DSC eNewsletter

February, 2006
	Please renew your membership by the February meeting. DSC Constitution states that "if dues remain unpaid after the February meeting of the New Year" a member would no longer be on the roster to enjoy member privileges. Please support our Society. Consider joining the American Dahlia Society, also. Click here to download the enrollment form. DSC is one of the largest ADS Chapters in the US. Let's keep supporting our Society.
NEXT MEETING: Valentine’s Day, February 14th, 2006 at 7:30 PM @ 9th & Lincoln in the County Fair Building. Program: How to start tubers early in milk cartons, taking cuttings, germinating seeds and set up your own bookcase greenhouse. Diana will have No Blot pencils on sale for $1 each. To help enhance the community of DSC, please commit to introducing yourself to two members you don’t know well and chatting a bit with them. Who will share Valentine treats?
eNewsletter is best read with a 1024x768 or higher pixel resolution setting. To learn how to change your setting, click here. In this issue, place your cursor over any picture to read its caption. Take a look at the new section on DSC website: Test your knowledge of Dahlia Blooms
2006 NEW INTRODUCTIONS: Leading the 86 ADS new treasures for 2006 was Juul’s Pearl, M BA W. Birch Bay introduced 2 new Water Lilies with lovely spiral unfolding, Sandia Serenity, a very light yellow and Sandia Joy, a robust bright yellow and the winner of the Lynn B. Dudley award.
Gordy Leroux’s Kenora Fantastic, B SC DB Pr/W, is a fabulous light background with fuchsia points. Lou’s darling So Happy, BB FD Bi Y/W followed his snazzy Pink Paradise, M FD DP which also won the Dudley award. Parkland Tribute, BB FD DP won both the Derrill Hart and the Dudley awards.
One of the only A’s, Ayer’s Mable II, A ID W looks to be a profliferous A, only to fall second to Penhill Andre’s Memory, A SC W, winning both Derrill Hart and Dudley Awards. Mingus Eleanor S is considered a DP novelty, but it wasn’t clear why from the photo.
Kevin & Karen introduced Bode, BB IC L and CG Forte, a robust B SC Y, winner of the Derrill Hart Award. Corralitos Gardens’ dynamic duo also released a posse of “Rio” dahlias including my two favorites Rio Fiesta S V Y/R and Rio Fuego Co DB BR/R all of which our Tinnee photographed fabulously.
I took a fancy to Uncle Bob, B LC DB DP, quite the flashy flower. Noteworthy for its dark foliage, Pinot Noir, BB SC L, originated in New Zealand by Keith Hammett. Les Connell introduced an eye-catcher, Tahoma Higgo, B LC DB YL, as well as Tahoma Chrystal ST W which might give Camano Pet a run for the ribbons.
From Swan Island, Nick Gitts created Tyler James, A ID FL R with yellow at center. Hot! Deborah also flashed the ADS 2004 Photography Contest Winners. Now that you know the categories, enter your Kodak moments. Thanks to Manny for bringing in the huge bag of organic green apples! Thanks, too, to John for bringing mini rose plants and to Baker Bill for the 4 boxes of kalanchoes and other centerpiece plant collections. Our members went home with flowering green during this mud season.
NEED YOUR SUPPORT FOR THE APRIL TUBER SALE: Friends and fellow growers. We need more tubers for our sale on April 1, 2006. This year's crop at the Dell is somewhat low in productivity. Please bring any extra tubers you may have — even just a few. Tubers should be labeled with the name of the variety and if possible, the size, form, and color. For example: Hamari Accord, B SC Y. Please judge the quality of your clumps, to assure you bring good stock. Please share with us your excess jewels. Remember, the Tuber Sale is our major fundraiser for the year. From its proceeds, we rent our meeting room, our annual Dahlia show in August, and all the costs associated with the running of the Society, including the cost of our monthly newsletters. Let's participate with your lovely tubers.
PACIFIC SOUTHWEST DAHLIA CONFERENCE: The Monterey Bay Dahlia Society invites you to a weekend at the beach to celebrate the 56th anniversary of the Pacific Southwest Dahlia Conference from February 18-19. Meeting to be held at the Seacliff Inn in Aptos. Dahlia bloomerati from the seven dahlia societies in California meet to discuss many aspects of dahlias: shows, awards, conformation standards, history, future, re-classification, and 2005 winners. On Saturday morning, there is a tour of the local nurseries: Blue Pacific Greenhouses, Corralitos Gardens and others if time permits. Blue Pacific Nurseries grows over 15,000 potted dahlias each year. Their first crop of the season will be nearly blooming at the time of the tour. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet other dahlia growers and “cross pollinate” your conceptions. Make your reservation NOW.
THE BIG DIG 2006: Dvorak's Symphony #9 played out on the Dell. With the cutting back of the stalk, the Dell laid bare as the tubers hardened to begin life anew. The day of dig out began slowly like the first movement of Dvorak's 9th Symphony. At the end of Saturday, there was a respite, perfect transition second movement. On Sunday, it was bright sunshine like the third movement's Lively and Fun. And then comes the finale, a wonderful Fiery and Blazing ending with the tubers ready for another glorious year. Instead of the plains of Iowa, Dvorak's 9th was played out perfectly on the Dell.
Organization makes the wheels go around. Showing up at 7:30 am, Dick Meyers and Barbara erected his rain man’s pulpit at the Dell, his bleach bench, and his spray deck for dividers. Others joined in to dig out the tubers. Soon Manny, Paula, Baker Bill and Heather established a rhythm wedging out plants in the teardrop. Tinnee, in full rain man regalia, hosed off the clumps; Napa Mike expedited in/out flats to her until he assumed the position and Roger expedited for him. Jim heroically trucked full flats from the Dell to the work yard.
Barbara & Brett attacked the hillside with full ardor. Erik, Tiburon Dick, & Napa Mike expended beucoup calories denuding the hillside of pesky weeds and raking the entire teardrop; they transformed the winter-look into a spring field ready for next year's crop.
Meanwhile back at the courtyard, Craig strung bright lights over the labeling tables. John once again donned his haz mat gloves and presided over the bleach buckets. Chuck divided Marine-style for a few hours before he dashed off to the Horseman’s Ball. Patty hauled a table under corrugated cover to whittle down clumps and stay dry. VZ established a cozy dividing office. Ron and Scotty, exposed as ducks in the pelting rain, tackled grisly tuber masses encased in clay, which Half Moon Bay Mike trucked up. Mike reminded us, “There’s no such thing as foul weather; just inappropriate clothing.” Haz Mat John added a new tool for gouging out tenacious clay—a chopstick.
Joann started the scribing task to be joined by Kim, Melissa, Louisiana, Baker Bill, and many others. As the rain abated, Shelly brought Nicholas to splash in puddles and expose him early to dahlia life. Food was aplenty. Lilia brought a bag full of delicious turkey sandwiches, Craig and Tinnee’s bagels coupled well with Mary's luscious spinach salad, and Deborah’s ingredients.
Lou Cornish, although he could not physically attend, put in his efforts dialing for volunteers. Sunday's sunshine brought out more volunteers: Harry, Anne, and Kim. Mary baked chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies. Thanks to Manny for the luscious (and healthy) cantaloupe. Melissa and Sarah took up the pencil, as well. Jim thoughtfully loaded all Tinnee’s tuber flats into his capacious truck to deliver to Baker Bill’s for storage.
The aroma of freshly percolated coffee was heavenly to the volunteers. Hanging their wet gloves and hats over the potbellied stove, the whole crew feasted on well earned pizza and Joann’s spaghetti, with Erik’s sodas, and Deborah and Manny’s bottled waters. Mmmmm. And, capping it all, Pat brought a banana cake for a wonderful dessert. Erik poured champagne for the traditional salute to the Two Timers and the completion of another Big Dig marathon. A perfect Dvorak Symphony #9 finale for the Dell. Then John and Ron cleaned, swept, scraped and hauled trash. Mary polished the kitchen. All vowing to leave the area looking better than when we arrived.
For a full account on how the entire dig out process works see this detailed photo essay by Franck Arvil from 2005 Dig Out.
PLAYING THE DAHLIA LOTTERY: Seeds are dahlia lottery tickets because each one is a unique combination of dahlia genes. DJ saved seed heads from the 2005 season and let them dry out. Peg cut the heads from the stalks and separated the chafe from the actual seeds. DJ kept track of the seed parent, in this case, Pooh. Since he let the bees do the pollinating, he does not know the other parent.
Dean Barnes gets his seeds to germinate by placing them on a damp paper towel and placing it on top of an up-right freezer with an 18" florescent light above them. This way they are close to the ceiling where the heat from the freezer and room help them along. Dean said the seeds typically germinate within several days time. When each seedling has 3 sets of leaves they should be planted in seedling trays and placed under the greenhouse lights.
POSTER CONTE$T: Design a poster for our Tuber and Cutting Sale and win a gift certificate for $25 worth of tubers or cuttings at the sale! Please bring your entry to the February meeting. A strong promotional poster can draw more people to the Tuber. Size: 8 1//2 x 11.” We need to be able to reproduce the poster. Include the following details: Saturday * April 1st * 9:00 AM – 11:30 AM * San Francisco County Fair Building * Golden Gate Park * San Francisco * 9th & Lincoln Way * Tubers and Cuttings * Expert Advice.
FEBRUARY FULFILLMENT : Ladies and Gentlemen, start your milk cartons! To get a jump start on the growing season, stack your milk carton tubers in the warmest part of your house to germinate. (Some people suggest clustering around the water heater.) When you see green sprouts, place them in warm windows or under lights. If you are storing tubers, check them for rot. One rotten root will contaminate the entire bag full. Keep your tubers in a cool but not cold spot: 45 degrees is great. Germinate and plant dahlia seeds. Check out the Big List or the dahlia catalogs for new varieties to experiment with. Negotiate with other growers for cool swaps. Pounce on weeds. I like to plant Icelandic poppies over my empty garden just so there is something colorful instead of brown dirt. Other people plant hairy vetch or fava beans, both of which act as nitrogenators, pulling nitrogen from the air and depositing it in the soil at the roots. Yours in Dirt, Deborah
Looking ahead on what you might need to do in the coming months? Check out the Monthly Calendar.
DR. CARL HANSON, A LONG TIME MEMBER OF DSC, REMEMBERED: The Florence Crittenton Services sent a formal acknowledgement of the DSC donation in Carl’s memory and enclosed the following hand written note: ”Thank you for remembering Dr. Hanson in this way. He was very dedicated to the work we are doing and when he retired we dedicated the conference room to him. His photo and the plaque remain watching over us and our efforts.”
Dahlia Society of California, Inc., San Francisco, CA -- Copyrighted Chief Editor: Deborah Dietz eNewsletter Editor: Ted Marr Acknowledgement: Photos in this issue by DJ, Deborah, Franck, Ted and ADS.