There is nothing quite like the excitement and expectation of growing some new dahlia varieties. Some really excellent cultivars have arrived from around the world this year, plus some superb home bred introductions.
Giant Decoratives
Sir Alf Ramsey. Beautiful 12 inch lavender and white blended blooms
have fine form and depth. Peter Cleaver’s Harrogate seedling
winner is named after the former England football manager. Best
grown three up to reach maximum potential. Healthy 4ft plant habit.
Mingus Whitney. This American champion arrived with a reputation
as a semi-cactus, but has proved to be a top class decorative.
Strong growing 4ft plants, produced ivory white 11 inch blooms
when grown three up.
Winkie Colonel. An Australian novelty with true class. Bold dark
red 12 inch blooms are held on strong stems and 3.5ft plant habit.
Grow three up.
Giant Semi-Cactus
Janal Amy. This Alan Jones National seedling champion produces
bright yellow immaculately formed 11 inch flowers. Blooms have
strong stems and are produced on low 3ft plants.
Large Decoratives
Gitt’s Perfection. Although this classy American introduction
is being released as a large flowered, many of the blooms came
well up to giant size, when grown four up. Pale pink and white
reflexing flowers dress right back onto strong stems, healthy
4ft plants.
Hillcrest Prince. This Les Jackson raising, produces powerful
10 inch blooms in a rich lavender pink. Not unlike Elma E, but
much earlier to flower.
The robust 3.5ft plants should be restricted to 4 / 5 blooms,
to reach maximum potential.
Willowfield Nick. Good sized 10 inch flowers are produced on strong
stems with 4ft growth. Chunky informal blooms come in light apricot
/ bronze and have good depth.
Medium Decoratives
Hillcrest Kismet. With a petal count of 300 per bloom, it is not
surprising that the 8 inch salmon pink flowers have tremendous
refinement.
Les Jackson’s novelty was chosen as overall best seedling
in show at the London National Show. Top exhibitor David Boyd
grew 6 blooms per plant to produce the blooms used in London,
so it will need growing very well to reach section limits. Vigorous
3.5ft plant habit.
Barbarry Fusion. Another that will need to be grown well to reach
top size. Superbly formed reflexing bronze and yellow blooms are
very early to flower and should be restricted to 5 flowering stems.
Strong healthy 3.5ft growth and stout stems.
Cherwell Siskin. This is a bright yellow reflexing cultivar from
champion exhibitor June Davis. Well formed 8 inch blooms have
sharp globular form and dress back onto powerful stems and clean
4ft habit. Grow 6-7 up.
Caproz Jerry Garcia. A very eye-catching addition to the section.
Bright red petals are backed with a gold reverse. Full sized blooms
having good form and depth are supported on 4ft plants, with strong
stems. Grow 7 up.
Medium Semi-cactus
Janal Cameron. What a colour, bright apricot blooms have fine
form and depth. Needs to be grown 5 up to reach the 8 inch mark.
Very early flowering healthy 4.5ft habit.
Darlington Diamond. Seemed to light up the Northern trials at
Golden Acre Park, Leeds. Bright buttercup yellow full bodied blooms
had good form, when grown 7 up. Healthy 4ft habit.
Rockcliffe Gold. Golden yellow blooms with a dash of bronze. Very
sharp tightly quilled exhibition quality blooms of the highest
level. Eight inch blooms are produced on 4ft plants, when grown
7 up. Raised by Eric Thompson.
Rokewood Candy. Runner up as best overseas variety of the year.
Fine dark pink straight cactus blooms are produced on strong 4ft
late flowering plants. Grow 6 up. Raised by Joe Daniel (Australia).
Jorga. Raised in America by the late Phil Traff in 1993. This
powerful bright red cultivar has taken a while before being released
in the U.K. The full bodied blooms have good depth, but will require
shading for show bench use. Clean strong 4ft plants should be
restricted to 7 blooms per plant.
Small
Cactus & Semi-cactus
Horst Athalie. This cracking new cream overlaid with lavender
is a sport from Athalie. John Wheatley’s straight cactus
has the usual fine form and depth associated with this family.
Strong 4.5ft habit. For exhibition purposes restrict to 10 blooms
per plant.
Ruskin Delight. This clear yellow Semi-cactus from Stan Pennington.
Finely quilled petals tend to incurve slightly and build a flower
that has tremendous depth. Healthy strong growing 4ft plants should
be grown 8 up to reach the 6 inch mark.
Ruskin Marigold. Is another from the same raiser. It’s hard
to decide whether the crisply formed bright orange blooms will
end up S.C or S.S.C. It will be a top notch addition to either
section. Early flowering plants reach 3.5ft in height. Grow 8
up.
Jackie’s Desire. Excellent sport from the top class straight
cactus Sylvia’s Desire. The orange and yellow blooms have
just a touch more yellow around their centres than the parent.
Allow 10-12 blooms on the strong growing 4ft plants.
Small Decoratives
Amber Gateshead Festival. I must admit, that when I was shown
a bloom of this amber sport from top class variety Gateshead Festival
last season I was a little sceptical. We have all produced paler
blooms of this cultivar. Usually a paler colour is achieved if
the bloom has been shaded. However the consistent colour that
raiser David Boyd produced throughout his exhibits at Harrogate
was outstanding. The form and late flowering 3.5ft plant habit
are identical to the parent. The raiser used a superb matching
set of 5 to win the Bikini trophy for best vase of dahlias in
show. Best grown 7 up.
Barbarry Fermain. Good reflexing purple blooms dress back onto
the strongest of stems in a honeycomb of petals. Usual healthy
3.5ft plant habit that we expect from a Barry Davies raising.
Grow 6 up to achieve top size.
Painted Lady. This pink and white reflexing variety was on good
form when I visited the Northern trials. Refined petal lay and
good depth. Grow 7 up for exhibition use, on this healthy 3.5ft
cultivar.
Small Ball
Babette. I was not sure last year if this variety would make a
better small or miniature cultivar. Grown 7 up this year it fitted
into this section well. Rich purple globular blooms have great
power and depth. Robust virus free 4ft growth and strong stems.
Raiser Cor Geerling (Holland).
SnoHo-Peggy. This salmon pink beauty from Bill Bonneywell (USA)
performed consistently all season and was one of the best overseas
varieties seen. 5 inch blooms dress back well onto good stems,
with fine clean foliage and 4ft habit.
Tina B. Was undoubtedly the biggest ball dahlia that I have ever
seen. If there was a section for medium ball varieties, this one
would most certainly qualify. Rich lavender blooms have larger
petals than anything seen in this section before.
By growing 12 or more blooms it can be kept down to the 6 inch
mark and could make a spectacular single vase exhibit, but would
not match any of the existing varieties in the section for form
or size. Strong growing 4ft plants. Raiser Mr. P. Burden.
White Polventon Supreme. Pure white sport from the bright yellow
Polventon Supreme. Same superb form as it’s parent and in
a much needed colour in this section. Strong 4ft plants are best
grown 8 up. Raiser Mr. E. Boone.
Small Flowered Waterlily
Amaran Troy. Pleasant shell pink variety from Roger Stevens. A
prolific blooming variety. Flowers are held on strong wiry stems
and can be grown unrestricted.
Miniature Decoratives
Cindy. This bright yellow Dutch beauty, was chosen as the best
overseas variety of the year at the 1998 London National Show.
It really is a classy cultivar. Perfectly formed globular blooms
can be pushed up into the small section by growing 6 up. As a
miniature as many stems should be produced as possible and then
just lightly disbudded, to help blooms stay within the 4 inch
limit. Three foot plants tend to look a little unhealthy in the
early stages, but grow through it later.
Rosendale Tara. Don Kershaw’s pale yellow newcomer has fine
form and as with most varieties in this section, comes to size
easily.
A consistent reliable variety that produces well formed reflexing
blooms all season long, on strong 4ft plants. Grow 10-12 up.
Valley Pop. Bright currant red blooms have perfect decorative
form. As with most America miniatures, this Dave Smith raising
will need to be restricted to 7 up to reach an acceptable size.
Clean strong 4ft growing habit.
Miniature Ball
Dave’s Kiss. If there was ever an ideal all round dahlia
for garden, cut flower or show bench use, then this is it. Winner
of both the sport and Bicoloured classes at both the London and
Harrogate National Shows this year. Globular dark red blooms are
overlaid with bold white tips. Blooms are very uniform and easy
to match.
The sport has more refinement than it’s parent Canadian champion
Auroras Kiss. Superb 4 inch blooms are produced when grown 8-9
up. Strong stems and healthy robust 4ft plant habit.
L.A.T.E. An Interesting early free flowering cultivar from Tom
Cleghorn. Well formed blooms come in orange and peach blends.
Good sized blooms are produced on 4ft plants grow 10 up.
Lemon Zing. Another from the same raiser. Lemon yellow globular
blooms reflex tightly onto strong stems. Plants need to be grown
8 up for top size to be reached. Strong 4ft growth.
Miniature
Cactus & Semi-cactus
Western Pirate. Superb garden or exhibition straight cactus variety.
Sharply formed dark red blooms are produced on early, free flowering
3.5ft plants. Grow unrestricted, to produce a non stop splash
of colour all season.
Western Flamingo. Has exquisitely formed pale pink blossoms come
to size without any restrictions. Early free flowering cactus.
Long stemmed blooms on 3.5ft plants, from Tom McLelland.
Western Pinkie. Another that caught my eye at Golden Acre park
was this bright pink Semi-cactus.
Early free flowering cultivar that throws up perfectly formed
dual purpose flowers from July till October. No restriction of
the 3.5ft plants is required.
Fimbriated
Fidalgo Climax. Nine and a half inch bright yellow blooms have
extremely good form and depth for a fimbriated variety. This Harrogate
Bronze Medal winner has every chance of taking the section by
storm. Strong healthy 4ft habit. Grow 5 up. Raised by Dick Matthies
(USA).
Pompons
Nicola Jane. Fine new pale pink and white pom from Richard Cook.
Tightly formed globular blooms are produced on 3.5ft plants. Needs
only light disbudding.
Pacific Revival. New Zealand Gold Medal winner. Lilac and white
blended blooms have superb show bench form and are held on strong
3.5ft plants.
Jean’s Carol. This rich violet sport from Red Carol has tight
globular form and is a noticeable improvement on the parent. As
the calyx leaves at the back of the bloom are very small, there
is no need to decalyx. Only light disbudding is required on this
healthy 4ft cultivar. Raised by Mr. P. Churlish.
Pink Carol. Yet another sport from the Minley Carol family. Pink
and white blended blooms have all the excellent qualities of it’s
parent.