Skip to main content

Wednesday in the garden: Dahlias

I've always admired dahlias, always thought they were especially beautiful flowers. Unfortunately, it hasn't been a mutual admiration society. Whenever I've tried growing them in the past, they have just curled up and died on me.

I've never been able to figure out why. Dahlias are supposed to be relatively easy to grow, so why have I been such a failure with them? With my last try a few years ago, I decided to admit defeat. I would not try them again.

But dahlias are one of the few plants that my husband, the non-gardener, has ever expressed a liking for. He calls their blooms "elegant." And I am always trying to do something in the garden that will actually get his attention. So, when I was in one of the big box stores' nursery section this spring and came across a bin full of dahlia bulbs, I thought why not give it just one more try?

I bought three bulbs and planted them. And promptly forgot about them. 

Several weeks later, I was about to transplant some other plants to the space where I had put them when I looked down and saw three mounds of bright green leaves pushing through the soil. Oh, yeah, I thought - dahlias!

The plants were all healthy and grew fast and now, only a few weeks later, I have dahlia blooms!
Not only do I have blooms but the buds promise more to come.
All three of the plants are blooming beautifully.


Dahlia with orange milkweed.

Could it actually be that my dahlia jinx is finally broken?

Labels:

Comments

  1. CarmenMay 3, 2017 at 9:43 AM

    How exciting, Dorothy! What they needed was a hands-free let-me-grow-on-my-own approach. :-D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersMay 3, 2017 at 10:25 AM

      Apparently "stick 'em in the ground and forget 'em" is a strategy that really works!

      Delete
  2. Judy KruegerMay 3, 2017 at 11:03 AM

    Oh how great it is when a jinx is broken! I am happy for you. I too love dahlias.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersMay 3, 2017 at 10:25 PM

      And to think - all they ever wanted was to be neglected!

      Delete
  3. Lee@A Guide to Northeastern GardeningMay 5, 2017 at 1:41 PM

    Oh, they are beautiful Dorothy! I always wanted to try Dahlias. Enjoy them.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Poetry Sunday: Don't Hesitate by Mary Oliver

How about we share another Mary Oliver poem? After all, you can never have too many of those. In this one, the poet seems to acknowledge that it is often hard to simply live in and enjoy the moment, perhaps because we are afraid it can't last. She urges us to give in to that moment and fully experience the joy. Although "much can never be redeemed, still, life has some possibility left." Don't Hesitate by Mary Oliver If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are plenty of lives and whole towns destroyed or about to be. We are not wise, and not very often kind. And much can never be redeemed. Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps this is its way of fighting back, that sometimes something happens better than all the riches or power in the world. It could be anything, but very likely you notice it in the instant when love begins. Anyway, that’s often the case. Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid of its plenty. Joy is no...
19 comments
Read more

Poetry Sunday: Blackberry-Picking by Seamus Heaney

My mother was a farm wife and a prodigious canner. She canned fruit and vegetables from the garden, even occasionally meat. But the best thing that she canned, in my opinion, was blackberry jam. Even as I type those words my mouth waters!  Of course, before she could make that jam, somebody had to pick the blackberries. And that somebody was quite often named Dorothy. I think Seamus Heaney might have spent some time among the briars plucking those delicious black fruits as well, so he would have known that "Once off the bush the fruit fermented, the sweet flesh would turn sour." They don't keep; you have to get that jam made in a hurry! Blackberry-Picking by Seamus Heaney Late August, given heavy rain and sun For a full week, the blackberries would ripen. At first, just one, a glossy purple clot Among others, red, green, hard as a knot. You ate that first one and its flesh was sweet Like thickened wine: summer's blood was in it Leaving stains upon the tongue and lust ...
6 comments
Read more

Poetry Sunday: Hymn for the Hurting by Amanda Gorman

You probably remember poet Amanda Gorman from her appearance at the inauguration of President Biden. She read her poem "The Hill We Climb" on that occasion. After the senseless slaughter in Uvalde this week, she was inspired to write another poem which was published in The New York Times. It seemed perfect for the occasion and so I stole it in order to feature it here, just in case you didn't get a chance to read it in the Times . Hymn for the Hurting by Amanda Gorman Everything hurts, Our hearts shadowed and strange, Minds made muddied and mute. We carry tragedy, terrifying and true. And yet none of it is new; We knew it as home, As horror, As heritage. Even our children Cannot be children, Cannot be. Everything hurts. It’s a hard time to be alive, And even harder to stay that way. We’re burdened to live out these days, While at the same time, blessed to outlive them. This alarm is how we know We must be altered — That we must differ or die, That we must triumph or try. ...
24 comments
Read more