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Who would have believed it!

adamadamantadamadamant Posts: 278
in Problem solving
I posted a thread about six weeks ago about my Dahlia Cafe au Lait not progressing - lots of buds but they were refusing to open.  I was completely foxed, and was quite sure there wasn't enough light or warmth left in the year.   Well I thought I would post this photo which I think is hilarious.  Finally, on October 26th, this happens.  Absolutely miniscule flowers, about two inches across!  Its been a topsy turvy world this year!

 

Posts

  • thevictorianthevictorian Posts: 1,279
    Looks very healthy. Here ours have flopped with all the growth they put on since it started raining finally.

    A couple of years ago we still had some flowering at Christmas.
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Some of mine have only just come into flower and some are buds. They were severely neglected so I'm surprised they're doing anything
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Some years the truimph is just keeping plants alive.

    Have you figured out what the plants wanted? More sun?
  • adamadamantadamadamant Posts: 278
    It is you're right!  I think it must be sun.  But they were in a bright patch which gets about 4 hours direct sun in summer, so they werent starved of sunlight. Also Bishop of  Llandaff just two foot away has been flowering for two months.  But I'll also get them in earlier next year, I think it was probably late June before they went in.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Four hours of sun isn’t really enough for most dahlias … two or even three times that amount would be more like it 🌸 ☀️ 
    😊 


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    My David Howard dahlia only gets about 3 hours of sun and it is in full flower at the moment, big flowers, but much later than last year. We weren't here for the earlier part of the summer so it wasn't watered but now it's enormous, much bigger than last year when it flowered earlier and wasn't so big.
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • adamadamantadamadamant Posts: 278
    I didnt realise about the amount of sun needed, maybe CoL is particularly sensitive to that - all my other dahlias have always been fine as I have only a small 'hot bed' which gets alot of sun - the rest have to fend for themselves.  I actually think the time I planted might also have had something to do with it.  I always do it quite late but so many people said they put theirs out in late May early June, so I'll follow suit next year. Anyway I am delighted with any flowers however small.  

  • Joyce GoldenlilyJoyce Goldenlily Posts: 2,933
    I think the weather is to blame for the weird way plants have behaved this year.
    My dahlias have only recently begun to flower, my ginger lilies have only just gone over after having flowered brilliantly, they are usually over by Sept. My nerines have obviously enjoyed the summer baking as a lot of them are flowering after producing no flowers for several years. I must admit they are not normally available varieties because I bought them, numbered but unnamed, from the gentleman who held the National collection on the  Isle of Wight, many years ago and have always found some of them very "miffy", and my Callicarpa is a blaze of purple berries.
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    I've found a ginger lily I thought was dead, just started growing.  I've potted it and put it in the greenhouse.
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