Website UPDATED!! New dahlia photos, Gift certificates, boxed gifts

Finally got the Garden's website updated yesterday! What a GREAT feeling! Most of the new dahlias and photos have been uploaded and connected, new songs are on each page of the new portion. Jan's Country Garden offers Gift Certificates, and boxed and wrapped gardener gifts. The boxed & wrapped gift offers your choice of dahlia tubers, a pair of gardening gloves, and a hand trowel to plant the tubers. A gift that keeps on giving to the recipient!! My fav new song is: http://www.janscountrygarden.com/jansgarden10_054.htm

"Put another long on the fire." So fun!!!

"People's Choice" for BEST Booth at Clallam County Fair 2009 in Ag Barn

What a SURPRISE to receive a check for $40.00 in the mail yesterday. The Garden's booth at the Fair was the winner of the "People Choice" as the Best Booth in the Ag. Barn! The booth wasn't even listed on the voting form. Folks wanted to know "Why not?" Had no answer for them. They wanted to know if they could write it in?! Sure!! So, we started telling everyone to write "Jan's Country Garden" in on the bottom of the voting form and to "Vote for Us!" Well, lo and behold, the booth won!

On Monday the garden got frosted pretty good. On Tuesday night it was 26º on our back deck. All the dahlia leaves turned black. I started cutting the dahlias down on Wednesday--4 rows. Today I cut down another six rows--that's 500 feet of dahlias.

Oh, the cold wind blows; the rains come down!!

The dahlias are unhappy with the inclement weather. I'm considering closing the garden after this week.

This is Normandy P. Pearl. Nice little waterlily!

Summertime in the Dahlia Garden!

It's been a busy summer here in Port Angeles. The dahlia garden has been VERY busy and the U-Pick Veggies has also been VERY busy! The U-Pick was closed today due to veggies all gone!!
Dahlia tuber sales will continue for a couple of weeks.

Two sessions on growing dahlias has been presented. The first one to the Sequim Prairie Garden Club, the second to the Four Season Ranch Garden Club. Both were a lot of fun.

Most ALL the dahlia tuber orders are filled!!

The names of the new dahlia tuber cultivars received from the Masopust Gardens in the Czech Republic are:

Alauna Clair Obscure

Alauna Luna

Cecilka

Shu Hokan

Kawa Biraki

Shogun

Angora

Shu Hokan

Yozora

Mas Carmen

Mas Marie

Mas Robert

Keating Estate

I found photos doing a Google web search and "Gee, they're pretty!" The one named Alauna Claire Obscur was hybridized by Michel Robert, President of the French Dahlia Society. He also created Alauna Luna.

Michel Robert said he would be shipping my request on April 15. When he asked to acquire 9 of my dahlia varieties, he said, "Of course, we will pay for the phytosanitary Certificate which costs around $35." I can hardly wait to get the package...

It has been a busy time for me but there is light at the end of the tunnel! I've gotten most of my vegetables planted either in flats in the greenhouse or already in the ground--cooler crops, like broccoli, onions, garlic, cauliflower, etc.

Processing orders, tripping to the Post Office, working in the COLD!!

Brrh, it's so cold in the potting shed--40º -- but, the work has to be done! I believe that folks like me always have so many things they WANT to do, but can't because there's so many things they HAVE to do! I want to plant my onions, Walla Wallas, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, spinach and garlic even tho it's so cold! What I HAVE to do is fill my orders. I WANT to start my many squashes and other warm weather crops in pots. I HAVE to fill my orders! Okay, I've whined enough...

I'll have these beautiful dahlias growing in my garden next summer!! Oh my, I can hardly wait!!

Czech Republic dahlia tubers received today!!!

The postman brought a little package to my garden today. It contained 12, yes, TWELVE new varieties of dahlias either hybridized by Sv. Masopust (Czech Republic), Konishi (a Japanese grower), or Michel Robert of France. I was thrilled!! I quickly potted them up so they can start growing--they were such little guys! I've been hoping I would receive Alauna Claire Obscure (Robert) and lo and behold... IT WAS THERE!! Isn't it beautiful?

Wishing everyone a Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Just wanted to say Happy March 17th and wishing you the best of Irish Luck!

Corned Beef, cabbage, and baby carrots are a cookin' and we'll have mashed potatoes with gravy, a fresh green salad, and a fruit salad! Happy Day to all!

Surely Spring MUST be near, this snow has gotta go!!

Incredible to see the snow coming down today here at the farm. But, at least it wasn't like where we spent Fri. and Sat. nite in Brinnon. We woke up to an inch of new snow and it was snowing like crazy. We had heard the weather prediction of a possible 16" of snow in some areas and decided we'd better head over Walker Mt. before it would be impossible to get over to go home. Didn't even stop for breakfast! Just packed the cooler and our bag and headed home!

FINISHED TODAY!! The last of the 40+ BIG boxes are unpacked!

Now I have 400 shoe-box sized boxes loaded with beautiful dahlia tubers. I'll start pulling my planting stock tomorrow and for the rest of this week. Then, next week start filling my growing number of orders. I have lots of return customers so I think that might mean I'm doing something right! Wahoo! Life is Good even if it has snowed for the last 3 days in a row. I sure am getting tired of the snow and cold. Time to find a warm place and lay in the sun!

Jan's Country Garden certified by Washington State Dept. of Agriculture

Yesterday, Tobin Lewis, an inspector for Washington State Dept. of Agriculture came to the garden and inspected my growing, dividing, processing, and storage of dahlias. When he was all finished he said I passed the inspection with "flying colors" and the garden will be added to the list of certified gardens.

This is what the dahlias look like when all boxed!

I'll run out of small boxes before too long and I'm a long ways from being done!

To see a display of my collection of over 400 varieties go to:

http://www.janscountrygarden.com/

Dahlias from Czech Republic arriving in March!!

Jan's Country Garden will have 10 NEW European dahlias from the Czech Republic growing in the garden. Totally Awesome!! Just got word today!! Hopefully this will be one of the new ones! Alauna Clair Obscur hybridized by Michel Robert of France's Dahlia Society.

Last Friday and the French Dahlia Conservatory

I was so excited about getting an email last Friday from, Michel Robert, the President of the French Dahlia Society. He wrote:

"Dear Jan,

Maybe you know I am in charge of the conservation dahlia garden of the FrenchDahlia Society, which is approved as "Collection Nationale" (no need to translate!).

Looking attentively to your dahlia list I saw you grew some cultivars we are looking for. Would it be possible to buy or exchange the sevarieties with some we grow ? Of course, we would pay the phytosanitarycertificate.

These cultivars are :

ABRACADABRA

ALICE MAY

BELLEFLEUR

BLOOMS XL

CAP'N HERSCHEL

JEWEL K

JR'S FLASH

ORANGE BOUNTY

PERSIAN MONARCH

You can see the conservation garden web page at http://sfddahlia.free.fr/Conservatoire/leconserv.htm

Regards from Paris,

Michel ROBERT

President of the French Dahlia Society"

I called the WA State Dept. of Agriculture about getting a Phytosanitary Certificate and a guy from the Dept. is coming to the garden tomorrow afternoon for an inspection. I won't be able to provide the tubers for a year though, because my garden needs to be inspected twice while actively growing during the summer.

I emailed Michel and told him I would prefer to trade... he is a hybridizer and has some BEAUTIFUL dahlias that I would love to have in my garden. Gotta to get to work in the potting shed now.

Up with dahlias!!

SNOW!!! 10" of Snow last night! WOW

Couldn't believe my eyes when I stepped out of the Potting Shed last evening at 4 p.m. to be greeted by wind blowing SNOW sideways! And, it was cold too. I'd been unpacking dahlias by the 100's--they are looking awesome with buds showing--ready to grow! Every year I'm amazed at these incredible little plump stumpy tubers that create the most beautiful flowers I've ever seen every Summer... not just for a little while, but, ALL Summer long, into October until there is frost.

Spring is approaching, work to do

Jan's Country Garden

There is no more beautiful and "giving" flower than a Dahlia!

The dahlia you see to the right is named Laura's Dream after my daughter. It is the most exquisite flower I've ever seen!