Chaumont! Probably the best garden show in the world?

Chaumont: Gardening! –From Erotic to Rude.
As I write this blog I am reminded of a rather embarrassing episode that happened to me a couple of years back, when I visited the USA to do a radio interview on European garden trends.

It was for “W.H.B.S.Y. -coming to you from down-town Sacramento” (or something like that– all these radio stations sound the same to me!)

I had flown into San Francisco, on the late flight the previous evening.  Then driven 3 hours north east to Auburn, downed the better part of a bottle of California Red before collapsing in to bed, only to be woken at some ungodly hour the next morning, to drive back down the freeway to Sacramento, to do the “Garden Guru’s” 9am Saturday morning radio show.

Not surprisingly I was a little jet lagged, if not a little hung over. Definitely not a good combination when doing live public radio!

I was also extremely nervous, unlike UK radio, when you are lucky to get a 10 minute slot, this show was on for a whole hour with me being the only guest. The way I was feeling, I wasn’t sure I could manage 60 seconds let alone 60 minutes.

The studio was not what I had expected either and was little bigger than a passport photo booth. Rob Littlepage, who was standing in for the Don Yacuzami (the regular Garden Guru) squeezed his way back into the room and donned his headphones.

I sat down next to him but couldn’t get the door closed as my chair leg was blocking the entrance. After some discussion the door was left open and the producer Rick (or Ricky as he preferred to be called) bustled off into the next kiosk where he sat down behind a large glass screen and a bank for dials and buttons.

As I watched the seconds ticking away on the studio clock the intro. music faded in, sounding suspiciously like the theme-tune to the Archers:-and we were off.

Things started well, Rob did the introductions and thanked our sponsors. I manages to talk coherently for the first 20 minutes being periodically interrupted by callers phoning in to ask questions or publicise local events, the most notable being a ‘Toe-mat-toe tasting’, at the local nursery. “32 varieties!!! ……… I don’t know they had 32 varieties.”

I had just started to relax and let my concentration wane when Rob asked me about the contempory Garden show at Chaumont in France. All of a sudden I had a complete panic attack.


I should explain at this point that the French garden show has a theme each year and this year, typical of the French was ‘eroticism’. Knowing how prudish middle America can be, I new that this was not the subject for a Saturday morning breakfast show.

Unfortunately my mouth had other Ideas. Like a frozen rabbit caught in car headlights, I heard myself discussing one particular garden dominated by a pair of large 15ft high pink breasts.

My mind was screaming stop, but my mouth just kept on going. Rob had lost the plot at this point and was having a fit of the giggles.

The producer was wildly flailing his hand across his throat in a sawing motion and I was only saved by the timely interruption of an advert for ‘Sun Dance computers’.

On listening to a tape of the show afterwards, I had even managed to describe the viewing tower behind the garden for those people who wanted a birds-eye view of the giant mammaries.

Oh well, that’s probably the end of my radio career.

Nesting Marigolds

As for Chaumont sur Loire I would thoroughly recommend a visit even if you don’t like gardening. I take the student from the Oxford College of Garden Design there every year.  The Chateau is situated at the top of a cliff overlooking the river Loire and the show is situated in the park behind the castle in about ten acres. You enter, down a spiral staircase build into the hollow of a tree.

Cross a bridge over a 50ft gorge to some steps on the other side and finally, up into the show ground. The exhibits are identical in shape and size and each surrounded by a beech hedge.

Giant Corset

The exhibition attracts submissions from around the world with

every designer interpreting the brief in a different way.

From a nest of pink Marigold cloves to erupting luv bubbles (yes I didn’t understand this one either!) to a giant corset that you both walk through and round to a garden designed to imitate lingerie

Erupting Luv Bubbles

The setting is beautiful, the gardens imaginative and the restrant is to die for. It has to be one of the best (if not the wackyest) garden shows in the world.
For further information on Chaumont-sur-Loire
Tel: +33 (0) 254 209922
www.chaumont-jardins.com

 Negligee screening

Technorati Tags: Chaumont sur Loire,garden design,show gardens,landscape design,Oxford College of Garden Design

Foot Soak Recipe

I found this awsonme blog and recipe on Pinterest. I just had to share it here as well as my pinterest page! here's the Garden Therapy recipe blog link http://gardentherapy.ca/gardeners-herbal-foot-soak-recipe/

Fall is the Time to Divide - Tips for Dividing your Overgrown Perennials

I received this tip for dividing perennials from Jerry Baker's newsletter. It and other good advice can also be found in his book, Terrific Garden Tonics:

Some flowers are a little too vigorous, and they'll take over the whole backyard if you don't divide 'em. Others grow better after dividing them because you get rid of the old, weak growth that produces puny blooms and attracts pests and diseases. Best of all, dividing is a great way to get loads of new flowers for free!

Early fall is the best season for dividing crowded perennials, so now's the time to start chopping up those overgrown clumps. My Perennial Transplant Tonic will get your new divisions back on their feet without missing a beat.

Mix 1 can of beer, 4 tablespoons of instant tea granules, 2 tablespoons of dishwashing liquid, and 2 gallons of warm water in a bucket. Soak your newly divided perennials in this tonic for about 10 minutes just before replanting them. When you're finished, dribble any leftover tonic around your newly settled divisions to get 'em off to a supercharged start.

As I mentioned in a previous blog, I recently had to dig up my entire foundation landscaping because we needed to waterproof our basement. The picture is of my grandson, Tad, helping his daddy Josh (the one who did my foundation repair -Patterson Foundation Services) Sorry, but I had to get that plug in.

It was a good opportunity to divide and move some overgrown plants. I had a large Dawn Clematis vine that I divided into 3 new plants. I put a cup of Epsom Salts mixed with a cup of white sugar into the hole before I replanted the one in the front yard. I had cut it back severely and in 2 weeks it has grown about two and a half feet and has buds on the tips of all the stems! I'm pretty sure it was the Epsom Salts mix that gave it a power boost. I gave one of the vines to my brother-in-law and told him about the Epsom Salts trick and his is growing great too. I put this mix into the planting holes of all the Lilies that I put back in place and not a one shows any signs of stress.

For you folks out there who live in Middle Tennessee, I'll be speaking about plant propagation at the Middle Tennessee Plant Swap on Oct. 17 at Henry Horton State Park. It is a fun event and a chance to get some good plant trades.

This Bug is eating my plants!

Damaged Hibiscus 

I have searched all my books, the web and asked everyone I know and I have no idea what this pest is but I can tell you what it's doing. It's eating it's way through my garden as well as the garden's of many of my friends and customers! It acts like the rose slug but is eating everything EXCEPT my roses! It's a tiny (almost invisible) Caterpillar on the underside of the leaves and as you can see if left untreated, the leaves become skeletons.

Neem oil and Insecticidal Soap did not work. Neem is what I always try first because it is recommended for organic control. I don't like using chemicals but I also can't afford to lose all my stock plants either. Mimi's Greenhouse Nursery would be out of business without my stock plants for making cuttings and new plants to sell.

After about six weeks I resorted to Malathion spray on underside of leaves. I was careful not to use this around where the butterflies and Humming Birds were feeding.  The before and after can be seen on the two plants below. The top growth is healthy - Finally! If this had only been on a few plants I would have let them be and hoped for regrowth in the late fall but it was all over my plants both in the ground and potted plants - spreading since May!

If any of you have any idea what this pest is, I'd appreciate a comment.

new growth on Hibiscus

Angel Trumpet getting new healthy leaves

Specifications for Garden Designer Pt 3

The relationship between drawn and written information

On the smallest of schemes, annotated details may be all that is necessary and putting specification and drawing together may also assist the contractor.

However, on larger projects there is a danger that the specification will become dispersed onto several drawings, with repetition and contradictions creeping in. To avoid this, it is recommended that all the specification is found in one place. The drawn details can then linked to the appropriate specification description by systematic cross referencing, using the specifications own clause numbers.

This then leaves the question of the more general information such as the quality of topsoil or the strength of mortar? It is rarely adequate to leave such details to the expertise and discretion of the chosen contractor. In order to provide a professional service to your client, it often requires at least a few pages of specification separate from the drawings attached to the planting schedules, or the letter of invitation to tender.

An imperfect solution

I have touched on some of the obstacles which confront the designer and the contractor when faced with agreeing and achieving the desired standards on site;

• the need for reasonable financial certainty without being too restrictive,
• the huge amount of technical and contractual knowledge required;
  
• the designers’ time needed to tie up the more important loose ends,
  
• the absence of a simple appropriate standard form of contract.
  

Few projects are standard. Most are unique ‘prototypes’ designed and detailed from scratch.
Using an identical specification on every project, is therefore not only inappropriate, but may also be dangerous.

The concept of a ‘model’ specification is rather different from a standard solution because, the ‘model’ specification is designed to be edited by the designer to remove all extraneous information and to insert any additional information the particular project requires. The result is a tailor made document which should help the contractor.

Producing a project specification takes time and eats into the fee but the time is reduced with practice. No specification can be totally comprehensive. The designer’s decision on what to put in and what to leave out is a matter of judgement. That judgement will be made based on several factors such as the complexity of the project, the known competence of the contractor and whether the designer will be visiting site during the construction phase. Specification writing tries to be exact but in practice is an imprecise art.

A ‘model’ specification

The essentials of a ‘model’ specification are three-fold:
First it provides a familiar ‘structure’ within which every subject has its logical place.
Finding the appropriate instructions becomes quicker and easier because of this.
Secondly it can provide a check list of subjects which may need the designer’s attention. The designer can decide either to delete the subject as inappropriate or to include it with or without amendment.
Finally, by offering the designer a model clause the designer has guidance on written style and technical content.
I am sure that many designers have heard of the NBS Landscape Specification or the more modest publication “Specification Writing for Garden Design”(2) These model specifications can provide help and much needed technical guidance for the hard pressed Garden Designer. Writing a specification from scratch is a very daunting task; using a model specification makes that task considerably easier.

Even the best project specification and drawings in the world will not produce high quality work from a poor contractor. Things are less likely to go wrong with a good contractor. So every designer’s priority should be to assemble a list of good local contractors.
Then, provide them with all that essential specification information in writing by one means or another so that a proper price is tendered. Things are less likely to go wrong if the contractor has tendered a realistic price and is in possession of all the relevant information from the start. If things do go wrong, you and your client are better protected if the required quality is defined clearly and concisely.

Specifications for Garden Designer Pt 2

Most designers find specification writing a necessary evil.

Is it even necessary?

In a limited number of cases a formal specification document is probably not needed provided the essential information is given to the contractor in some other written form.

The two types of information

The written information traditionally included in a specification is divided into two main categories –the contractual obligations commonly known as the Preliminaries and General Conditions (the quality of workmanship and materials). Essential content of the Preliminaries which are vital to most projects are the start and finish dates, insurance and health and safety requirements. There are, of course other things which may need to be agreed such as the protection of existing trees, the arrangement of stage payments for work completed or the limitation of working hours, but these matters are often partly covered in a standard form of contract such as those issued by the JCLI, JCT.

The problem is that none of these standard forms of contract is entirely appropriate for small garden projects and even when they are used, they are usually completed after negotiations have taken place and a price agreed. Vital information such as the examples given above is needed before the contractor can tender a firm price. The designer is therefore left with the need to confirm such matters in writing at the beginning of the tendering process.

The options for defining quality

Before attempting to answer the above, let us first consider the question of quality. Unlike contractual and administrative matters, quality is very much more difficult to define. One way is to specify a brand name, but this may financially restrict the contractor unnecessarily.

Another method is to refer to Standards, published by the British Standards Institute or to other standards such as the National Plant Specification. Incorporating another standard by reference is often the most comprehensive and fool-proof method. However this requires a degree of knowledge about the content of those standards, both by the designer and the contractor and this is not always available.

Thirdly, the designer may write a description of quality themselves. To do so, requires practice and the development of a concise and an unambiguous style of writing and requires an depth of knowledge and skill that only the most accomplished parishioners should attempt.

In a limited number of instances, the most direct method of controlling quality is a reference to an agreed sample. This approach can be particularly appropriate for the appearance of hard landscape features like paving or walls.

The sample may be one which is constructed on site by the contractor prior to the start of the main work, or a previously constructed project preferably by the same craftsman. The advantage of a sample is that the client can be fully involved and can understand exactly what they are getting right from the start of the contract.

The use of samples

allows the contractor and his craftsmen to contribute to the creative process and gives them a positive involvement which not only draws on the contractors’ expertise but raises the craftsmen’s commitment and morale.

Monitoring the performance of the contractor is also simplified by making a direct comparison between what is built and the agreed sample.
So not every specification for quality depends solely on a long written description, but, given that there are several possible approaches to specifying quality, all of them in the end will require a degree of written clarification.

Q&A
Do you always right a specification?

Do you use a 'Model Specification' or do you write your own clauses?

Please let me know I'm always interested in you feed back and comments

Specifications for Garden Designer Pt 1

The importance of a Specification

Contractual problems can arise on any project what ever its size. However, the larger and more complex a project the more scope there is for arguments with the Contractor because the amount of money at stake is potentially larger.

The Client who is faced with additional , unexpected and perhaps avoidable costs is not going to be pleased and may hold the Designer liable. The way to avoid argument is to produce clear "documents", i.e. drawings, schedules, specifications and instructions, so that your Client, all the Tenderers' and the appointed Contractor fully understand your design intentions.

What a Specification is

The Specification is a written description of requirements. On a small, simple project it may be possible to cover the necessary information by writing specification notes on the drawing. On most contracts a separate document is usually necessary.

For convenience the Specification is normally divided into two sections. The first section deals with administrative matters and is commonly called the Preliminaries. The second section defines the quality of workmanship, materials and plants required.

The Specification should be used to define quality and sequence of work etc. while the drawing is best for defining shape, size and location.

Few designers bother with specification writing and those that do, often don’t fully understand the full legal implications of this document.

In this litigious world, sooner or later one of us is going be sued and the line between bankruptcy and survival could well be a comprehensively written specification.

The Specification and its relationship to the Contract

You should always advise your Client to enter into a written Contract . Any Specification should be one of the "contract documents". The Contract is between your Client and the Landscape Contractor. You, as Designer, are not a party to the contract although your role as agent for your Client should be defined in the Contract.

Model Specifications

At the Oxford College of Garden Design we have written are own ‘Model Specification’ published by Packard Publishing which has been widely adopted as the industry standard.

Aimed at novice and professional garden designers, this work book explains a method of producing instructions for garden design work which can be tailored to an individual designer's current project.

It has been developed over many years and most importantly is thoroughly tried and tested. It has been kept deliberately brief and is flexible enough to allow designers to expand or condense it to suit their needs, and to allow use of their favourite products and plants.
Students and newly-qualified garden designers will find the model specification particularly useful both as a contract document and as a technical check-list; it can be used on the smallest projects where the specification clauses are annotated directly on drawings or plans or as an independent document.

The overall format assumes a designer is acting as an independent consultant and not as an employee or partner of a contractor offering a package design and build service.

My Concerns!

What worries me is that specification in the UK is often taught by tutors with a limited understanding of the legal implications or worse still, by former contractors that often have a very biased attitude to specifications and see them at little more than a nuisance.

Making a specification short and simple yet comprehensive enough to avoid ambiguity is extremely difficult. Those that advocate writing your own specification can not possibly expect students to have enough skill and understanding of the subject to prepare documents that are legally water tight? Yet this is exactly what is happening today in many courses across the UK.

Your comments and feedback are always welcome

How to Over Winter Geraniums

Here is an excellent step-by-step way to keep your geraniums for next year. Click the link below.

From my buddy Mike

Builder or Landscaper! ….But Which is Better?

I came across a very interesting blog by Garden Design Lisa Cox this week in which she laments the insistence of clients, to use their own builders for the garden, rather than getting a specialist landscape contractor involved.

Lisa believes that “landscaping is a completely different discipline to a house building project.” and to a certain extent this is true, but when it come to the hard landscape construction, I would be just as happy to employ a good builder, as I would a good landscaper.

The construction of walls, paving and steps are the same in both house and garden, decks and pergolas, are comparable to laying floor and roof joist and even pond construction is similar to tanking a basement or cellar.

Lisa is not alone in this view, as many garden designers share this belief, but some of them don’t appreciate that most, if not all the problems they experience using builders, boils down to their inability, or lack of training, to communicate the construction process and detailing sufficiently.

Very few garden design courses cover professional practice in anyway near enough detail so that students can go out and write sufficiently detailed contracts.

At the Oxford College of Garden Design, we were so worried about this, that we ended up writing our own model specification document, which has now been adopted as the industry standard.

We have just donated it to the Society of Garden Designers in the hope that they may finally start taking some responsibility for garden design education and insist that courses teach specification writing properly and to a minimum standard.

As for Lisa; she does produce both construction detail and a specification document as part of her contract documentation.  May be as she says, she has been unlucky with her builders.

One thing I would say is that the landscapers profession does tend to be less chauvinistic and sexists and may be Lisa was unfortunate enough to run into some dinosaurs who believe women should be in the home and not on the building site……….But that’s a discussion for another time!

Do visit Lisa Cox’s website and also subscribe to her excellent blog

Surprise! Now is the best time to seed your lawn.

Fall is the best time of the year for lawn care, including fertilizing, weed control, establishing a new lawn or renovating an existing lawn. The air temperatures are generally cooler and the soil is still warm enough to germinate the seed. Grass planted in the fall continues to build a strong root system even after the grass blades have stopped growing.

Whether you decide to seed or sod, start with soil preparation. Your best long-term quality lawn depends on what you do with your soil before you seed or sod. Select a good soil amendment such as Earth Essentials Sheep, Peat and Compost. This organic product is produced locally. A one cubic foot bag will cover about 15 square feet, one inch deep. You'll want to combine the compost with the existing soil, using ½ amendment and ½ existing soil. Rake the area, then water thoroughly. Good soil is the key to having a healthy lawn.

When selecting grass seed, you need to consider several factors. Is your site sunny or shady? How much traffic will the lawn get? Do the kids and the pets play on it? As a general rule, fescues do best in shade. Perennial ryes and bluegrass are better for sunny and semi-shady sites. You can buy single seed or mixed (blue grass, perennial rye and fescue) combinations.  

Seed can be purchased bulk or bagged. Buying bulk is convenient because you can purchase the amount you need. Generally, a pound of grass seed will cover about 125 square feet.

 

Rake the area to be seeded. You want the seed to come in contact with the soil. Apply Fertilome New Lawn Starter, rake it in and water the area.

Now apply the grass seed. For small areas, you came simply hand sow. For larger areas, use a fertilizer spreader. Next, cover the seed lightly with compost, peat moss or Straw Net and water thoroughly.

 

 

Once the seed is wet, it must be kept moist. If the seed sprouts and then dries out, it will die. Watering twice a day is usually sufficient, but if it’s hot and windy, you may have to water three times a day. Perennial rye and fescue seed will germinate in 10-12 days. Bluegrass seed can take between 21-28 days to germinate.

These are general guidelines for seeding your lawn. We encourage you to stop in and discuss your specific lawn questions with us. That way, we can help you select the right seed for your situation.

 

Fall is for Planting

 

 

Fall is a great time to plant perennials and shrubs for a number of reasons. The milder fall temperatures are just what roots need to grow and establish. Soil temperatures tend to be a little warmer in late fall then in early spring. Even when the air temperatures drop to below freezing and the visible part of the plant has gone dormant, the ground temperature will generally stay warm enough that the roots will continue to grow.  All of your planting will look better in the spring because the initial root growth has already happened. They’re established and will start to grow as soon as temperatures are right in the spring. Fall air temperatures are generally cooler, so the plant retains more moisture. There is less flowering so the plant is able to produce and store more “food” in the root system. Another reason fall is a great time to plant is your soil is generally drier than it is in the spring. You can dig in it, add amendments and generally work your soil better when it is drier.

Look for products which contain compost and peat moss. Coconut coir is also a good soil amendment.

Add some root stimulator or root enhancing mycorrhizae will you’re preparing your soil.

In addition to trees and shrubs, some plants are meant to be planted in the fall. Tulips, daffodils and other spring flowering bulbs are planted in the fall when they are dormant. Pansies planted in the fall will bloom into winter and then re-bloom in the spring. Cool season vegetables such as lettuce and spinach thrive in the fall garden.  So grab your tools and let’s do some planting.

Kingsbrae Garden in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada

We decided to do a bit of sightseeing while here in New Brunswick. Bruce wanted to go to Minister's Island, and, of course, I chose the Kingsbrae Horticultural Garden.

Bruce was tired by the time we got there after touring the huge house on the island so he mostly sat while I enjoyed myself wandering the paths.

If he had gone a little further he may have been more impressed.

My Daughter, Susy would have liked these teapot trees,

and I know two of my grandchildren would have loved this horse.
 They were both in the children's section of the garden that entered through this arbor:

My daughter Anita has globe thistles like these in her garden but when I think of thistles I think of weeds.

Maybe after seeing these I may be tempted to grow some myself.

There was nothing peach colored in the garden so my daughter, Samantha wouldn't have been very impressed, but I enjoyed it.

 I am reading what I wrote and it seems obvious that I am missing my family;  everything in the garden reminded me of them.

I love it here, but I'll be quite happy to get back to my own garden and my family next week.

Keep Your Basil Deadheaded for longer Season

ready to deadhead

It's August and here in zone 6b and the basil is trying to bloom. If  I want my Pesto Sauce and my Basil and Tomato Salad not to mention lots to dry and freeze for winter, I have to keep those blooms from happening (deadhead). Basil gets leggy and tough if allowed to bloom. The ones at the top of this post have gone further than I would like but are still going to be OK.  The one to the right is just right to snip.

I use my little flower snips for this but plain scissors will do the job too. I look for a leaf node just under the bloom that has started to put out leaves on either side of the stem. This will force the plant to make new branches and leaves. See the picture below of before and after the "snip". By the way, that little bloom and leaves you cut off make a very nice garnish for soup, salad or almost any fresh veggie. My Grandma would say, "Waste not - want not."  :-)

snipping

after snip

I do let my basil bloom later in the fall. I wait until late fall and then I allow them all to bloom and make seeds before our first cold weather sets in. I don't want it to frost before they make seed heads. This way most of them will self-sow right in place for next year. You can also harvest the seeds to plant inside in early spring to get a jump on summer.



Tips to prolong your tomato harvest.

 

 

 

 

It’s the middle of August and the tomato harvest is in full swing. Like most years, some tomatoes turned out great and some didn’t. Here and there, something didn’t go quite right. Here’s a look at a few of problems that are correctable and can help improve your harvest.

The blossoms on my tomatoes keep falling off. You can help by gently shaking the plant to help move the pollen around. Spray with blossom set. Water deeply every third day. Mulch your plants.

 

Black spots on the end of tomatoes are caused by calcium deficiency. Spray weekly with a calcium supplement.

 

Fertilome Yield Booster comes in a convenient ready-to-use spray bottle. Age Old Organics Ca-Libur 20, is a 20% concentrated product that can be sprayed on the plant or added to the soil.

The tops of my tomatoes crack. This is called cat facing. Cat facing is a disorder, not a disease. Removed deformed fruit so that the plant can put energy into growing healthy tomatoes.

 

 

 

 
 

Something's chewing up my leaves. Look for tomato hornworm. Pick them off or spray with Thuricide.

The fruit on my plants look funny. You may have insect problems. Tiny insects called thrips can carry disease issues to your plants. Spray with Fertilome Triple Action.

Follow these tips to prolong your fall harvest. As always, if you have a question, bring a sample to the Diagnostic Center. Pets welcome.

 

It's All About The Birds

I had my second nest of blue birds leave their nest a couple of weeks ago. I found a little dead baby in the nest when I cleaned in out this week. This got me to thinking about birds and feeding and attracting them. I found some good stuff as usual to pass along to you.

This first one came in my E-mail newsletter From Garden Club published by Birds n Blooms Magizine.
Hats Off to HummingbirdsIt gets very hot here in the summer. The hummingbirds have swarmed to the feeders in the shade, but avoid the ones in full sun. So, I took an old straw hat and fastened it to the top of the feeder with wire and florist’s tape.

Within minutes, the hummers were back! They can sip in cool shade. I have covered all of my feeders with hats and even decorated them with silk flowers and ribbon. It looks beautiful and gets lots of comments from visitors. –Susan Patch, Loon Lake, Washington

This next one is a very informative article with a link all about feeding and maintaining a bird habitat.

"It’s not just a dog eat dog world out there. We’ve all seen our backyard birds get downright nasty over their food. What and how you feed in your backyards may help bring a bit more peace at the feeders, and more importantly, the choices you make for attracting wild birds to the yard can also affect how well the breeding season goes for some species."

read more

This summer I added my yard to the list of Wildlife Habitats on the National Wildlife Federation's list of wildlife habitats. You can too, see if your yard qualifies at the National Wildlife Federation's website I put my sign on my front fence for all my friends to see. I got the idea from from my blogger friend Ginger who writes a terrific garden blog The Law of the Land , check her out, I think you will enjoy her blog.

Dahlias, a fall favorite

 

For fall color, dahlias are hard to beat. Some interesting things about Dahlias. According to the American Dahlia Association, dahlias originated in Central America where they were called Acocotli and Cocoxochitl by the ancient Aztecs. Spanish explorers brought the plants back  to Europe and it was a staff member at the Royal Gardens in Madrid, Spain who named the plant after Swedish botanist Andreas Dahl.  Dahl considered the flower a vegetable. The first varieties with large, double flowers were bred in Belgium in the early 1800’s. Now there are thousands of varieties to choose from, ranging in size from less than 2" in diameter to over 8" and flower types from semi-cactus to water lily. 

 

 Bronze Leaf Dahlias such as Lolo Love.

Or this red 'Jewel K' dahlia.

Did you know dahlias are the official flower of the city of Seattle? Dahlias are planted from bulbs, called tubers. Plant dahlias in a sunny location in soil that has been amended with compost and peat moss. Sheep, Peat and compost is a good soil amendment for dahlias.

On August 23^rdand 24^th, the Colorado Dahlia Society’s 2014 Annual Show will be held at The Flower Bin, 1805 Nelson Road in Longmont. Find out more by visiting our website: http://www.theflowerbin.net/or call us at 303-772-3454. Come to the show and learn more about growing dahlias.