Dahlia Society of California
August, 2005

Aitira Diadem B FD BI

NEXT MEETING: 9 August @ 8 pm @ 9^th & Lincoln. 
Program: NOVICE ONLY MINI SHOW. 
Use this great opportunity to practice before THE BIG SHOW, Aug. 20-21.  Limit yourself to 2 entries per category: AA, A, B, BB, M, BA, MB, P, ST, WL, AN, CO, O, S, PE, MS, NX, NO,  x3 & x5 of the same variety. Doors open as early as 7 pm giving you adequate set up time before 8 PM.  Remember if you have a dahlia which is NOT in the ADS Classification Book, you must have a senior judge classify your “foreign” bloom before entering it. It’s not just the competition and winning: everyone learns when you bring flowers to the bench. How do flowers grow under differing conditions of soil, sun, stock, fertilizing schedules, and water?  

Deborah will bring more calcium nitrate for $1 a bag.   Who will bring treats?

2005 Show Poster created by
Gerda Juul

Please click on the picture for a large version (2 MB) to download, print and post it to invite the general public.

July Mini Show with 72 Entrees

WALTZ THROUGH THE WEB:  Ted, demonstrated how our website, www.sfdahlia.org, improves your dahlia life.  Example: Looking for a specific dahlia by name or size or color?  Check on the ADS search list. From there,  go to the Big List to find which grower carries the item. Ever wonder how the bloomerati fell under the thrall of dahlias? Click on pages on Juul or Paradise to view ALL their introductions and various national awards.  Desirous of dahlia note cards or books? Check out the Front Page site by our DSC member, Carol Hemingway or to the many different sources that Rose researched for you.  

A new trivia quiz on DSC website every month. Learn interesting info about Dahlias.

Dahlia is the Official Flower of San Francisco. Find out the facts!

Learn the history of the Dahlia Dell at the Golden Gate Park.

We do ask for your help, especially with the News section.  Presently posted in the News Section is Erik G’s course on dahlia lore offered  through San Francisco Botanical Garden Society at Strybing Arboretum.  Have you seen dahlias in the news lately?  Anything you find newsworthy is worth passing on to Ted. We also welcome your photos of dahlias, exhorting that they be in focus and identified with name and growing site. 

RAFFLE DAZZLE:  Educator & entertainer, DJ, demonstrated the art of containers.  Riveting everyone’s attention by passing out raffle tickets, DJ proceeded to list the great places to search for competition dahlia containers: thrift stores, garage sales, & basements. Whilst he snagged the buy of the month, $1 pin frogs at the dollar store (yep, he bought them out), he cites Soko Hardware stores in Japantown as well as the Flower Mart.  He even brought some pin frogs to sell afterwards, saving people a search.  

Clearview Magic
 

With the exception of a sentimental pin frog from his mama which he attaches with florist’s clay, DJ uses permanent cement to glue his pin frogs into vases.  He labels the bottoms of each container with a snazzy paint pen, available at Michael’s Arts and Craft or sometimes at Orchard Supply.  For a finale, DJ raffled off the glue, a pin frog, three containers with the new owners’ names scribed on the bottom, and the paint pen.  What a tour d’force!

2005 Court of Honor Ribbon

GOSSIP & GIZMOS:  Rose stunned the group with an arresting  dahlia globe: it looked like a fresh bloom entombed in plastic, although it was only water.  Very cool.  Tinnee brought Schultz Rose & Flower Preservative, which she describes as “dahlia embalming fluid.”  Adding this to vase water, keeps the blooms lustier longer.  Tinnee also brought Super Bloom, fertilizer in which the second number is the largest: 10-56-5.  This is great when your plants begin to set bloom. 

 Lou’s Camano Rascal rode the Head Table like a mascot, because Lou had “too many” perfect B’s to include it in the mini show.  Such a surfeit of beauty!  Welcome new members Lilia Perez who’s been disbudding & deleafing in the Dell, and Frank Janeczek who planted dahlias in his in-laws’ garden in San Francisco, even though he lives half the year in Florida. 

GOOD NEIGHBORS MAKE GOOD BLOCKS: Admiring the public educational display that Monterey Bay had at their show last year with an example of all 19 forms of dahlias, DJ tried to borrow it for our show this year.  Instead, Dean Barns made DJ 19 handcrafted redwood plaques, beautifully labeled and shellacked.  When DJ went down to Monterey to pick them up, Dean walked him through his seed germination algorithms, followed by a tour of his 300 seedlings. Thank you, Dean, for your generosity, and thank you, DJ, for your enterprise!  Visitors to our show will understand diversity and form much better because of your effort.

EARLY BLUE:  Paula showed her first dahlias at the Marin County Fair, garnering blue.  The Dingwalls toted home several blues, too.  Coming back from England just in time, the Cornishes carted home 20 blues for dahlias and many, many, more for roses.  Congratulations to all, both for winning and for showing the world great dahlias.

Paula disbudding in the Dahlia Dell

New member, Lilia, de-leafing in the Dahlia Dell

BIG SHOW BIG LIST: Elsie brought in more DSC show schedules as well as Exhibitors’ Check Lists of things to bring when you are showing: watering pail, 5-gallon bucket for excess water, towels or paper towels (for spills & clean up), pens/pencils, entry forms, show schedule, ADS Classification Book, scissors/clippers, & twice the time you think you need.  “Practice at home!” she adjures.

PICNIC PERQS:  Erik G. passed out maps so members can invite friends, family and colleagues to our annual picnic on August 13.  This is a glorious potluck extravaganza, so start planning your delicacy now.  Last year some tourists wandered into our private party lured by our conviviality; we will be giving out wrist bands to the children of guests for face painting or balloons.  The tables and chairs arrive at 9 am.  Your help setting them up and fluffing up the garden would be most appreciated.  The party begins around noon and lasts until around 5.  Remember, the temperature can change drastically so wear your name tags, bring layers, cameras, sun screen, & great yummies.

EARLY GLORY:  What a magnificent first mini show.  72 fabulous flowers challenged aesthetes, Tinnee and Jytte, our judges.  Congratulations to Marsha for entering her first two dahlias and nabbing third with a tiny Lupin Britain.  DJ's latest surprise for us is a collaret called Buffy.  The Dingwalls brought a jaunty Rembrandt & staged a lovely x3 Glenbank Twinkle.  Warren’s barrels debouched two firsts: Marie Schnugg & Honka. 
                                               

Deborah enjoyed 7 blues with CG Spirit (MB DPK), Ginny Ann (NX Y), CG Eclipse (S Y O), Alpen Pearl (AN L/lb/w/y), x3 Camano Pet, & x5 Pink Passion.  Her Sandia Calypso, (WL DB DP/Y)) looks very promising. 

Dominating competition, Lou’s secret sauce produced 10 blues: Chimacum Julia, Jessica (BB IC BI Y/R), Camano Pet (ST LB Y/OR), Sean C (CO PR/db/pr/w), Kenora Fireball (BA R), Gitts Perfection (A ID LB L/W), Valley Porcupine (NX LB W/PK), Mathew Juul (MS O),  and Bishop of Llandaff (PE DR). His Union Jack, (S BI R/w), and ethereal Starry (ST PK) caused much comments. 

AUGUST ABUNDANCE:  To keep your dahlias blooming in full spate, assiduously dead head; cut your spent blooms below the set of first leaves where the new growth begins.  If you fail to cut back to new growth, your plants will soon look like brown skeletons.  Disbud to assure only one bloom per stem with a nice pair of leaves.  See July, 2004 DSC eNewsletter for details of Disbudding and other valuable information. Truly you get a bigger flower, longer stem, and more plant vigor if you do not let every bud blossom.  Give your growing plants support.  If you have the luxury of multiple stakes, you can put one on either side of your plant and wrap ties around the whole bundle.  If not, string the plant staunchly to the stake to prevent wind damage and give the heavy laterals some support.  I use hay bale plastic twine; I call it Chernoble twine because it seems impervious to the elements.  Rose discovered inexpensive huge balls of this plastic green (or pink) string on Irving Street in one of the Chinese bazaars.  I avoid the green garden tape as it stretches.  Fertilize at least once a month. 

"Chernoble twine"

Crotch-bound Camano Rascal.
It would have been better to have pinched out this terminal bud when it first appeared.

Use anti-mildew agents BEFORE you see the powdery flecks on your leaves.  If your leaves are already dusted with the furry white stuff, strip them off and spray with Funginex or Monterey Fungi Fighter.  You can combine this in a cocktail with Malathion or Orthene for bugs, Super Bloom, and a little dishwashing soap, to act as a sticker.  Spraying is best done in the morning after watering.  Continue to take off dying leaves at the lower end of the stalk.  Water when the plants are dry.  Dahlias like to be very wet, then very dry. 

Clearing lower branches has another advantage!

Pink Passion (BB LC)