Hilltop Stella would not grow real well for me. Felida Stars and Stripes was at Park's Dahlias this year and although somewhat short looked good. Everything looks good there. If you missed the pictorial of our visit there here is the link: http://portlanddahlia.com/Gardens/ParksClackVisit2014.html
We like to place a sign on our porch that says: We are in the garden. Really, we are always in the garden.
Hilltop Stella seems to make it's way on the head table here. I don't really get it besides that it has some precise colors and the form is very neat and clean looking. I think Ken's (AC) catalog describes it as having poor growth habits. I am always put off by it's clock faced blooms. How it beats other stellars and ends up on the head table is beyond me. Maybe I need to start training to be a judge so I can understand these things.
Steve Meggos let me grow one of his red and white bicolors but it got into the ground too late and only had a flower or two. I was able to get a tuber or two and will give it another shot next year. Here is link to one of his bicolors but I think the one he sent me was a different one. http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20120730/entlife/70729998...
We like to place a sign on our porch that says: We are in the garden. Really, we are always in the garden.
Since it took me a while to get through the pictures in the article, here's the bicolor image borrowed from the above link...
This would make quite a splash if he introduced it! I wonder if there are problems with the vigor or tubers, as that has been around for at least a few years in his garden. Folk would buy this one even with problems, I'm sure.
There was a problem with stability of the bi-color scheme. As it turns out, when a solid flower sports to bi-color, the sport is almost always not stable and the plants revert to solid. I believe this one is the Spartacus sport. The originator Mick Senior had it sport to bi-color also and it reverted to solid. It was prominently pictured in a dahlia publication. Zorro has sported to bi-color and it was not stable. To get stable bi-colors you have breed them not make sports. I know of at least one other example and know of no bi-color flowers that were introduced from sports. So the bi-color one Meggos sent me must be a seedling. And introducing poor growers that make few tubers is foolhardy. People will bug you forever and never stop asking for it. Hollyhill Court Jester is one of those varieties. We no longer sell it and will not. Poor tuber maker, not real vigorous and flowers are sometimes a bit open centered. But I am asked to sell it over and over and over. Will it ever end!!!!!
We like to place a sign on our porch that says: We are in the garden. Really, we are always in the garden.
I just got a note from Roland wanting to buy my extra Santa Claus tubers. I wish I had more then 3 of it to sell to him. So I think he is the best opportunity to preserve this nice strain of it. I may be able to share cuttings from my tubers next spring, but you can all talk to him about it too. I really think this should be the priority for my tubers. And next year I hope to have more of them that I can share, if you can't get it in 2015. I knew I liked this one but didn't know how special it was!
Yes, my thought exactly on that one. Ever since the Wynne's disaster , where on top of the major losses of Walter and their home they lost nearly all their dahlia stock, I have thought that the best way to keep something special is to spread it around as far as possible.
Good stock of older varieties like Santa Claus are sometimes difficult to find. Part of the problem is that they do not sell for much money and the grower does not pay much attention to his stock. One needs only to mark the best plants each year and to not dig the worst plants. The average ones are sold and the best kept for the grower. After a few years all of the stock is good. It takes time and when tubers of these old ones sell for peanuts, the more likely decision is to sell just about anything or just not grow the variety anymore. Sellers should advertise that they have "re-selected" the stock and add 30% to the price. They would be surprised how many people would order the good stock. And we have not grown Santa Claus in years and we had good stock. It makes tubers but it is one of those that is hit or miss in the tuber department: some plants have lots some very few.
We like to place a sign on our porch that says: We are in the garden. Really, we are always in the garden.
Aha. So that is why I only found 5 tubers out of the huge display of them blooming! I thought Mr Islander must have missed some when he dug. So when we find good stock we should grow more of it to make the world a better place... I like that idea! And when we have poor stock, grow lots to find the best of it? Wish I was younger and stronger...I have the space but need an infusion of youthful bones.
Swan Island uses the best stock selection process to keep their stock healthy. The mark the best stock and take cuttings from it and save the tubers from those cuttings to plant. It works reasonably well but as you might imagine you cannot do that with all of the 360 or so varieties they sell. The varieties that decline eventually are no longer sold, especially if something similar comes along. Rip City has gone through this process very many times and they have been looking for a replacement. Christy Parks is an expert at re-selecting stock and has improved the overall health of many varieties. Sometimes the rejuvenated varieties stay healthy for many years. But most of them seem to decline after a year or two. We got excellent stock of a Kenora dahlia years ago and it was fantastic for one glorious year. It had declined in almost every garden and good stock was found in the UK. The variety had a minor resurgence but then went back into obscurity. And maybe I will remember the name of it sometime.
We like to place a sign on our porch that says: We are in the garden. Really, we are always in the garden.
I was looking through the seedling pictures and found the picture of the "other" bicolor(the other one is one the website) . It is BB sized and unfortunately for CC it has just a tinge of orange in the red.
We like to place a sign on our porch that says: We are in the garden. Really, we are always in the garden.
OOOH Pretty! I used to grow it before I had my ducks. It was always so bug nibbled I quit growing it. Now I probably could.
But noooooo, I am trying to reduce the number I grow....Moan!
Chimacum Luke make some tubers for me but not in great quantities. Of all the Chimacum varieties I would rate Luke as the most vigorous, just notch ahead of Chimacum Katie Chimacum Julia is one of our favorites too.
We like to place a sign on our porch that says: We are in the garden. Really, we are always in the garden.
Anyone ever grow Ms Julie? That's another red/white bi-color I've been curious about. It's a Boley intro but they don't sell it any longer but still have on their homepage. In fact, I don't think anyone is selling it any longer. The (outdated) Big List says Delightful Dahlias has it; but it is not on their catalog. It usually wins a few awards every year and stays in the classification book. I'm guessing it's not a tuber maker; or the stock has gone bad.
I like that idea! And when we have poor stock, grow lots to find the best of it? Wish I was younger and stronger...I have the space but need an infusion of youthful bones. 
