Tag: Skeena dahlias

Dahlia planting season…

… is in full swing for dahlia gardeners and growers across Canada. Depending where you are, you might be just starting, right in the middle, nearly done or done! We’re in the nearly done camp… and that always feels good when you can stand straight up for awhile. Along with planting season, it’s also “still a risk of frost season” in many places across Canada.

Our frost-free date in Terrace BC is usually around mid-May. We started planting out the dahlias on May 10th. The 2 week forecast looked pretty mild with a low risk of any frosty mornings so in my excitement some of the first varieties I put in the ground were some of my favourites that I started early indoors. They already had a fair bit of beautiful green growth exposed above the soil line. Risky! Because those weather forecasts? They change a bit sometimes and ours did! The forecast for the morning of May 31st, after a relatively warm day on the 30th, showed temps going down to 1 degree celsius with clear skies. A recipe for frost…Eek!

What to do?

We’re worried about the cuttings and early starts that we’ve planted. If cuttings get frosted, they are lost. If an early started tuber’s growth is frosted, the green foliage will wilt when it thaws and die off, but if the tuber is in good shape it will likely send up new growth albeit set back a couple weeks. We’re not at all worried about the tubers that have been planted that haven’t broken thru the soil yet. That is one of the reasons we prefer planting eyed up tubers as opposed to cuttings.

Learning about how frost forms is really interesting and its really useful knowledge to have if you’re a gardener or a farmer. I haven’t found a really reliable weather forecast for frost in our area. So in lieu of that I rely on my own observations. If we have a very warm or hot sunny day, followed by clear skies over night and early morning temperatures above zero but less than 5 degrees celsius, there is a high likelihood that frost will occur in exposed areas.

There are a few things you can do!

Do nothing! Pay your money, take your chances. But give it some thought! If you’ve got cuttings planted and you get a frost, you will most likely lose those plants.
Don’t plant your early starts or cuttings out in the field until all risk of frost has passed! i.e. if you’ve got space to keep them going in a greenhouse, do that.
Cover up all the dahlias that have growth above the soil line. Frost cloth is nice to have on hand. It’s extra work to get out there and cover everything up… but it might be in your best interests. If you just have a few plants, you can cover them up with big pots. Covering plants traps the radiant energy (like cloud cover does too) from escaping that causes surface temperatures to cool rapidly creating frost.
move your plants to a sheltered area – only really feasible if you’ve got a few in pots
Get the sprinklers out! That’s right! It works. Adding water to the equation can help protect your plants from a frost.

What did we do?

On the evening of May 30th, we used overhead sprinklers to ensure all the dahlia beds were well watered. We did not put out any frost cloth. We did not move any plants that had been set out to harden off if they were in relatively sheltered spots (i.e. alongside a greenhouse, under the canopy of a tree etc.). Your risk tolerance for loss along with experience will help guide you. We want to minimize both loss and the amount of extra work we have to do. Sometimes that means having a loss here and there for those “I won’t do that again” lessons.

The results?

On the morning of May 31st I did a walk around and observed that we did indeed have a light frost! The leaves of our strawberry plants were frosty, there was visible frost on the grass in exposed areas. How bout the dahlias? They were all ok! Not a single plant was lost. Yay!

During my walk around, I noticed one very interesting anomaly! The lid of a big rubbermaid tub full of baling twine had collected water from the overhead sprinklers. There was a skim of ice on top! ICE!!! On top of the tub I had set out a dahlia that I had been growing in its own container for the past month. The water was frozen, but the dahlia was not! The leaves just had a heavy dew on them. Neat! Puzzling! Science is cool and the dahlias are alive and well!

Ice formed on the top of the rubbermaid container full of baling twine even though the air temperature was just above zero.

The dahlia growing in the plastic tub set on top of the rubbermaid container had heavy dew on its leaves, but did not get frosted!

Enjoy the Dahlia!!!

Dahlia

Them Stems…The Dahlia Dish January 7, 2025

January 7, 2025January 7, 2025 Medeek Meadows Dahlia Farm

I love to listen to blues! I love to listen to music when I’m working and I’m 100% sure I’m in good company in that regard! We’re not talking about Chris Stapleton’s cool bluesy tune Them Stems in this post. This is not that, because this is the Dahlia Dish. We’re sharing our thoughts about flower stems. Them dahlia stems.

Great Dahlia Stems

Great stems can be stiff or wirey, thick or thin, hollow or solid, long or short, shades of green or dark shades of red and purple tones. While there is a lot of variety in dahlia stems qualities, when we say a variety has “great stems for bouquets” it generally means that we like using it in bouquets. Great dahlias for cut flowers have stems that we can use easily in bouquets. Some qualities matter more for bouquets, while some matter more for gardens.

After quite a number of years growing dahlias (since 2006) we have never been more thrilled with the stems of varieties in our current collection including our new Skeena varieties. They are almost all double duty dahlias! Great in the garden and great in the vase.

Dahlia Stem Colour

Dark stems! Those reddish purple or purplish red stems! We love them in the garden! While the colour of the stems may tend to get lost in bouquets, out in the garden those dahlias with colourful stems are extra gorgeous. Especially when we get a light coloured bloom that is just set off so beautifully by its contrasting dark stems. Gah! Stem colour doesn’t matter so much for bouquets, but it can add interest in the garden.

Dahlia Stem Strength

Stem Strength is important for both bouquets and gardens. Stems should always be strong enough to hold the bloom up under normal conditions and also capable of withstanding cutting, handling, transporting and arranging. Weak stems and weak flower to stem attachments aren’t useful in bouquets or gardens if stems break or flowers break off easily. For some varieties, late season stems can be thinner and not as strong as they were earlier in the season. In our experience we find this to be true for some especially taller and floriferous varieties. Cutting plants like this on the “deeper” side (one or two nodes below where you’d cut for a decent stems length) during the first flush of blooms early in the season can help to keep these plants at a more manageable height over the season and with stronger stems.

Dahlia 2023-038 This is an example of a stem that we did not disbud. It has grown 2 lateral stems about 8 inches below the central bloom. We normally remove these 2 as small buds prior to the stems developing. Often we’d cut the stem at the point where its held in the photo (just above the 2nd node). But here, we intentionally cut the stem “deeper” to keep the plant shorter and bushier.

Dahlia Stem Length

Stem length is most important for bouquets and less so for the garden. For bouquets our favourite bucket/vase/jar/vessel to use for holding after cutting and for arranging bouquets will dictate how long the stems need to be. The buckets we use for holding after cutting are 10.5″ tall. The vessels we prefer for bouquets are 7″ to 9″ tall jars or vases. When we cut blooms, the flower heads need to be proud of the bucket thus guaranteeing that we’ve cut stems that will be long enough and then some for using in bouquets. The top height of our bouquets is usually around 16″ to 18″. This is a good length for wrapped market style cut flower bundles too. When we think of varieties with great stems we like stems to be a minimum of approximately 12″ to 16″ long from the base of the bloom. Cutting the stem for this length may come before, but is often after the first “node” below the bloom. The first node is where lateral buds start growing. This is where the need for dis-budding comes in.

Dis-budding for Stem Length

Most dahlias benefit from a bit of dis-budding, especially when their destination is the vase. Dahlias will have a central bud and at least 1 or more lateral buds that start growing just below the central bud. Initially they look like a bit of a cluster, but as the buds develop their respective stems lengthen and the lateral stems may grow past the central bloom leaving that bloom somewhat hidden “in the plant” with a very short stem. Removing the first one or pair of lateral buds when they are large enough to handle without breaking off the central bud will help achieve a longer stem for the central bloom. Some varieties need more dis-budding than others to achieve better results. We’ll remove just the first bud or pair of lateral buds on some varieties, while on others we may remove up to 5. You’ll soon get to know which varieties are a little less demanding in this regard.

P.S. don’t let those short stems go to waste. Short stems can still be used in small posy style bouquets , single blooms in bud vases, and we frequently use them along the edge of the jar or vase for larger bouquets.

Dahlia Stem Thickness

Thick stems and stiff stems can be challenging to use in bouquets, but we can use them especially if they have a nice 45 degree “chin up” bloom angle. We just don’t want them all to be super thick or super stiff all the time. They are what they are and demand their space in the vase. They can add great structure, while the thinner, wirey stems are more forgiving and can add some whimsey and be easier to work with in arrangements. Thinner wirey stems can be tucked into the vase here and there with ease, whereas chunky stiff stems are better placed in the vase first where they can be happily in place and “worked around”.

The bloom angle and attachment to the stem contributes to the utility of the stems in bouquets. Clock faced blooms (they look straight ahead like a clock on the wall) and navel gazers (blooms that face downward) are harder to use in bouquets, less appealing in the garden, and unlikely to be winners on the show table.

The beautiful blooms of chunky, stiff, short stemmed dahlias are best left in the garden to be enjoyed in our humble opinion! Our favourite dahlias for bouquets always tend to be those that give us great stems for the least amount of work. Not too much dis-budding for good stem length, not too stiff, not too chunky, and always strong enough to hold those beautiful blooms up and also stand up to all the handling between field and final destination.

Enjoy the Dahlia!

Dahlia

Best Dahlias for Cut Flowers… The Dahlias Dish Dec. 17, 2024

December 17, 2024December 17, 2024 Medeek Meadows Dahlia Farm

How can one narrow down the best dahlias for cut flowers to a list of 10 or 20 or 30 or more when there are thousands of varieties to choose from? When you’re growing dahlias for cut flowers, you need to grow quite a few varieties to ensure your bouquets are always beautiful and that they differ from week to week. Having multiple varieties in each colour group or colour palette is important. Having multiple varieties to choose from is important. Having different styles of blooms is important. Having blooms all season is important.

Warning! This is a highly subjective topic, but we hope to give you some ideas that will help you choose the best dahlias to grow for cut flowers.

Our list of favourite dahlias for building bouquets may change over time as we develop and or grow new varieties. And it may also change due to our personal tastes and styles changes. One year we were all about the waterlily blooms, then it was the cactus dahlias that struck our fancy, now its the balls and decorative styles.

We specifically source, select for and grow dahlias that are best for cut flowers. If we can’t use it often in a bouquet, then we’re not likely to grow very many of them and we’re not likely to grow them year after year. The best dahlias for cut flowers must have great stems that are easily used for bouquets and flower arrangements. And they must be floriferous, producing a good amount of blooms over the season.

The vast majority of the dahlias we favour for cut flowers are in the 3-6″ bloom size range and we like a few in the 2″ size range for bouquet accents. We have developed a large collection of varieties that are excellent for cutting, so for the most part we’ll break down our favourites for cut flowers by colour group.

Favourite Accent Dahlias ~2″

Small World (white), Skeena Posh (blush pinky lavender), Skeena Daybreak (yellow), and Skeena Kiss Kiss (red) are favourites.

We like to grow a number of “accent blooms” for bouquets because they add a great deal of interest and texture to arrangements. Typically pompons, miniature ball & decorative style blooms that are approximately 2″ in size work beautifully as accent flowers.

Favourite White Dahlias ~3-6″

Carl Chilson, Skelmersdale Jayne, Irish Ruffles, Skeena Crystal

White blooms are an excellent staple to have growing because they can be used in so many styles of bouquets all season long.

Favourite Blush Dahlias ~3-6″

Skeena Yve, Skeena Posh, CB Snowshadow, Skeena Nana

These are favourites blooms for bouquets that tend to have a white base and blush soft pink or pinky lavender. Odyssey, Tahoma Odyssey, and Daddy’s Girl are excellent too!

Favourite Light or Dark Blend Dahlias ~3-6″

Skeena Easy Breezy, Skeena Harmonies, Skeena Sugar Pie, Blyton Softer Gleam

Blooms with blends of multiple colours are fabulous for tying in solid colour flowers of the same colour palette in bouquets. Some blooms like Skeena Harmonies have an outline of a complementary colour along the petal edges called picotee! Its super pretty.

Favourite Yellow Dahlias ~3-6″

Canoz Jaguar (buttery yellow) , Skeena Hope (soft muted buttery yellow), Skeena Fairy Lights (light and lemony)

Always bright! Always a delight! There are many hues and tones of yellow. The buttery and the lemony tones are on trend for us. The buttery tones pair well with pinks, whites and burgundies. The lemony tones are fun to pair with whites, oranges and lavenders.

Favourite Orange Dahlias ~3-6″

Ryecroft Jill, Brown Sugar, Seabeck’s Shirley

The colour of Joy! We. Love. Orange. The thing about orange dahlias is that its such a versatile colour for use in bouquets. Early summer thru to the fall, customers love orange in bouquets all season. When we roll into September, the leaves on the trees start to turn colour and the cooler nights whisper of fall, orange is still a star.

Favourite Pink Dahlias ~3-6″

Miss Sarah, Clearview Peachy, Bargaly Blush, Hamari Rose

Pink is forever! Give us all the pink all the time! Again, as with other colour groups there are so many tones and hues of pink. Pastel, barbie, bubblegum, peachy. The list is infinite. Picking a colour palette may help you settle on the varieties that work best for your own preferences.

Favourite Lavender Dahlias ~3-6″

Bloomquist Compare, Skeena Glitter, Snoho Sonia, Robann Regal

We love the soft pastel lavenders. Gorgeous in bouquets with whites and soft yellows.

Some lavenders have a pink tone, and some pinks have a lavender tone. Those subtleties can make a big difference when choosing the best blooms for your bouquets. Sometimes you just won’t know if a dahlia will go well with others until you grow it and use it in bouquets. We take photos of our blooms alongside colour cards to give a sense of the tone and size of dahlias. The colour cards are available for purchase from the American Dahlia Society.

Favourite Coral Dahlias ~3-6″

Askwith Minnie, Flip Flop, Jomanda, Skeena Sockeye

The shades of corals can be softer or darker and depending on the variety lean more into pink, red, or orange tones. We love corals blended in bouquets with whites and yellows. They are also striking when arranged with mauves and lavenders.

Favourite Red Dahlias ~3-6″

Aurora’s Kiss (very dark), Bloomquist Crave (medium dark), Cornel (medium red), Skeena Katie (medium red)

Those dramatic, not quite black, red dahlias are drop dead gorgeous! They go so well with pinks and other tones of red. We love to grow a number of brighter red dahlias to use in our rainbow bouquets.

Favourite Purple Dahlias ~3-6″

Twilight Boy (wow colour), Skeena Gem (floriferous), Bloomquist Mojo (vigorous)

Productive purple people pleasers – these favourites are all of that! From incredible colour (Twilight Boy) to exquisite gold tips (Mojo), these dahlias are great choices for cut flowers

Favourite Bronze Dahlias ~3-6″

Hy Patti, Skeena Humpy, Cornel Bronze

Subtle undertones of pink and orange. The bronze colour palette is warm and well suited for exceptional fall themed bouquets.

That’s already quite a few dahlias that make excellent cut flowers. There are so many to enjoy. Discovering which dahlias you find best for cut flowers while building your own stunning collection will keep you, your friends and family in beautiful bouquets for years to come.

Enjoy the Dahlia!

Dahlia

Dahlia Blooms Vase Life…The Dahlia Dish Dec. 13, 2024

December 13, 2024December 13, 2024 Medeek Meadows Dahlia Farm

Vase life of dahlia blooms varies and is influenced by a number of factors:

1. Number of stems in a vase – A bouquet of 5 dahlia stems can outlast a bouquet with 25 dahlia stems.

2. Maturity of blooms at harvest – Blooms cut when they are approx 1/2 to 3/4 open will last longer in a vase than a bloom cut when fully mature.

Dahlia Bouquet — Fresh Bouquet featuring dahlias: WD Jady, Cornel, Carl Chilson, Skeena 23-074, Skeena 23-047, Dana Iris, & Skeena Rosie.

3. Hydration level of blooms at harvest – Hydration levels of plants are highest in the cool mornings and cloudy cool days. Avoid cutting blooms in the heat of the day. Very hot weather combined with inadequate watering will reduce hydration levels. Strip foliage from stems to ensure it doesn’t rob the blooms of precious hydration.

4. Weather – Bloom quality can deteriorate in cool wet weather – you may notice browning on the tips of petals after a couple days in the vase. Most noticeable on white blooms.

5. Room temperature – Bouquets displayed in cool rooms out of direct sunlight will last longer.

6. Water in the vase – make sure to give your dahlia bouquet fresh water especially for the first 3 days when the water uptake is greatest. Fresh water also looks a lot nicer in a glass vase!

7. Style of bloom – Pompon and Ball style blooms last well, especially if they have very firm textured petals like Cornel Bronze. Varieties with softer textured petals tend to have a bit shorter vase life.

8. Size of bloom – Smaller blooms tend to last longer than large blooms.

Dahlias Small World (white pompon), Cornel Bronze (bronze orange ball), and Hamari Rose (pink ball)

We use many dahlia bloom styles to create stunning bouquets. We don’t limit it to the Pompon and Ball style blooms just because they can last a little bit longer. They are very round and formal to the eye. Variation in petal and bloom shapes adds much beauty, whimsy and interest to bouquets.

Average vase life for dahlias is 4-5 days + or – by simply ensuring they have their feet in fresh water. You can fuss over them, sear stems, trim stems, add flower food, sing to them, dance for them and you may just squeeze more time.

Enjoy the Dahlia!

#enjoythedahlia #skeenadahlias #terracebc #dahliafarm #dahlias #growbeautifuldahlias #dahliabouquets #freshflowers #flowerfarm #bouquets

Dahlia

Dahlia Blooms for Bouquets…The Dahlia Dish Dec. 11, 2024

December 11, 2024December 11, 2024 Medeek Meadows Dahlia Farm

The bouquet pictured here is created in our classic style! The blooms in this one are from dahlias Cream Diane, Skeena Posh, Hamari Rose, Skeena Hope, Small World, Carl Chilson, Silver Years and Skeena Harmonies.

With so many choices, which varieties and styles should you grow? What qualities should you consider?

Our five main considerations for choosing a dahlia variety suitable for bouquets are Stem Length, Style of Bloom, Colour of Bloom, Size of Bloom, and Floriferosity.

1. Stem Length – nice long stems are preferred – it can mean less time spent disbudding.

The variety pictured here is Skeena Easy Breezy with her very long stems!

2. Style of bloom – we prefer a blend of styles. Balls, poms, decorative, waterlily, cactus… Using a blend of bloom styles can add lovely variety and texture to bouquets.

An example of a bouquet including Pompon accent blooms (Small World), Formal Decorative Blooms (Lupin Chris and Jowey Veronique), Stellar style blooms (purple Skeena seedling 23-037 and Sandy Couzens an imperfect stellar form with lovely purple picotee edging on its white petals).

3. Colour of bloom – blending colours in bouquets is a bit of an art. One of the reasons we grow so many varieties is that it affords us an extensive array of colours to choose from for building our dahlia bouquets. If you’re limited on space, or just getting started growing dahlias for bouquets, give some thought to the colour palettes that you and your customers are looking for.

A fall colour toned bouquet with gorgeous warm and golden yellow, orange and burgundy tones. Dahlias in this bouquet include Day Dreamer (waterlily style), WD Aunty Dor (Stellar style), Skeena Shan (Formal Decorative style), Skeena Sugar Pie (Formal Decorative), Skeena Gem (Formal Decorative), and Hy Suntan (Ball).

4. Size of bloom – we like a range of blooms sizes. From the pompons under 2 inches in size up to about 5 or 6 inches max. Using a mix of bloom sizes in bouquets adds interest, variation and visual appeal.

This bouquet shows a range of bloom sizes from about 2″ up to about 5″. We’ve also included some dahlia bud stems that haven’t quite opened yet (a great way to use stems in the fall that won’t have enough time to fully bloom before frost).

5. Floriferosity – growing varieties that have lots of blooms over the season are favoured. Remember to pinch plants to encourage lateral branching and more stems. And remember to disbud to get more usable stems per plant.

6. Space – if you’re limited in growing space, you may just want to pay a bit more attention to size of bloom and floriferostiy. It takes more small blooms to fill out a bouquet than larger blooms. A garden of pompons would be delightful, but also much harder to fill out a bouquet with such tiny blooms.

Enjoy the Dahlia!

#enjoythedahlia #skeenadahlias #terracebc #dahliafarm #dahlias #growbeautifuldahlias #dahliabouquets #freshflowers #bouquets