APROXIMATELY FIVE YEARS AGO, having grown small cactus and small semi-cactus dahlias for about twenty five years, I decided to look for a new challenge and have a complete change. I decided to have a go at growing miniature decoratives and miniature balls as I felt this was the direction dahlia growing would go.
Growing miniature flowered dahlias requires a great deal more skill in their cultivation to achieve the quality flower that I am looking for.
My culture is as follows:- Cuttings are rooted about the 21st of March in batches of ten in the normal manner.
To achieve a more balanced plant, they are potted up in three and a half inch pots in a proprietary peat based compost to which fine builders sand is added Two parts compost to one part sand. The plants are spread out on the bench leaving three inches between pots, given a light water, grown cool with water kept to a minimum.
The resulting plants are short jointed and fill the pots with a good root ball ready to plant last week in May, first week in June depending on weather conditions.
Allowing miniatures to grow lushly is a mistake and should be avoided at all costs. I believe that lush plants at an early stage end up more prone to damping off and weak stems.
Miniatures should be planted out 24 x 19 inches into ground which is firm, I no longer dig or rotovate. This I feel results in neat tidy blooms. The plants are stopped from the 7th to 14th June depending on the variety and the state of the plant. There is no point in stopping a plant if it is not ready to go. This only results in different growth.
Having been in the ground for fourteen days, I find that the roots have completely covered the area they were planted in. Because of this I never work with a hoe, preferring to hand weed all the time which allows me to closely observe the plants as they grow This also allows me to take action over pest control.
I use finger and thumb to remove pests and rarely resort to using chemicals as using this method I rarely see greenfly or caterpillars on the dahlias.
My main pest over the last couple of years has been vine weevil.
I controlled this by going out at night with a torch and removing
them from the top of the plants.
Cats are my other main pest but unfortunately they cannot be removed
in the same manner.
As the plants mature, they are tied loosely to allow the blooms to move in the wind. Disbudding is the most important stage and the temptation to over disbud should be resisted and do not be tempted to disbud too quickly. Leave the main bud until it is the size of a five pence piece.
THE IDEAL BLOOM SIZE!
My aim is to produce flowers all the same size regardless of the
variety and to produce them to the ideal size not the maximum
size. This is important as they look better in multi-vase classes,
especially six vase classes.
It may sound complicated but it can be achieved by leaving side buds on longer than normal. Experience with each variety allows me to achieve the correct balance.
Selecting blooms for an exhibit is the next most important stage. A walk around the dahlias the night before a cut is very important. Matching colour and size is of the utmost importance and is often overlooked.
Growing miniature decoratives and balls in Scotland today involves choosing the correct varieties to suit the Scottish climate.
I grow all my dahlias outside so they have to stand up to the wind and the rain. Strong stems are important so forget about Laura Marie the Barbarry varieties and Karenglen which is very bad for damping and should have been classified as a small decorative as 95% come over size.
My selection of varieties at the present time include the following
released by Geerlings
Amber Glow this was the first Geerling orange blend to really
impress me and they just get better and better.
Cornell this is dark red, non fading with robust stems.
Loretta miniature decorative, lavender blend held at a perfect angle. This one will hold in exhibition condition for four to five days.
Jomanda miniature ball, the biggest step forward in miniature
balls since Wootton Cupid This will become the standard to which
other varieties will have to aspire. The immaculate lay of the
petals as they open out into top class exhibition blooms is thrilling
to observe.
Jomanda has 50% more petals than the Cupids L’Ancresse, Hamari
Rose, Kathryn’s Cupid and Peach Cupid complete the miniature
balls and need no comment.
As for miniature decoratives, I grow Abridge Fox, Davenport
Honey, La Corbierre and Ruby Wedding.
La Corbierre - I rate as the best miniature decorative at the
present time. The blooms sit at an ideal angle, petals have an
even lay and an unusual colour which is easy to match What more
could anyone want from a variety?
From the list of varieties I grow, you will see there is a wide range of colours available so there is no need to be restricted to white and yellow.
The Judge's Decision is Final
There are perhaps one or two disadvantages in growing miniatures.
Many judges are not
capable of judging miniatures. When this type of judge is on
the go there is no point in showing anything other than the Cupid
Family. I may have had it wrong all these years but I had it
in my mind the flowers were being judged and not the varieties.
Lack of classes at shows is another problem. There is a need
at many shows to cater for a single vase class and a multi-vase
class for miniature decoratives and balls. This would go a long
way to improve the situation. There are of course forward looking
shows which go out of their way to encourage the growing of dahlias.
Dundee, Scotland’s Premier Show for dahlias has a six vase
class, a three vase class and a single vase class.
I would like to see major shows asking for a vase of six blooms
of miniatures which would make an impressive exhibit.
There is one certainty - miniatures will make a greater impression in the years to come and will encourage more people to grow and exhibit dahlias.