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I was so impressed with this one this year! I did not know it would get all wavy like that. I think Santa Claus was about 4 feet tall, and branched out nicely with loads of blooms. It seemed to enjoy the extra warm summer we had. Santa Claus made an excellent cut flower and attracted a lot of customers at the market.... It bloomed with loads of bb sized flowers right up until the end of the season.It would be beautiful in the landscape as well as in a cutting garden. My mentors who visited my garden in September picked it out as one I should try to show, also. My source for this one was one of you dear people whom I traded with... It produced "adequate" tubers, but the number wasn't memorable so probably about average as a tuber maker.
If I get some time I will post the picture of Santa Claus flowers when it was a challenge flower at the Puget show. A whole table full of them. I believe that most of you are aware that it sports easily and becomes an orange bicolor. Many call that one Mrs. Santa Claus. And an old friend of ours had yet another sport in solid orange that she called Pele's Fire. It was sold for a few years and may still be around someplace.
We like to place a sign on our porch that says: We are in the garden. Really, we are always in the garden.
I have notice definite orange undertones in Santa Claus, getting more pronounced in the fall. It is actually on my 'cull' list, as there are other more pure red/whites that I prefer.
Mine haven't gotten wavy like Noni's, but are almost formal decorative in shape. I'll have to look back in my notes to see if Noni's stock came from my garden... I think it was a bonus from a vendor after my stock froze last year, but I'm not sure.
I love this image, as the half and reverse views really show the recurve potential of a well-grown Santa Claus.
Santa Claus when it grew for me was small and thinnish, but it still produced nice flowers. So this year I tried again, and I bought it from Hirt's. It was not actually Santa Claus though, but something similar. So I called it Santa Faux. Here is a picture of it, along with Myrtle's Brandy, and the holy grail, Warf, a red/white large bi-color that actually kept its red/white pattern neat instead of mashing the colors together.
Given that Hirt's has Santa Claus listed as a 10" dinnerplate dahlia, I'm not surprised that you got something different, todgor. Kinda fun, though, and definitely red & white. Warf looks luscious!
I'm not usually much of a bicolor fan, but I do like Skipley Spot.
luvflowers wrote:
CC, what other pure red/whites do you recommend?
Well, I suppose I should define what *I* mean when I say 'pure red." Grower biases must be factored into variety evaluations, and my bias is an intense dislike for solid reds that have orange undertones. I culled Barbarossa, Taratahi Ruby, Bryn Teryn, Skywalker and others because of the orangy red. I'm sure plenty of folk would either disagree with me, or not be turned off by the confused red.
I enjoyed AC Cloud & Rain quite a bit this season, but my two plants gave me just enough to replace them next season. Bloomed early Aug, grew 5.5' tall, and had only a couple funky flowers the whole season. The blooms didnt get as full as I expected, so the plants might have appreciated more water and fertilizer, along with double disbudding.
Ed Kuhn was phenomenal early in the season, reaching four feet and having amazing form & recurve to the stem... too bad it didnt hold steady, as the form deteriorated and color had an orange cast by fall.
My single plant of Rejman's Polish Kid was heartwrenchingly squished, but still eeked out enough blooms for me to want it next year. Too bad it only gave me two iffy tubers. I was shocked at how tiny the blooms were... its classified as a miniature, and I knew that, but still the tininess came as a shock.
I LOVED Skipley Spot this summer! I Only got 4 iffy tubers off of it and didn't want to be without it so I ordered a new one from Clearview. MY original one came from a club tuber sale, so I don't know who's stock it was. I must say it was loaded with flowers most of the summer.
No fading to orangy tones on either this one or Santa Claus for me. IT may be that they really like the climate here. But I definitely want to grow both of these again,..lots and lots of them
I am picturing a bucket at the market with these two, and HH Rudolph , HH Black Beauty, and lots of Blizzards, and some Clearview Misty or Wyn's Ghostie....
Since I can't actually make up a bouquet like this now, here are the pics to imagine it..
I have HH Black Beauty on order but it was not in my garden this year so I subbed in my black poms. Monrovia is a very nice pom! Clearview Misty (Really liked this one!) Wyn's Ghostie 2 black poms, Crossfield Ebony left, Monrovia, right Hy Bloodfire HH Rudolph
Whoo, baby... Hy Bloodfire looks like it packs a punch! Never saw that one before. Is it more purpley or reddish then the image, or is it a good rendition?
Skipley Spot has been on the poor tuber list all it's long life. One club member grew it in a huge pot and never dug it and then took cuttings. I think he finally lost it to a frost. Skipley Bonanza makes a few tubers and is not nearly as bad.
We like to place a sign on our porch that says: We are in the garden. Really, we are always in the garden.
We had much the same findings of Ed Kuhn it stood about 3.5' and was VERY nice early in the season but then just sort of slid downhill , it made only a tiny clump of very small tubers , if it keeps I will grow it again , it's a shame that it was not more vigorous it really stood out in the garden .
Medusoid is Greg Deets PhD of San Diego new one in red and white with a bit of yellow to make it a tricolor. Or in reality it depends on the flower as they vary like Jokers Wild varies. Here is a picture of it how I like it. And it has sold out for 2015. Very brisk sales and we should have charged $20.00 instead of $12.00. By the way for the dahlia breeders, he has done some hand crossing and I know the parent of Medusoid was a hand crossed seedling.
We like to place a sign on our porch that says: We are in the garden. Really, we are always in the garden.
Here is a picture of it, along with Myrtle's Brandy, and the holy grail, Warf, a red/white large bi-color that actually kept its red/white pattern neat instead of mashing the colors together.
Clearview Misty (Really liked this one!)
Wyn's Ghostie
2 black poms, Crossfield Ebony left, Monrovia, right
Hy Bloodfire
HH Rudolph
