On 06/11/2012 15:47, Bob Hobden wrote:
"David Hill" wrote ...

I had a look at the GW bit about Dahlias and our friend showing his
Tree Dahlia D. Imperialis, he was wrong about it's flowering time.
it's late October to November, not September.
It does seem as if a hot summer helps flowering, mine flowered well
last year, but not even a bud this year.
The leaves do look good, and I measured one today that is 37 inches long.
The touch of frost that we had a few days ago knocked the ordinary
dahlias a bit and caught some of the leaves on the Imperalis but just
the odd one, and in some cases just half a leaf, this picture shows
frost damage between 2 plants that were untouched
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/f...lisfrosted.jpg

The next pictures are of D.Tenuicaulis, it is now close to 10 ft tall
with flower buds showing at the tips, the leaves are much smaller than
D. Imperialis.
http://s240.photobucket.com/albums/f...current=01.jpg

Tenuicaulis is in the centre of the picture behind the cane.
http://s240.photobucket.com/albums/f...caulisbuds.jpg

http://s240.photobucket.com/albums/f...aulisplant.jpg

There are a lot of the Hybrid tree dahlias flowering well despite the
rain and hail we have had the last 3 days, and with plenty of buds to
follow weather permitting
http://s240.photobucket.com/albums/f...lawithbuds.jpg

http://s240.photobucket.com/albums/f...ent=Stella.jpg

The species D. Coccina are still flowering well,
http://s240.photobucket.com/albums/f...sCoccina01.jpg

http://s240.photobucket.com/albums/f...sCoccina04.jpg

http://s240.photobucket.com/albums/f...sCoccina02.jpg

http://s240.photobucket.com/albums/f...sCoccina03.jpg

I think you can see the rest of the album showing the range of the
Hybrids as they are today, though some were taken 2 weeks ago.


Some of those Trinidad Series hybrids are stunning David, I presume they
are crosses with D imperialis, how tall do they grow and will you be
selling them soon?

No Imperialis in any of them as it flowers so late, I want to try to
save pollen when I can get flowers though I'm told it wont be
compatible. But I love doing what isn't possible.
I think I'll have to pot grow an Imperialis and try to cross onto it,
that way pollen will only be weeks old. IF, IF, IF.
The Trinidad series are around 5ft or so with me, but they are still
under development.
They were planted from large pots and were in flower in August and are
still flowering, Trinidad Sunset started late July.