REDUCING THE LOAD
It dawned on me when I was looking at the little patch of land I now use for growing and breeding the glorious flower, that things have got to change, and it wasn't only that I had now become the head cook and bottle washer, but seventy odd years had suddenly caught up with me due to extra work in other areas. I just needed to know my limitations, okay if I had just myself to care about, I'd muddle through like most men do, but I have this lovely lady called Irene to keep happy, and a whole host of new chores to fathom out. The first casualty has been my other love the sweet pea, but why make life complicated, I wouldn't mind I've been growing it for years and only just notice Irene can't smell its wonderful fragrance. So it is with determination and a little regret that I plan next years campaign. First of all there will be no dahlias grown in pots, I will leave that to all those who have the time. The breeding groups will be smaller and consist of one plant of each variety used, which will be the finest available with an essence of the primary colours present, except blue of course, but I might grow one plant of each variety as a pot tuber just to be on the safe side. I must remember a nurseryman's tip, and plant the pot tuber next to a plant of the same variety growing naturally.
Talking of the elusive blue, which I do incessantly, because to my mind the blue is in there somewhere, only dormant. Listen, during my life I have tried many things among them painting, of the water colouring kind, and if you mix red with blue you get purple in various shades according to how much of each you use. Okay I'm informed by a more knowledgeable man than myself named Wayne Holland, that it doesn't work like that, but to my mind it must work like that where colours are concerned. If it works for the reds and yellow group of dahlia flowers it should work with the red's and the purples. I've this gut feeling that somewhere along the line `White' is involved. Some how by reducing the number of varieties, and plants I grow I will intensify the experiment, and begin to fathom out just what is going on, even with my limited knowledge. You know what they say, `Less is more' and in this case less is better. It's not as though I'm thick, I just haven't had the teaching, or haven't been able to grasp what I've been told, it's one of the two, and perhaps a little dyslectic management thrown in. So let me tell you how I intend to cut down on the work, but still enjoy the excitement of breeding this increditable hybrid.
BREEDING THE GLORIOUS FLOWER
AN ABRIDGED VERSION
First of all, and this is putting the cart before the
horse as we are assuming there will be enough good seedlings to fill the
allotted spaces. Each years seedlings will be grown in a controlled environment,
or as well as controlled as I can make it, and all their requirements will be
catered for. They will have over head protection, and where possible shade will
be used on all darker coloured varieties. Oh before I start I must advise you to
look at the 2008 article of do's and don'ts of how the experts spend their time
producing an annual crop of seedlings.
TAKE A LOOK You can compare my summary
after I've written it, but be sure everything written is from this limited brain
power, and nothing was derived from the said article. Mind you I've read a thing
or two about what the top breeders have been doing for years.
John Menzel gave me the idea of a curtain, a curtain to stop the insects
from mixing to the adjoining group. Any way instead of a curtain made of net,
the curtain I had in mind was that of a living plant, and the perfect species
I'd be using would be the delphinium because not only would it give me a colour
not yet available in the dahlia species, but it would be tall enough to hold up
the insects as they rummaged among it's flowers. I would be using it as a
cleansing bay before they moved on to pastures new. In other words before they
placed the pollen from one group on to a different group the only pollen present
would be that of the delphinium. Who knows it could work, and if it doesn't it
is only one season disrupted. Irene came up with the idea of the delphinium, but
for an entirely different reason, she thought as the delphinium had the blue in
its make up a little of it might rub off on the dahlia, and I'd be the first to
get the elusive blue, and pick up the £1,000 prize which its achievement brings.
Bless her, talk about genetically modified crops. Of course you will say the
delphinium doesn't flower at the same time as the dahlia, don't you believe it,
when that first flush blooms, the plants I have continue to flower right through
the year providing they are fed, watered, and tied, and some of the shades I
acquired from a packet of Pacific Giants Strain from Moles Seed have to be seen
to be believed. The mixture is called Round Table due to the fact some are named
after mythical characters from King Arthur's time. Names like Guinevere, Black
Knight, and King Arthur himself come to mind. All are in glorious Technicolor
and many reach a full two metres in height. Okay of course it might not work,
but because I am having to change my habits, and the number of plants I manage,
the thought of having a few of these beauties growing beside the King of the
hybrids is exciting, so here is what I propose to do.
Because I'm not content in breeding just one or two types of dahlias, the ideal solution is to only grow one plant of say seven varieties in each group, mind you this could increase to ten if I have the available room. It only takes one bee to pollinate this catchment of plants to produce a wealth of seeds of various colours. Naturally if you have a full range of colours in your allotted group you will have in that seed all the colours you started with, plus a few tones lighter and darker of the original pool. I've often heard the American's refer to the softer tones as being gray, that's the way they spell it believe me. Which mean flowers with a very pale appearance don't go down well with these American growers. We on the other hand are looking for more than colour, and find form in what ever group more of a challenge.
My main concern when it comes to choosing the varieties in each group is consistency of form depending on the group we're trying to improve. Know matter what we're about breed we are supposed to breed something better than we already have. Let's start on the giant decorative, God the varieties in this group never seem to change. I suppose one of the last variety to be added to the giant decorative department was Bryn Terfel, or was it Candle Light which was introduced back in 2005 along with that fantastic water lily dahlia called Charlie Dimmock, (I'm kidding) and nothing much has happened since. I suppose the main reason is, our seasons aren't conducive to producing giant dahlia seed. Most times our autumns are dull and dismal. Our main concern therefore is to get the plants early, early plants mean early flowers, and that alone stops any cross pollinating with the smaller flowers. We can't have Wanda's Capella mixing with the lower ranks, anything other than a fellow giant is not permitted, and it better be a good `un. This year I have acquired some giants extraordinaire, they are from Walt's Dahlia's and the deal was to try and sell some pot tubers, and get them in next years trials here in the UK. So far I have sold five, but hope for many more before Xmas. Of course I've scored by having these dahlias in my giant breeding pool, and although you can't count your chickens until the eggs are laid, or the chicks hatched, there are four plump dry pods on a top shelf of my ten by eight from a magnificence dahlia called Wyn's Sensation. Okay it's a giant cactus, and we're talking decorative here, but the whole process is the same, as long as you have your pool of varieties in place.
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Wyn's Farmer John. |
Joconda. |
Wanda's Capella. |
I assure you all these three flowers are giant decorative, although not like you'd expect a decorative to look. I feel sure somewhere along the line the very biggest of the giant semi-cactus have been injected into this group. There are a few that keep to that original decorative form, but not many, would you like to see one? Photo. Mind you I wouldn't be to disappointed if I managed to secure a few in different colours with the same form of Wyn's Farmer John which has that attractive curl to each petal.
Gradually as I've gained experience in growing the flower we love I've realised everything we do affects the way it grows, none more than the amount of feed each plant and stem receives. It was brought home this year while growing certain varieties in five inch pots, okay you know doubt imagined size suffered, but the form was out of this world due to controlling the nutriment each received. Photo. You realise of course each plants top was taken out and allowed to grow just one flowering stem in these five inch pots, a lot of work that now has to be abandoned.
The dilution rate is paramount of the liquid feed, and the ratio between the three major element is also crucial. Now throw in a handful of trace elements, and bingo you've got the alexia of life, for a dahlia of course.
Having not worked out exactly the number of plants I'll using in each group I can't comment on how large each will be, but I can tell you it won't be more that ten which seems a manageable number. They will be the finest I can muster, and from various sources. In other words from what different breeders have created, but know way can we tell which varieties they used to produce them? I'm very tempted to leave out one of the largest groups there is, namely the small and miniature decorative dahlias as there appears to be an enormous amount of very good ones. Instead I'll concentrate on their close cousin the small and miniature ball where there seems to be a bit more work to do regards colours.
I shall definitely keep breeding the flowers Gordon Leroux once called `Only half a flower' because the water lily dahlias are amongst my favourites, and let me stress I am lucky enough to have the darkest, neatest, near perfect variety I have ever seen in my possession. It was sent to me by Ted Kennedy, of Hollyhill fame. He'd like me to get it into the trials here in the UK. It's aptly called Hollyhill Black Widow, and just as soon as the stock is increased it will be on sale at Gilbert's Nurseries, possibly as early as 2010. When everyone sees it they'll want it imagine the form of all the greats, including Bracken Ballerina, and Cameo, but the colour of Sam Hopkins, and there you have it. Photo.
Brian Madders a NDS judge who frequents the same allotment as I do mentioned there was a shortage of colour in the medium decorative dahlias, and since looking through back additions of the NDS bulletins I agree with him. The same varieties seem to have ruled the roost for years, which makes selection for my breeding pool a doddle, but of course once again it is lack of certain colours to create with. Form we have in abundance in all shapes within the group, in other words fully reflexed, cupped petals with rounded tips, true decorative types with points to the petals, all these are permitted. Brian mentioned in particular bronze, now I've got a reasonable bronze out of a 2007 G. I. Joe cross, but of cause I wouldn't have acquired that without the cross before if you remember. When I was out of pollen, and Hamari Gold was so receptive, that's right the Cornel to Hamari Gold cross which give me G.I. Joe. Funny ol' World, wanna see the resultant seedling? Thought so, you're not a dahlia breeder for nothing.
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Lady Sandra. |
What do you think? Come on pull no punches, not bad eh? What I'm trying to say is, by a fluke I've invented a medium decorative by first crossing a giant with a miniature ball, and resultant seedling was crossed to a straight medium decorative, and my guess is Berwick Wood, for God sake look at the petals? Photo. And when you're sure, take a good look at a photograph of Hamari Gold, bigger of course because she's a giant. Time for a new page before this one goes off bang.