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.