I heard it again the other day, The Dahlia Queen. That’s what the neighbors have started to call me. I can’t take all of the credit but will say that the last few years have been great for growing dahlias. In fact, many of the real performers in my garden are not even supposed to grow in this part of Alabama.
For the record, I am winging it. I know very little about dahlia care and cultivation but they seem to forgive me this shortcoming. I use a little bit of Miracle Grow and give them a lot of love.
If you are new to dahlias, they are tubers that are planted in January or February and bloom late spring to early fall. So imagine my surprise the other day when I discovered a variety that I didn’t even know was in the garden. In has not bloomed all season and now, wow! All hail the late bloomer!
Akita Dahlia
At full bloom it measured about 8.5″ in diameter!
Here are a few of the other beauties gracing my garden right now….
Dahlia LeBaron
LeBaron is medium sized, measuring about 5″ in diameter.
Dahlia Kelvin Floodlight
Kelvin Floodlights are huge. This one was 8″ in diameter.
Dahlia Valentine?
I just love this variety but don’t really know what it is. It measures around 5-6″ in diameter. One of the breeder sites I looked at had one that looked like this and it was called Valentine. This one has lived through 3 seasons – of me digging it up in the winter, no less.
I love them all!
Nancy