I believe that it is the duty of every grower of dahlias to
try to encourage others to join our hobby wherever possible, either
by provision of plants or passing on helpful hints which have
been acquired over a period of years. I was very fortunate myself
in having Pat Campbell, who has probably helped more people than
Mother Theresa herself, take a considerable interest in me and
passing on his vast knowledge when I was at my most inquisitive
stage. After all, the beginners of today will be the champions
of tomorrow.
I will try to answer a number of the questions that beginners
frequently ask and explain some of the jargon frequently used
by enthusiasts. You will perhaps have already noticed that dahlia
growers tend to be a rather rare breed with some strange notions
and terms. If you have been eavesdropping you may have overheard
something like “I really fancy Lady Linda” or “Nina
Chester is on the small side”. The former remark does not
imply that the gentleman in question has been making amorous advances
towards the wife of the Lord of the Manor or in the latter case
that Miss Chester requires some additional padding for her bra.
The undernoted explanation of some of the frequently used terms
may assist:Plunging the tubers: I have never been quite clear
about this term myself but it relates to the starting of tubers
at the beginning of the new season. There are many different growers
who believe that tubers require to be started at different times.
As a rough guide tubers may be started from January onwards. They
should be boxed up using some form of compost or a mixture of
peat and sand or Perlite and preferably placed on a bed of sand
heated by a soil warming cable. Do not cover the crown of the
tuber (the junction of old stem and the fatter part of tuber)
with compst and DO NOT overwater at this stage. If you can maintain
a steady temperature of about 50 degrees fahrenheit your tubers
will soon start to throw fresh shoots.
Striking Cuttings: No. This does not mean going into the greenhouse
and hitting your cuttings with a stick. This is the term used
for cutting off the fresh growths which come from the tuber when
they are about 3” or 4” in length and attempting to
root them. You will require to place them in a shallow tray partly
filled with a good open compost (peat and sharp sand mixed 50/50
is adequate) and place them over bottom heat. You must try to
increase humidity by keeping them in a close environment and shade
from bright sunshine. A light spray with water keeps them fresh.
Potting On: Your cuttings should root in about three weeks. As
soon as they are rooted they should be potted up singly into small
pots say 3½” using a good quality compost. They will
grow on quickly and you will require to move them to a bigger
pot after about 14 days. Do not let them dry out or become pot
bound. Move them up to larger pots as required and give them plenty
of room to prevent them becom47
ing drawn or ‘leggy’.
Hardening Off: I do not like this term because you do not want
your plants to become hard or woody at any time. Becoming acclimatised
to growing outside is what you want your plants to do about the
end of May. By placing them in a cold frame for a couple of weeks
prior to planting out and giving as much air and space as possible
while at the same time ensuring that they do not get caught by
the dreaded frost should get them ready for the great outdoors.
Never be in a rush to plant out -the first week in June is early
enough. You are more likely to lose than gain if we get a late
frost.
Stopping: This refers to pinching out the central growing tip
from the plant and in fact is a contradiction in terms as the
removal of the tip actually increases the growth of side shoots
and really STARTS the plant into vigorous growth. This act
also has SOME bearing on when the plant will eventually flower
and different varieties require to be stopped on different dates.
The middle of June would be about average.
De-branching: This means the restricting of the number of shoots
or branches. This is done in an effort to control the size of
flowers which you will eventually have. Experience tells you how
many branches to leave but as a rough guide you could use the
following:- giants - 3; large -5; mediums and smalls -8 to 10;
miniatures 12 to 14. Pompons require special treatment and I commend
to you the article by Frank Newbery, Bristol, an acknowledged
expert on this subject, which appeared in ‘Impact’ 1987/88.
Disbudding: At the end of each branch there will normally be three
buds. In most cases only the central one is left to flower with
the other two being carefully rubbed out. There are varieties
which are better grown on a side bud, but this may be confusing
for a beginner.
Staging: Is the term used for vasing up your blooms and arranging
them in position at the flower show. This is not as easy as one
might imagine and the three P’s are called for - Patience
- Precision - Perseverance.
A question that is often asked by beginners is - “How
many plants should I grow?” The best answer would be about
ten less than you can manage to look after. When deciding on how
many to grow you should bear in mind that the area required for
each plant is approximately one square yard. I grow about four
hundred plants but that takes care of most of my spare time during
the season. For a new start I would recommend about one hundred
plants to see how you get on with them.
“What varieties should I grow?”. Before answering this
question I would require to know what the grower wanted to do
with his flowers - e.g. to exhibit at his local show only; to
show at all the local shows in the immediate vicinity or to specialise
in one or two particular types with a view to competing at the
bigger shows. Before compiling a list of varieties to grow it
would be advantageous to read the reports of shows in your area
to see what varieties are winning in your particular area. Some
varieties seem to do better in some areas than others. In the
Classified Directory issued bi-annually by the National Dahlia
Society there are listed several hundred varieties but you should
restrict yourself to proven winners. Course and distance winners
are favoured by horse racing punters rather than horses with no
previous form.
If you fancy growing giants you can do no better than refer
to the article in this issue by Derek Hewlett. He is one of the
world’s leading dahlia growers and has a record second to
none for exhibiting giant decoratives. In the large semi-cactus
section the Keenes are regular winners while there are no large
decoratives which I would recommend to a new start. Medium decoratives
which do well in Scotland are few and far between with Sherwood
Standard probably the easiest one to grow.
The medium semi-cactus is my own particular favourite classification
and there are a lot of top quality dahlias in this section. This
section is usually the best supported at most shows. The Moonlights
are the best in this section but are not the easiest to grow and
are often adversely affected by our damp conditions. The Symbol
family is one of the largest in the Classified Directory with
numerous sports from the world famous Symbol which has been winning
regularly for about forty years. Symbol and its Salmon and Lavender
sports have served me well over the years while more recently
Majjas Symbol and Sunray Glint have also found their way into
my collection. Davenport Sunlight, a rich yellow; the creamy white
Suffolk Bride and the new M.S.C.?? Grenidor Pastelle will also
serve you well in this group.
In the small decorative section Lady Linda and Nina Chester have
had a good run at the top. In more recent times Ruskin Diane and
Honeymoon Dress have made their presence felt, while David Boyd’s
Cloverdale looks as though it could be difficult to beat. There
are now two sports of Honeymoon Dress - Pink and Apricot which
could also do well. Barry Davies has introduced a lot of Barbarry
seedlings with varying degrees of success. Senzoe Ursula gets
rave notices south of the border and is a beautiful flower when
well grown but I feel we live too near to the North Pole to bank
on this one. You may feel that this list is too long but at the
end of the day YOU must decide on the ones YOU want to grow. I
recall a number of years ago at Ayr Flower Show advising a new
start to write down all the varieties he liked and then to grow
them. Two hours later I met up with him again and he was still
writing. “Ah like them all” was his reply when I asked
if he had completed his list.
Small cactus or semi-cactus also boasts of many good varieties
although I have not grown many that excited me. The Athalie family
do well in England but do not seem to attain the same depth in
Scotland. The Kerkrades are difficult to keep down to size. The
new Kiwi Gloria had a good year in 1989 and I’m sure will
be grown in abundance in the nineties. The Marc family have done
well up here over the years but I feel that they have lost a lot
of their vigour. I have not seen a really good vase of them for
some time. I intend to grow only two varieties in any great number
next year - White Klankstad, which has long been a favourite of
mine, and Kiwi Gloria. I will grow a few plants of Lemon Elegans,
which has shown some potential, and the Scottish raised Radfo
to see if they make the required standard in my plot.
The miniature decorative section is increasing rapidly in popularity
and there are a number of good varieties to choose from. The late
Alan Dunlop raised a few good ones with the Davenport prefix;
Barry Davies has also raised a few which could be worth a try.
My son Andrew has grown a number of miniatures during the past
two years with Armguard Coronet; Elizabeth Hammett and Abridge
Fox giving a reasonable account of themselves but I do not suppose
that too many people would disagree with me if I suggested that
Abridge Taffy and Margaret Ann are still the ones to beat in this
section. Unfortunately neither of them are all that easy to grow.
Try a few plants of a few different varieties would be my advice
for the miniatures.
The miniature cactus or semi-cactus sections are both poorly represented
and there does not appear to be a lot of interest in them up here.
The same can be said of the small ball classes with the miniature
ball section being much more popular. L’Ancresse has been
shown particularly well by John Buchanan, being best vase of miniatures
at the Scottish National and the Best Vase in Show at the prestigious
Townhead Show in Coatbridge. Of the newer varieties the red Laura
Marie and the yellow Vazon Bay have a classy look about them.
The trouble with most new growers is that they try to grow far
too many varieties. You are far better to grow fewer varieties
and grow a reasonable number of each variety; this way you will
have a much better chance of getting a good vase on Show day.
Try to get out and about and visit as many growers as you can
during the season. Be nosey and ask a lot of questions. Most of
the lads I have come into contact with during my time growing
dahlias like to pass on their ‘secrets’. By doing this
you will avoid many of the pitfalls which others have fallen into.
Look after your plants as well as you possibly can during the
season. Water them well if we get a long hot sunny summer (well
you never know we might get one sometime); spray regularly to
keep the insect life down and tie them up to protect them from
the wind. Don’t be afraid of going along to your local show
and having a bash. You will amaze yourself how quickly you learn
and soon you will be up there collecting the trophies at the Scottish
National.
I wish you every success and hope you get as much enjoyment from
growing dahlias as I have had over the years.