Tag Archive for 'Dahlias'

Rose Moradian on the Carrot Family, Daucus and Wendys Garden

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on August 24, 2008
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The Carrot family, Daucus, includes many species. There’s the edible kind we usually see at markets, Queen Anne Lace in the Springtime that pop up along the roads and the special kind I’m sharing with you now. Allow me to explain how I came across this discovery; I was researching what sort of plants got tall for Wendys Garden. I had seen mentioned Daucus in a list of unusual plants in Derry Watkins website, a famous plants person in England.

I knew the two to be family related, carrots and Queen Annes Lace, but not until that moment did I understand I could grow carrots for ornamental purposes! I suppose I’m not the first to get this, but I haven’t seen Giant Carrots grown in any other gardens but Wendys and the Lafond Vegetable Garden that I’ve planted. As I delved into investigating this,

I happened upon a wise old Garden person in town who was demonstrated collecting and germinating seeds at my worksite. He brought along a very long carrot, both in root and tops. He gently shook out the seeds and brought them directly into an awaiting pot of soil, slightly pressing them in and covering it with a light layer of soil. Those were the first batch of carrots for me.

It takes four months of germination to be able to handle the seedlings and gently plant them in the soil. Meanwhile, I ordered coloured carrot seeds ,like red or purple, and began growing these too. In Spring time, when the seedlings were about 3′ tall, I landed them in the gardens. After 5 months, some are 6′ tall and 4′ wide, glorious Umbels that keep on blooming and growing, unlike Queen Annes Lace that gives up the moment summers heat begins.

Gracefully present but not overwhelming, the Queen Umbels are a dependable source of frilly, lacy and interestingly but neutrally tinted flowers thru the Spring, Summer, Fall and I hope, Winter! I always use them in Wendys Bouquets. I love combining the soft and feminine form of the Daucus with opposite forms, like thistle, or Spider Dahlias for contrast. I’ve made cuts of up to 3′ feet on these with three or four sections to be used. I imagine Wedding Bouquets consisting of these instead of babys breath for filler, or alone as a stark and graceful effect.

The insects love these. I’ve observed 15 different insects on each open faced umbel at a time, so oblivious to me I could have touched them, just in heaven being in that flat floret faced beauty. The insects don’t eat the plants, just down the pollen and nectar like its booze and sugar, which in a way, it is. Fortunately there’s plenty of flowers for me, the bouquets and the insects as these never seem to stop making new flowers.

Another great benefit to the garden, the long taproots draw nutrients from the deeper layer of earth, which feeds the soil and thus itself, so it requires little if any fertilizer! The more consistently you use them the more they bloom. I will be growing many more of these, either for the edible roots for the Bistro at the Lafond Garden or the beauteous flowers for Bouguets at the Deli in Montecito. Its great having something like this turn out to be a beautifully stumbled upon useful flower~
Plants are so wonderful! Praise the plants!

Rose Moradian

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Dahlias by Rose Moradian

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on July 29, 2008
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Dahlias are a hardy perennial tuberous bulb that may be overwintered in dry climates. Dahlias have caused mild mannered men to become obsessed madmen by the huge scope of colors, sizes and shapes Dahlias come in. Plus, they’re rather easy to grow.

Dahlias are native to Central Americas. It as an accidental shipment of the tubers from Mexico to the Netherlands in 1872 that began the broad array of cultivars we have today. The Dutch are surely the most adventurous Flower hobbyists. True Dahlias, the oldest sort, are 12 to 20′ tall, often with large white or soft pink but plain blooms. These original Dahlia Trees are hollow inside the stem and were often made into pipes. They go completely dormant in the cold winter and have along bloom time from July to November, some of the Dahlia Trees lasting until January if its a mild winter.

Dahlias require well drained soil and need regular water, especially when they are struggling to rise up in the Spring. Weekly weak fish emulsion feeding and good dose of a systemic once in the first cycle is all they need for feeding. Protect them from slugs, too. Many a worm loves Dahlias, especially the fist tender shoots, so be weary.

A sad but necessary ritual for the first bloom is to cut the first pre- bloom off, before it opens, down to the middle, at least two sections down, to make the plant stronger for the duration of the year. Don’t be shy about cutting long stems from your Dahlia, the longer the cut the longer the next shoot will be, and stronger. The more you cut the more they produce.

They’re a working plant and a beautiful addition to to your garden. If you plant the tubers in the winter, be sure to mark it with a bamboo stake so you know where it is in the garden as you wait. I often will write with a sharpie pen on the stake what kind it is, color, etc, to make sure of the color harmony when I plant others plants around that area. Use bone meal with your dormant tuber to give it necessary micro minerals to establish its roots.

Dahlias are susceptible to a virus and to mold from over head watering. A good rule of green thumb is NEVER water overhead, anything! To protect DAhlias from wet rot in the winter, simply take out when its through blooming, let it dry naturally for a week, then gently wrap inn a paper bag and stick it in a cold dry place for a few month. Mark the bag or you may forget what it is! As I mentioned, many a person has gone mad with Dahlias.

Dahlia Madness has evolved to rival Orchid Madness, with exhibitions and competitions world wide. Because there are several types of Dahlias there are several types of micro competitions within larger competitions. There are 19 types of Dahlia bloom types recognized by American Dahlia Society, “Novelty” being the most intriguing to me. I order mine from Dans Dahlias, they have a good way of listing the types by height or unusualness.

Dahlias are a true darling of the garden, a hardworking and rewarding plant, so beautiful, so large inn many cases. We can’t get enough! At Wendy’s Garden, we have the Dinner Plate varieties in hues of blush “Mocha” to “Purple Passion” and “Orange Sorbet”, with some very dark red almost black from years before that keep showing up. We also have a novelty type that is a cactus form ,”Sunburst”, just lovely in the vase with other flowers.I highly recommend Dahlias for any garden, a delight to have in the garden and within the home in a vase.

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