October, 2005

NEXT MEETING;  11th October @ 8 pm @ 9^th & Lincoln. 
Program: OPEN TO ALL. LAST Mini Show of the year.  AA, A, B, BB, M, BA, MB, P, ST, WL, AN, CO, O, S, PE, MS, NX, NO,  x3 & x5 of the same variety. Please limit your lovelies to 2 per category including x3 and x5.

Visit Paula's Perfect Pitch in Tiburon.

A symphony of nature's colors!

BUMPER CROP:  Our September blossomed with many new members including Mark and Manny. They prompted a spirited discussion about “whitish stuff on leaves.”  Hank gave testimony to the efficacy of a drastic solution.  He stripped off all his leaves with powdery mildew—leaving some pretty naked stalks.  Then he used a combo cocktail of fungicide/super-bloom/insecticide every 5 days.  Lo and behold, his rooftop garden is once again a luscious green.  “You really have to keep on top of it!” he adjured. 

Another topic was why some gardens turn into brown stalks so much sooner than those in the Dahlia Dell.  One of the secrets is cutting clear back to new growth every time you deadhead.  This releases a hormone that spurs on the dahlia to continue growing.  Now is a good time to cut back some of the spindlier branches on each plant especially the little plants at the base of the bush.

SF FLORIBUNDA REDUX:  Diana reported that DSC munificently awarded the highest show premiums in the Bay area: $1,637 as well as fabulous ribbons.  Elsie thanked those who came to help set up Friday evening including new member, Manny.  DJ noted that it took all night to set up the show but merely a twinkling of an hour to tear it all down on Sunday night. Wouldn’t that be a time-lapse photo!

PARADE OF CHAMPIONS:  89 flowers from 5 growers vied for Ron, Joanne, Erik and Rose’s approbation.  The Cornishes triumphed with CO Pooh & O Juul’s Allstar.  Once again Frank’s Elvira nabbed PE as well as his Poppet taking P.  Deborah nailed some big and some weird:  AA Kenora Clyde; ST Camano Pet; MB Robann Royal; NX Clearview Magic; WL Wildwood Marie; AN Powderpuff Polka; S Way Pink; and MS Rembrandt. 

Clearly the Hillside is in full spate: Tinnee’s flowers radiated vitality and her eye for detail staged them sublimely.  Her x3 Stillwater Brilliants took people’s breath away; her x5 Pam Howdens glowed.  Stern judge Erik noted that one of the other x5’s looked “like a pair of twins and 3 siblings who might not have the same dad,”  reminding us of the importance of  uniformity  for multiples.

Tinnee also blossomed with Best A Belle of the Ball; B Grandma Juul; M CG Sprite; BB, a radiant  Myrtle’s Bloom; and beating out 8 other Balls for Best Ball and Best in Show, Mary’s Jomanda.  Congratulations, Tinnee!

DO YOU KNOW THE WAY TO SAN JOSE?  Once again the South Bay dahlia growers staged a lovely show at Valco Mall, San Jose.  So many novices entered, they had to extend table space.  Congratulations to DJ for his Best CO Pooh and Best Photo.  Lou Lombardo stayed on the Head Table with a stunning Valley Porcupine.  Tinnee’s Mary’s Jomanda trumped stiff competition for Best Ball.  Deborah floated to glory with a luminous yellow Fern Irene in a powder blue bowl and tiniest, Poppet. 

Ricky indefatigably schlepped for his Mom and Dad; Team Juul won Best x3 Small with their new introduction, Juul’s Amethyst; O Juul’s Allstar; PE Brenda Sue; and x3 Aitara Caress.  Lou ParadIse filled the Court of Honor: Best third year seedling Prometheus; M Aitara Caress; MB, Franz Kafka; A Pink Jupiter; ST Camano Pet; Bi So Happy; and BB Chimacum Katie.  Staging 7 of any variety is tough, but to win Best Multiple, Lou mounted 7 honking Pink Jupiters—a major engineering feat!

Odyssey from the Juuls

Our own Frank Schulkin earned his second Novice Sweepstakes. 

Frank's Best in Show

Unbelievable x5 Spartacas from Stier. Roy Stier stayed up all night amassing his Amateur Sweeps. 

Michael Gesundheit captured the People’s Choice with a flashy Duet as well as making several arrangements to fill the display window.  Best Novice Bloom was earned by Guy Chibante with a shimmering Caproz Classic. Other cool dahlias that piqued my fancy were:  Stier’s Mingus Julie, 170 a pink blend; Camilla, 230 coral with a yellow center; an old but striking Nita from Stier, 274, dark variegated; Sandia Fancy Dancer from Dietz, 292 or/y fim; Lipstick, 245, yellow and bubble gum pink; and the best Korb’s Kandy Dandy yet from Chris Dix, 274 IC, var. pink/red. Ken Masurat pointed out Odyssey from the Juuls, 530 pk MB.  The Larken/Zydner team also beguiled us with Deerwood Erika 33 MB pr/lav and Pop Willo, 551 P  y/or.  

Camilla, 230 coral with a yellow center

Accumulating Open Sweeps, Kevin and Karen had an especially marvelous x3 Summer Rain, and

Deerwood Erika M BA 533

Deborah's Sandia Fancy Dancer 292

OCTOBER OVERTURES:  Alas, light is dwindling, centers are popping open and plants are gearing down.  Cut back water to only when plants look as though they need it.  Give them a final dose of fertilizer.  Check name tags for accuracy.  I move my tags down and tie them around the bottom of the plant so they will still be attached when I lop tops off in December.  Rogue critically: discard anything questionable RIGHT NOW. Consider starting cuttings for early starts in the spring.  These would have to be kept under 14-18 hour lights in greenhouse conditions. 

Leave your favorite flowers on the stem to save for seed heads.  Wait until all the petals have fallen off and the head turns brown.  Cut and store until spring.  Write down what you did right and especially what you did wrong this season and how you will improve.  It’s amazing what you forget over the holidays, so writing little notes to yourself can save you a lot of time and anguish next year.  Keep track of who grew which covetable flowers so you can negotiate next March.  Bring flowers for the Last Mini Show of the Year. 

Need to know what to do each month for your Dahlias? You can find them in our past newsletters on the website.

Dahlia Society of California, Inc., San Francisco, CA  -- Copyrighted
Chief Editor: Deborah Dietz
eNewsletter Editor: Ted Marr
Acknowledgement: Photos in this issue by Deborah, DJ and Ted