Didn't hurt one bit did it? That's better now we have one second over 28.8 we're healthy again, anyone trying to see what I'm about, can visit without that infernal wait. Oh for the day when everyone is on Broadband and the price comes with your Council Tax. Before I begin let me tell of an exciting find while dismembering a seed pod. Out of one of last years crosses I was luckily enough to acquire to white ball dahlias, I was going to call one Jack Gott, after my Northern email friend, it was the best of the two, but the second flush of blooms had a lavender blush, hardly suitable for a tough  ol' Northerner, so I asked Jack if he'd like it named after his wife Josie. He was only to pleased to have it called Josie Gott, I think it will be a top exhibition ball dahlia, I know that's sticking my neck out, but that's how confident I am. It's about to have it's third flush of three flowers, and I haven't had a bad one yet. Okay now let's put the other pure white one in the limelight, this wasn't as good, not as many petals you see, but on the instructions of Jack, who told me of something Les Jackson does, I crossed it with a similar type, red it was, and this week-end the resultant cross was ready for dissecting. Imagine my surprise when I found seed at the extreme edges of the pod, in other words I, being the hand pollinator was not responsible for the resultant cross, but some clever six legged insect. Can't wait to find out what they knew, that I didn't. Bob Hendley, owner of Fontmell Studio Gold Medal Dahlias, never misses telling me, "Let nature do the work" We'll see. Something else I'd like you to share is this, in the quest of trying to get a biggy, to name after my mate Bill Andrew, I have so far managed to produce twelve seeds, they're typical giant seeds, big and fat, and even if only half germinate I shall increase my tally of giants raised by six hundred percent, which isn't  bad for a house painter who's education was disrupted by Hitler. It's surprising even though I've written seventeen and three quarter lines of text the time it takes to open this page is only two seconds. Now watch the seconds add when pictures are added.

	Josie Gott.		Josie's back view.

Bare in mind all the flowers that this variety has produced have been on land that is virtually free of organic matter. The only feed the seedlings get are a hand full of Growmore per square yard at the beginning of the season, funny thing is, when I start taking the seedlings up, the tubers are superb. Mind you I do make sure they have several weak feeds of straight Nitrate of Potash from mid August onwards. Their tubers are better by far than any that are grown on the well tended land, that  grow the new varieties for their second, and third year, and these are given the same weak potash feeds. Must be the other elements in the soil counteracting the potash. This variety came out of a L`ancresse x Unnamed pink seedling. You can see every bit of the seed parent has be transmitted to the offspring, except that is the lavender flush. I don't think it will match L`ancresse but it is still a valuable variety. Named after my mates wife Josie Gott.

	Angel Delight.		Easter Bonnet.

The same cross that produced Mayan Princess last year produced Angel Delight. In it's seedling state it's useless for show but what a delight Angel is for the floral artist, it holds up under wet conditions so it could also be used as a garden variety. Trouble is I expect the petals will be more quilled when grown from a cutting. Easter Bonnet on the right belongs to the Primrose Diane group, it's inherited most of the mother's good points, d`you get it? and none of the father's which was L'ancresse. I was hoping for a lemon ball. Never fear the ball data is in there, the trick is to get it in to the next lot of offspring.

	Lavender Lass.		Lesley Saxton.

Both of these came from the same pod, talk about two peas in a pod. At this stage they seem a little less vigorous than I'd like, but hang on this was mainly bought about by the vicinity they were grown. Flanked by taller rivals, that gradually out stripped them, they struggled for existence. That's the trouble when you grow your seedling in a seedling bed, the taller, stronger growers tend to take over, and of course that's the same of all life in the World. Let's hope they have a better year next year when they are given room to grow as nature intended. If I had the room and time, I'd love to grow each seedling in a separate pot, it could be buried in the ground, and then as the stronger ones emerged, they could be sorted accordingly. Lesley Saxton by the way is named after the gentleman's wife that did so much to make me a web master, sounds all important, but I can assure you I am only a minor web master.

	Lime House.		Mayan Belief.

Lime House came late with a massive stem, at first I thought it was a giant, that had some how been mixed up with the decorative and ball seedlings. Only produced the one flower, but what a flower, it's height about five foot. I used L'ancresse again, but this time with Winholme Dianne. I'm not sure how it's going to act when grown in the correct manner but I do know it will be a strong grower, a good companion to Danielle Beccan. Mayan Belief was held back at first by other stronger but inferior varieties, when they were taken out it blossomed, out of a Ruskin Myra x Indian Summer cross, about three foot six in height. Time to go to another page before this one blows up.

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