Dahlias

[CarolB]

I'm so excited. I planted my first dahlia bulbs about 2-3 weeks ago and I saw 3 little "heads" popping up in that bed this afternoon. I'm in zone 7. I understand they should make flowers all summer if I keep them deadheaded and cut! Any dahlia advice out there? Thanks,
Carol

[Trellis]

This is my first year for dahlias, to, but I must confess that I cheated and bought a pot at a farmers market. They are beautiful! Did you plant them in the ground or in a pot?

[CarolB]

Trellis, mine are in the ground. I bought either 10 or 12( can't remember) bulbs from brentandbeckys.com Half the bulbs are a deep red and the other half a golden yellow, I mixed them in the same bed. Have you used brent and beckys, this is the third time I have ordered from them for bulbs. I have been very pleased. We have a fairly new home and I've bought jonquils and tulips the past two yrs for the yard. I bought an amarylis bulb also last yr. also Gorgeous! It had like 5 blooms on it, lasted forever. I'll keep ya posted on my dahlia progress. Were yours already coming up in the pot? What color did you buy?

[Trellis]

I have not tried brent and beckys but thanks for the tip. Living in a small town my resources are limited. My dahlias were already blooming in the pot and are fuschia. I just love them and wish I had purchased more now. They seem to be spreading though. Actually I broke the plant into 3 pieces and planted them into three different pots on my patio.

[eHelen]

CarolB, did you plant your amaryllis in the ground, too? We received one as a Christmas gift. The bulbs were in a Christmas planter, and not long after opening the box with the planted bulbs inside, the first spot of green stem appeared. It was almost like I popped the plastic wrap off and a leaf looking thing, tiny and all popped up. The first one to bloom had five blooms on it, including one double faced bloom. Truly amazing and fun to watch grow. We are in TN near you Carol, I am wondering if I transfer it to the ground if it will survive? It's been dipping into the 40s several nights in the past week.

[Trellis]

I have amaryllis planted in the ground and it does fine in my area. I don't have any blooms yet but it's still early. Our daylillies aren't blooming yet either.

[CarolB]

No, I didn't plant my amaryllis after it bloomed. To be honest, I didn't even consider it. I'm stupid! I tried unsuccessfully to post a pic of our daylilies, they are going crazy with blooms right now.

[eHelen]

Our daylilies have not even hinted at blooming! They rarely ever have. A neighbor, who has a large daylily garden that is frequently on tour, says we have too much shade. Well, I see them growing along the roadside under many shady tall trees, just a blooming!!! DH fertilized them and we have healthy green leaves and more of them than ever. Could this also mean that they need to be dug and separated?

Carol, hope you can get the daylilies posted.

[CarolB]

Oh, shoot! I've tried twice to upload the day lily shots and the files are too big! How aggravating. I am limited as to how much I know about computers!! I got a new digital camera for Christmas but I think this is the first time I have tried to post pics from it. It is supposed to be the easiest one out! Kodak Easy Share, how pitiful!!

[administrator]

Hi Carol,

We have to limit photo sizes with the forums or readers would be posting pictures that are so large they break the web site. The Kodak Easy Share cameras are actually quite good, but the image sizes can take up multiple screens. I'm sure the camera came with image software that allows you to size the photo down to about 400 pixels, or 4-inches wide and save as a jpg file. You can always send photos to me and I'll size them correctly.

[Sharon_in_SC]

CarolB, did you plant your amaryllis in the ground, too? We received one as a Christmas gift. The bulbs were in a Christmas planter, and not long after opening the box with the planted bulbs inside, the first spot of green stem appeared. It was almost like I popped the plastic wrap off and a leaf looking thing, tiny and all popped up. The first one to bloom had five blooms on it, including one double faced bloom. Truly amazing and fun to watch grow. We are in TN near you Carol, I am wondering if I transfer it to the ground if it will survive? It's been dipping into the 40s several nights in the past week.
Hi! I was doing a Google search on how to plant Amaryllis seeds and I came upon this thread. I live near Clemson, SC and I have had two Amaryllis plants in the ground for over two years. They have bloomed both years and last week I harvested the seeds from the seed pod. I am going to plant them and see what happens! I have the bulbs planted behind my house in an area that is a little more protected from the elements. I was surprised when they came back up the first spring and have been delighted with when they bloomed.