Website updated, uploaded last night!!

It always take a while to get back into the groove of working on the website.  Trial and error, trial and error until I finally get it right.  I am so glad it's now done!  I have many many new dahlias with their photos on the website.  New music too!

Ferncliff Illusion

Fiaker

Yellow Passion

What an AWESOME flower this one is!

It blooms and blooms and blooms... georgous!

Nearly TWO THIRDS of the dahlias have been dug!! Wahoooo!

I and my helpers have been working long days digging, dividing, cleansing, drying and storing the dahlia tubers.  The weather has been nice so it hasn't been an unpleasant job.  Tomorrow is another long day.

I will be updating my website with "Sold Out" varieties within the next two weeks.  A person can only do so much in a day...

Here's a couple of beauties!!

Camano Buz

Caproz Raspberry Twinkle

Lady Darlene

Laura's Dream

I've cut one of these blooms, put it in a large bowl with water

(changing it daily) and it lasts a full two weeks and still looks beautiful!

Have a Great Day!!

The garden experienced a "frost" last night.

Now it's time to cut down the dahlias and start digging.
Photos of some new dahlias:

I am not certain of the name for this dahlia, but it's really beautiful. 

Grows to about 10 inches across when it's full bloom.  Stands about 4-1/2 feet tall. 

Blue Boy

The garden will be closed Saturday, Sept. 3, 2011

This is my annual dahlia tuber buying trip each year so will be closed.

Harvey Coop

Leray

This is two of the new ones!!  Very nice!

Dahlia tuber orders will be accepted AFTER Sept. 15, 2011

Hopefully, by the middle of September the majority of the dahlias will be blooming for everyone.  I will be working on updating the dahlia website with more new photos of the newest additions from several USA garden as well as more from France and the Czech Republic.

August 10, 2011 -- Dahlias are blooming!!

Every day there are more blooms to see in the garden... FINALLY!!!

With the warmer weather the dahlias are growing much better.

The corn is more than 6 feet tall and forming ears and tassels. 
The peas and green beans are also 6 feet tall and still growing!

I opened the garden today for U-Pick Vegetables.  There is
finally something to pick!

The garden got a new work horse today!!

Lots of running around to do on the farm!  This will make it easier and quicker.  The dahlias are beginning to bloom... I picked two bouquets today.  One was of purples and pinks and the other was yellows, reds and oranges.  Very nice to finally have the dahlias blooming.

The vegetables are starting to present themselves too!  Will soon be opening the U-Pick Veggie garden for fresh organically grown vegetables.  We've been eating broccoli, zucchini and using lots of herbs for seasonings.  Fun!!  Have a great day!

Corn is knee-high, dahlias are blooming...

The corn is doing nicely so you can expect corn-on-the-cob to pick as the season progresses.

 Long range view of veggie garden.  Beans, peas, beets, spinach, swiss chard, zucchini and all kinds of summer squash, along with onions, cucumbers, and a ton of herbs!

 Strictly tomatoes (all kinds) in this hoop house.

Peppers (all kinds), cantelope (mini), and eggplant in this hoop house.
And the dahlias:

This is a minature called "Thumbalina,"  and is a real cutie.  I don't know how many tubers it will put on since it's so small... less than a foot tall!!

 This photo is shot from one angle, while the one below if from another angle.

All-in-all, I'm very pleased with how the dahlias are growing this year--even with the cooler weather.  We've been told some "nice" warm weather is just around the corner.  The dahlias and veggies will both love it!!

Have a Great 4th of July!!

Middle of June... seems like early April... cold, windy, rainy

Today we planted more than 150 potted dahlias, some already forming buds for blooms!  They look really terrific along-side all the new one popping up all over the place.  Now, it's time to keep the weeds under control... and that's a big job!

We planted 10 rows of corn for corn-on-the-cob.  Art planted it while I planted zucchini (s) and all kinds of summer squash, beets, spinach, all kinds of herbs, sugar snap peas, beans, fava beans, carrots, etc.  So much fun to watch the seeds sprout and grow.  Art also planted 7 long rows of potatoes--blue, red and kennebec.  Won't be long and the U-Pick will be open for veggies!!

June 1st and planting dahlias everyday...

Alauna Clair Obscure (Michel Robert - France)

Alauna Luna (Michel Robert - France)

Alauna Violeterra (Michel Robert - France)

Mas Michael  (Czech Republic - Masopust)

Mas Pride  (Czech Republic - Masopust)

Radegast

Sorbet

Oh, this weather!  It is just colder this year that last year at the same time.  I started planting last week.  It started raining on Friday and rained all day long.  Getting back at it today!

Got a box from France on Friday with 18 new varieties!!  How exciting for me.  Some are by French hybridizers, also from Russia, Latvia, Austrailia, and Holland.  Will be planting those today.  I have 30 pots of dahlias that came from Svatopluk Masopust of the Czech Republic already planted in pots and growing.

It's May 16, 2011, and the rain poured down for the last 24 hours!!

 Alpen Flathead

 Ben Huston

 Barbarry Glamour

 Blue Bayou

 Honka -- An Orchid Dahlia

Coral Frills

The forecast is for sun Wed., Thurs. & Fri.  I'm hoping to start planting dahlias!  They are so ready to be planted.  There are about 200 pots of planted tubers in the greenhouse and hoop house -- they too are ready to be planted!

Rainy weather continues, dahlia tuber sprouts are showing in pots!

This year I'm planning on having dahlia blooms a lot earlier than last.  Thanks to the cold rainy weather last year and the terrible summer wedding flowers had to be cancelled and bouquets were late into the stand.  This year I hope to plant earlier with the ones that I now have planted in pots (80 to a 100), cover them at night with an "upside-down" pot at night and uncover them during the day.  What do you think?  Will it work?

I've been updating the website on a regular basis.  Yesterday, March 29, was the most recent update.  Orders are still coming in, and I'm working hard during the day and sometimes at night filling orders.  Everyone (well, most...) have been very nice when contacted about their order.  I don't sub unless I have permission.  The orders are going well! 

Tomorrow is the last day for International orders to be placed!!

March 15, 2011 is the last day tubers can be ordered from the garden.  Inspection will be done on Thursday by Tobin Gilbert from the Washington State Department of Agriculture.  He will be issuing Phytosanitary Certificates to go with each order Thursday.

Snow photo from a couple of days ago...

We've had intermittant snow the past week.  The official record last Friday was 9.5 inches.  I keep checking on the dahlias and they are doing fine.  The temperature has been in the mid-20's but the little space heater in the potting shed keeps it at 40 degrees.  I've started one flat of dahlia tubers and about 8 flats of a variety of flowers and vegetables--all are kept on a heating cable at 70 degrees.

Another month of WINTER has passed!

Here we are, waiting for Spring so we can start planting dahlias, and here comes another blast of SNOW to calm us down!  More than an inch outside and still falling...

I've been going through the big bins of dahlia tubers putting all the tubers in their own little individual boxes so I can start filling orders.

Soon the Potting Shed will be filled in every possible space with boxes like this!  Then, it's planting time (That's AFTER I get all the orders filled!).

Storing dahlia tubers successfully in optimum conditions!

 This is just a few of the boxes that the tubers are stored in for the winter months.

 Tubers stay nice and plump.  It is easy to lift a package of tubers to see if any are rotting so it/they can be removed.

 A list of the tubers is placed on the outside of the box.

 Another box of stored tubers.

 Place a total of 4 paper towels on the bottom of the bin to catch any excess moisture.  Replace the paper towel when you check the tubers each month.

Place a total of 4 paper towels on the top of the tubers.  The paper towel will stop the moisture that collects on the lid of the bid so it doesn't drip on to the tubers causing them to rot.

JAN'S COUNTRY GARDEN: Preview "Checking boxes of tubers for any "bad" ones!!"

JAN'S COUNTRY GARDEN: Preview "Checking boxes of tubers for any "bad" ones!!"

JAN'S COUNTRY GARDEN: It's SNOWING again!!

JAN'S COUNTRY GARDEN: It's SNOWING again!!
http://www.janscountrygarden.com

It's SNOWING again!!

Well, that makes sense -- it is winter!

 Avoca Salmon

 Bodaccious

 Brookside Cherie

 Encore

 Alauna Luna

 Alpen Cherub

 Alloway Candy

                                          Abracadabra

The dahlias are doing marvelous.  Lots of  orders arriving in the mail and over the internet.  Many have sold out but there is still nearly 500 different varieties available.  I do hope everyone is having a good winter and that you are looking forward to Spring and planting season!!  Happy New Year!!