ASSESSING the 2004 SEEDLING CROP

June 18th: First impression of most of the seedlings this year was, a very health bunch, trouble was, they didn’t realise I was expecting them to retain all the form of both parents. So what did I get? The form and colour of generations that had gone before, but of course also, a few crackers. When these were all hand pollinated, with known parentage, how did I come to that conclusion? Well the pointer came after I’d emailed a long suffering Canadian friend, or should I say, after I’d bombarded, a long suffering Canadian friend called Wayne Holland, with question after question, on why such and such variety had produced the seedlings it had. I’ll give you an example, I used Carolina Moon, in my breeding line of water lily flowered dahlias last year 2003.


Carolina Moon		Sascha

Well now, when it’s too late, I realise Carolina Moon, isn’t the finest example of a water lily flowered dahlia there is, but I wanted a bluish one. It’s ironic, because this year we have Sascha, what a belter that is, except at the moment on my patch, all it’s doing is producing buds. When I grew early flowering chrysanthemums for show, we always suspected when this happened, it had been over propagated, I don’t know how true this is, but I do know that Sascha will settle down eventually. Anyway, the best Carolina Moon produced, with out exception was, a range of open decorative blooms, all very pretty, but of little use on the show bench. In another instance, a cross between two small water lily cultivars produced the tidiest miniature decorative, you ever did see. It seems impossible, but I assure you, this is true, and there were no bees involved, or if there were, they must have been in disguise, or it must have happened in the middle of the night, either way they wouldn’t have got through my security system. Of course the master, Wayne Holland had the answer; I’ll quote from his email: `SWL are decorative. It’s easy when you know isn’t it? Of course they are, the only difference is, the petals are larger and more open. In the case of small ball dahlias, they are smaller and more cupped, or revolute, especially in the case of the miniature decorative. But even if you choose the finest examples of each group, you will always get a mixture of freaks. In other words, flowers you weren’t expecting that are from a bygone age. This year I’m holding on to a dahlia seedling, that I probably should have throttled at birth; it’s potted up in a five inch pot, and all it seem content in doing, is constantly make new shoots, I’m romantic enough to imagine it might take on the mantel of those that grew in old Mexico, in the reign of the Mayan’s, Inca’s or Aztec’s. Whereas all its fellow seedlings are mostly eighteen to two foot tall, this little gem is a mere four inches with many more stems, than are good for it, if and when it flowers, I’ll stick it on my website, I suspect it’s a genetic fault, but I don’t know what the answer is. Mind you, I know a man who does, but I haven’t got the cheek to ask him. I‘ve decided, from this month on, I will allow myself just one email per month to the master; and I’ve already had this month’s quota. So far, eleven seedlings have been committed to the dustbin, we haven’t got a `Green Bin’ collection yet, which is disgusting really, when other countries in the world have, and as I’m growing in town, and space it at a premium, and I begrudge the room compost heaps take up, I’d rather use the space for growing a few more dahlias.

July 10th: I’ve just come back from over the road were my seedling are growing, and I recon I’ve another three passable Small Semi-Cactus, and there looks to be at least two more miniature decorative, or small ball as well, and there growing side by side with them was a perfect example of, what we could call, a double orchid, in pale lilac, the American’s and Canadian’s would call this type of flower a Stellar, I think? It might be worth saving for the floral arrangers. I counted the labels that I’ve collected in my pocket, over the past three weeks, and they now amount to twenty four, I need to collect a few more, to be able to get room enough to tend to the saved ones, but I’m not complaining. I would say on the strength of last years work on selecting parents, that the most important thing I’ve improved is form, with out form; everything else falls away, especially when you’re breeding for the show bench. Of course strength of growth and health run a good second, and colour completes the trio. This year has been very enlightening as well; in as much I’ve seen the combined form of both parents in the offspring. Mayan Warrior had the same stubby ends to its petals as the pollen provider Summer Night, but had lost its quilled shape. The other two from the same paring, `Mayan Bride’ and `Mayan Princess’ retained the same semi-cactus form as the mother, proving I think that Lemon Elagans is the dominant partner. Where the double orchid Mayan Pearl comes from is a mystery, but then Harry says in his book you always get a few freaks, sometimes these become popular, and start a new line to work on.

other examples of inherited traits this time between the Small and Min Ball & Decorative


Peachess.	First Born. Small Decorative.	Willowfield Matthew. Pollen parent.


Helena Rubie. Small Decorative.	My Sweet Lorraine Small Ball.	Master Romeo. Small Ball.


Jomanda. (Seed parent)	L.A.T.E. (Pollen parent)	Culdrose. Small Decorative.

This is all verified on page 27, of Harry Lawson’s great book on hybridising, priced at six quid from the National Chrysanthemum Society, the cost of two and three quarter pints, you can’t get better value than that can you, and you’ll still have it long after the two and a three quarter pints have gone.

July 16th: The seedling patch is still producing, certainly one more good small ball in peachy pink, another small decorative in lavender pink, and a medium decorative in yellow. Am I lucky, or what? Also, the Carolina Moon influence is still present; another three rolled off the assembly line, although these have larger petals, and the flowers are more water lily like. What ever Carolina Moon has in its make up, it sure is dominant, because all its doing is sending its genetic code to most of its seedlings, the bulk of which come as bi-colours. Now don’t get me wrong, as I‘ve said before, when the brains were being dished out, I, and many like me, spent many an hour down the tube, trying to avoid Hitler, all we ever did was recite poetry. (For none Londoners, the tube is the Capitals underground railway) But even with out brains, when you’re working with a technical subject, like hybridising, it gradually dawns on you, that something remarkable is going on, you can see it there in front of your eyes. So please, do have a go at crossing a few dahlias, gradually you will see the wonder of it all, I’m beginning to suspect that luck isn’t the major thing involved, so choose your breeding varieties carefully.

At this juncture I must mention my two mentors again, Harry Lawson and Wayne Holland, you’d think with a name like Holland, Wayne would be a descendant of one of those fantastic Dutch breeders, and who knows, perhaps he is, by the stuff he turns out in all groups, surely he’s bound to be. Incidental, the order of appearance on the page was strictly alphabetical. Harry Lawson is one of the finest chrysanthemum breeders that ever lived. Both men have unselfishly divulged many secrets to the chrysanthemum and dahlia world. They are happy to further the progress of both flowers. In my own small way I hope to emulate them, but can never match their technical prowess. Without their help I would still be in the dark with many aspects of breeding. Thank you both, I hope I have not been to much of a nuisance, with my ever-lasting emails, but who do I ask if not you two? If it helps, I promise I shall help anyone who is interested in this fascinating hobby, should they need a helping hand, I am here, but don’t expect anything to technical, I’m not a mentor yet, and probably never will be, because I had a late start, that Hitler bloke definitely didn’t help.

Today I realized I haven’t recorded vital information, which would have helped me, in growing the new seedlings next year. I should have taken note of the date, on which each new variety flowered, and also the height of that first flower. Not only would that have given me an idea of the ultimate height, but also, a rough idea of when to stop, (pinch out the growth) when grown in the conventional way. Usually this pinch is done twice in the Southern region of Britain, or so I was told by another helping hand, Graham Carey, I think he’s also a mentor. He usually does his last stop around the 30th June, to get a good percentage of flowers to the National Show at Shepton Mallet, but he lives in Wales, in Neath to be precise, perhaps as I’m even farther South, should I have stopped even later? From now on though, everything goes down on the seedlings label, and is then placed against the cultivars records, on the computer. I’ve just realised I’ve got the date each seedling flowered, on the photograph file on the computer. I’ll have to guess the height; there were none over four foot and the shortest ones would only be used for garden varieties, that’s if I get a nurseryman interested enough.

Something I should like to tell you about, that has nothing to do with seedlings, because it’s about a new variety bought in this year. The year before last I realised Hillcrest varieties were going places, so on the strength of growing Hillcrest Devine, I bought Hillcrest Desire, on arrival it was potted up, and kept separate, with other newly bought stock, away from my established varieties, which incidentally I have always done, since getting hit by a virus, some three years ago. Anyway, everything was planted this year, and by the beginning of July I was feeling pretty pleased with myself, up to then, it had been a cracking year, weather wise, for dahlias of course, for humans it had been pretty grim. As the month developed, I notice Hillcrest Desire was lagging behind the neighbours, on either side of it, and the leaves had taken on a mottled appearance, yep, you’ve guessed it, probably dahlia mosaic, which doesn’t allow the plant to grow any higher than twelve inches or so, there was nothing for it; the variety had to be disposed of. I prayed my spraying had contained any virus from spreading elsewhere, via aphids. After the removal of four largish plants, a hole was left in my border, which I proceeded to fill with pot grown seedlings, I always grow a few this way, for such an emergences, these plants had produced their first flower, in a eight inch pot, and were throwing out side shoots from lower down. Now planted, they were a foot or so lower than those either side of them; I’m convinced that by my open weekend, on 11th and 12th of September, they will have filled the gap. It is always wise to rid yourself of anything that looks suspiciously like trouble. I would never divulge where I purchased the stock, but I only hope they realises they have it. I suppose I should email him, yes I’ll definitely email him. I've been thinking for a long time about viruses, and how to avoid them, because they can devastate your whole collection if you don’t take precautions. It is always best to be on the safe side, than chance infection. I will know longer buy in new stock in numbers, it isn’t necessary when you don’t show. I’ll rely on just one, of any I fancy for breeding purposes. If when quarantined, and found healthy, they could, if needed, be added to my must have varieties, I anticipate these must have varieties will gradually get less and less, as I make room for my own varieties, and as soon as these cultivars established their self in a catalogue, and I need the room, I’ll stop growing them myself, and watch there progress while others enjoy growing and showing them. That’s the theory anyway.

July 21st: Spent label count is up to seventy three, that’s just under half of my 2004 seedlings discarded, this time last year I had six passable candidates for growing on. Speaks volumes for hand pollinating, but then last years seed production was fantastic, with the sunniest summer in the UK for a hundred years, they said it was global warming, and I’m beginning to think there may be some truth in that presumption, with the temperature souring again.

July 31st: As the past few days has been warmer, a dahlia that I thought was a lavender and white large decorative, has put down a several rows of petals since I saw it last, and turned it’s self into a large clear lavender semi-cactus. I don’t know where that one come from, unless an earwig brought a suitcase full of pollen and deposited on the stigmas of one of my prepared seed heads, when I wasn’t looking. Could only have been that type of insect, as with my seedpod brolly in position there is no way a bee, hover fly, or any flying insect could contaminate the stigmas, what am I saying, earwigs can fly too. I’ve a good idea the pollen came from Sir Alf Ramsey, although the size of the new flower is smaller, and is probably a large.

August 5th with fear of a storm on the horizon, I cut my big lavender, I think it is a decorative now, but you never know it could become a semi-cactus again next year. It’s a belter, the wife and I have been trying to come up with a suitable name, when I came in for lunch, she had the perfect name `Sweet Killarney’ I was delighted with her choice, especially as both my grandmothers came from Ireland. A few more labels in my pocket, well over a hundred now, so there’s not many that I haven’t seen flower, the patch is much easier to manage, and with a second assessment, I am giving those that haven’t yet got a proper name, a working name, it’s no good I can’t remember numbers like I can a name, It doesn’t have to be the final name, just something that triggers the brain to recognise the flower. Had a dahlia for a couple of years called rhubarb and custard, R&C for short, needless to say it fell by the way side, who ever heard of a dahlia called rhubarb and custard?

Oh by the way, you know I told you about a new variety that continued to throw shoots from its root stock? Well I eventually let it go back to the soil; I swear it had at least fourteen suckers coming from its crown and no sign of a flower, If the foliage had been an unusual colour, or deeply cut like some it would have been saved for another year, but it become boring to keep watering it, so it had to go.

March 7th 2005. I was clearing getting ready for Spring, and I come across a pot that had been left outside all Winter. Looking at the label it become apparent, it was know other but my old fourteen sucker friend. I emptied it on to freshly dug ground, expecting to find a smelly mess, but far from it, after washing it off with the hose, a neater tuber I have never seen. Needless to say I took it in the warmth of the glass house, and started feeling all parental, thinking this could be the one to make my name, we'll see.


Summer Night (Pollen parent)	Mayan Warrior	Mayan Bride


Mayan Princess	Mayan Pearl	Lemon Elagans (Seed parent)