Curtis Maxwell

Special thanks to Curtis for announcing their results.  He pointed out that the patina - a soft film on stems - had been partly removed on one exhibit.  He recommends either not disturbing the patina, or wiping all of it off.  Some blooms lost points for “‘wolf petals’”: having a distinctly different color than the rest of the petals.

They exercised maximum concentration to determine winners. 

Joe putting final touches on the arrangement

The judges looked for uniformity of size, shape, level of development, shape of centers, & attitude in the multiple exhibits. Thanks to Kim, to Rose for her dapper Glenbank Twinkle & Alpen Cherub, to Baker Bill for a lovely Taratahi Ruby & lusty Inland Dynasty & to Frank for his clean Alloway Candy. 

Rose readies her entries

Jim unpacks his entries for the competition

Several first-timers muttered about how difficult it was to get blossoms to the show without bruising or breaking them. Joe’s Nenekazi committed a suicidal leap on the ride over.  Jim’s garden yielded 2 seconds (Robin Hood & Barbary Gem) & 3 thirds ( SF Sunrise, Baby Pink, & X3 Robin Hood.)  Barbara  trumped her two thirds (Camano Messenger & Moray Susan) with a smashing Creve Coeur—best of the Big Boys.

A nifty idea to transport flowers with PVC pipes.

Garnering 2 firsts for Skipley Spot of Gold & Franz Kafka, Melissa staged 4 excellent seconds:  Autumn Star Sonata, Nicola Jane, Camano Pet, & Pooh.  Earning his fertilizer funds, Joe hit 1 third, the surviving Nenekazi, a dazzling x5 Pam Howdens second, & 7 major firsts:  Hamari Accord, Mi Wong, Wildwood Marie, NW Cosmos, Matthew Juul, a luminous x3 Hamari Accord & a great x5 Jomanda.  Later Joe observed, “It takes longer than you think to set everything up.” 

Piquant

Who walked off with Best in Show in his debut?  Lou Lombardo staged a stunning Kenora Fireball, which crowned his single third, Cornel, his 2 seconds, Kidd’s Climax & Jessica, & his excellent 5 firsts, Camano Messenger, Camano Pet, Be a Sport, & Pooh

Camano Messenger

Baby Fonteneau

Delicious thanks to Joanne for her scrumptious apple turnovers, to Baker Bill for his carrot cake, to Thelma for her scrumptious chocolate chip cookies & to Carmen for her chocolate cake.  International tour leader, Constance, spoke about bringing so many foreign visitors by the Dahlia Dell as well as attending major dahlia shows in England and Paris. 

Three lovely Hamari Accords

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SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO
DAY IN THE PARK: 
Lou & his son, Andrew, set up a storyboard to illustrate the Sept. 18 festival in Orange Memorial Park, off W. Orange Avenue, off the Westborough Blvd. exit of 280 from 10 am to 4 pm.   Come browse the over 200 booths, inspect the antique cars, watch the dancing, & help with DSC’s dahlia booth.  Those who arrive by 8 AM to help set up are entitled to a free pancake breakfast served from 8 AM to 10 AM.  Please call Lou Cornish to sign up for helping times:  415-388-1671.      

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CHECK OUT THE SAN LEANDRO LIBRARY! 
The first show of the year astounded everyone with both quality & quantity.  San Francisco heavily populated the Court of Honor.  Tinee landed both Best M, Glenbank Twinkle, as well as Best x5 small, Bea Paradise.  DJ took high honors with photos of a single variety—not a mug shot!—Shinkyoku & dahlia garden—our Dell, what else! Team Queant triumphed with Best Stellar, Camano Pet; Best WL, Red Velvet; Best S, Northwest Cosmos; & Best Second Year Open Centered....

Tinnee 5x Bea Paradise

Tinnee concentrating?

Click here to see the rest of the story and a beautiful array of photos by Deborah and DJ.

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EAST BAY PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF DAHLIAS:  
Diana, Tinnee, Deborah & Janet Thalen toured the Casa Peralta collection on West Estudillo near the library.   How does Roy Stier toil in that heat?  His plants reach well over 6’ tall.  Instead of staking each individual plant, Roy runs ropes down the length of each bed on both sides, planting relatively close together, thus corralling his bushes.  We gushed over the yellow fimbriated orchid labeled  “single novelty #2.”  San Leandro denizens, the Frances, took me to Tony Palacios 3 large rectangles across from the Police Department.  We could not find a water tap; indeed, he waters by hand!  What dedication. 

Single Novelty #2

Umbrella shading from fierce sun

Tinnee with Penhill J B Israelsohn

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KIWI BLOOMERATI: 
Auckland’s Kay & John McCloud of the New Zealand Dahlia Association sojourned a week in our fair city. 

In NZ, one shows primarily yellow or white formal decs, cacti, waterlillies, poms & one class for all “others.”

"So well they guard their agricultural economy!" 

DAHLIA DELL IRREGULARS: 
Continuous thanks to all the helpful hands including Joan, Mike, Sara, Frank, Mina and Jamie. Who spotted Paula crawling around to attach labels to the base of plants? Taking succor on me, Sok laboriously cleared out bottom leaves for 3 days.  Lou L. collected tissue for next year’s coveted cuttings whilst helping Tinnee disbud on the hillside. .

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MANIC SEPTEMBER:
How many hands & hours could our gardens use this month: disbudding, fertilizing, deadheading, staking up, cocktail spraying, sharing & SHOWING.  Catch the last two show of the season in Monterey September 4-5 at the Capitola Mall and the San Jose at the Valco Mall Sept. 11-12.  Double check each label with your ADS classification book.  Rogue now!  If you have 2 plants of the same variety, decide which one seems healthier, more robust.  Mark it to make sure you keep a tuber from that plant. 

Kenora Clyde
 

Decide whether the remaining plant is ok enough to share with others next year at the tuber sale or should be trashed completely.  Reject stunted plants, crummy flowers, lolling heads or weak stems.  When in doubt, throw it out. Take photos to document your flowers this season & nab some cool shots for the competition for next year.  Write in your notebook @ specific plant heights (such as Kenora Clyde getting over 8’ tall), widths (such as super bushy Vernon Rose or Prince Valiant which will need more room next year).  Invite aficionados & friends to stroll your garden.