OWNED BY GEOFF HOYLE
Geoff is one of those blokes that enjoys the actual growing of dahlias, not for him just the glory of winning, be it individual vases, cup classes, championships, or in deed those coveted seedling class awards. Of course he wins prizes, but these aren't essential to his enjoyment. Not that this guy couldn't shine had he the mind to, in all of these things. No for him the pleasure he gets from his garden is enough. So it was one winter evening I come across Geoff minding his own business on the Internet, he'd seen the site, commented favourable about it, and promptly told me, "If you ever need any photographs that you haven't got, by all means use mine" and then told me of their whereabouts, I was over the moon. Since having a quick glance at them, I realise there are better examples here than those on my site. However that can wait until I've completed making articles of the various collections that he's taken. He says he isn't a professional photographer, that may be so, but the photographs he's taken are very professional indeed, believe me, take a gander at this lot. Once again I stress, this is only my opinion from the photographs in front of me.
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| A La Mode. | Andrea Clarke |
I like A La Mode although this is the first time I've seen it, I imagine it's a medium decorative which lights up the garden with it's subtle colour combination. On the other hand everyone knows Andrea Clarke which won a Gold Certificate in the year 2000.
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| Andries Orange. | Angela Louise. |
Haven't seen this baby for yonks, just look at that colour, and what stamina, believe it or not it was introduced in 1936 by a bloke called Andries, five years after I was born. "It couldn't have been, that would make you seventy four" That's right. "You can't be" This sort of conversation used to go on when I was a few years younger, but even when I show my bus pass now they don't bat an eyelid. The next variety is one of Bob Hendley's, funny how things happen, and how small the World is, during our email conversations I found out Geoff also knew Bob. Anyway getting back to Angela Louise, I'm practically certain it is named after Bob's youngest daughter. This bloom is a little young too, but it sure opens up to a nice flower.
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| Angela Louise. (More developed) | (From the underside) |
Didn't I tell you, nice colour, he didn't tell me it's parentage because the bees didn't tell him, but knowing him he would have made a note of the seed parent or I'm a Dutchman, and if that was the case I would be really into the dahlia lark.
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| Barbarry Clipper. | Barbarry Drifter. |
Couple of Barry Davis's seen them before in the Northern trials last year, the first one Clipper has a way to go yet and then it will look like a Barbarry dahlia. One thing about most of Barry's is you can always count on superior form, don't know what he's using, but what ever it is, they come out year after year as if from a mould. The form on Drifter is nearer to how his stuff finishes.