Some of My Favorite Dahlias This Summer Season
Hello friends,
Today I wanted to share with you some of my favorite old and new dahlias for the 2024/2025 summer season that I didn't get a chance to do a dahlia profile on, because life is always crazy busy in the garden over the summer.
First up is Strawberries and Cream, a decorative dahlia I bought on a whim after a couple of dahlia tubers died last spring, and I needed to replace my Cafe Au Lait dahlia. The shades of white and pink are just so pretty and girly, and the flowers have nice long stems, which make them perfect for cutting.
Next we have one of my favorite old dahlias, Protegee, which is a pretty single dahlia bred by Dr Keith Hammett. This dahlia is a bumblebee magnet all summer long, and really stands out in the garden.
Next we have another old favorite, Penhill Dark Monarch, which is a huge dinner plate dahlia with just wonderful shades of purples, pinks, and apricots.
Next we have another new decorative dahlia, Iced Tea, which I've really fallen in love with over this summer. I am quite happily keeping this dahlia for next year, and can't wait to see it with lots of bright peach flowers.
Next up we have one of my first new anemone dahlias, The Phantom. It's pop of bright purple flowers is a great sight to see in the garden over the summer. Unfortunately I planted it in the wrong place, so I'll move it to a better position in winter.
Fenna Baij is another new anemone dahlia, with very pretty light purple and gold shades.
Pink magic is a floriferous waterlily dahlia which brightens the garden all summer. I've really fallen in love with waterlily dahlias this summer, so I think I'll invest in more next season.
I replaced my Cafe Au Lait dahlia this season, after the old dahlia tuber rotted last spring in October. I replaced it, and this dahlia has the purple-tinged shades my previous dahlia didn't have. I'm very happy about this, and will be moving this dahlia to a better position over the winter.
Next we have Silver Years, which is a mostly white decorative dahlia with pink vein striping, and a cream center. I really like this dahlia as a pop of white in the garden, and am quite happy to keep it for next year.
Dutch Pearl is another new waterlily dahlia, and it really is stunning next to my Little Miss Perfect rose. I can see why this dahlia is very popular in dahlia circles right now.
Next there is my new Cafe Au Lait Royal dahlia, another dinner plate dahlia to add to the Cafe Au Lait dahlia family. The light pink colours and striping are just stunning. I need to find a better way to stake the plant though, the flower heads are huge, and the dahlia has some trouble holding them up.
And finally we have another new dahlia, Pinky Swear, which is another large dinner plate dahlia, and the striped pink shades, along with yellow are just florescent. I'm very happy to have this dahlia in a darker part of my garden.
I'm just so pleased to have so many beautiful old and new dahlias flowering this summer, and hope to have some more new ones next season...
Have a wonderful day
Julie-Ann
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Dahlia Profile - Keith Hammett Mystic Sparkler
Hello friends,
Today's dahlia is a Keith Hammett bred Mystic Sparkler.
I bought the Keith Hammett Mystic Sparkler dahlia from Mitre 10 back when I lived in Wellington. When we moved back home to Dunedin in winter 2019, I dug up all my dahlias and brought them down with me.
According to the breeding notes: "Dahlia variabilis ‘Mystic Sparkler’
features unique single hot
flamingo pink flowers with warm yellow halos and dark central discs on
glossy mahogany-black foliage." Mystic Sparkler will reach 51 to 76 cm
high and has flowers 10 cm wide. Mystic Sparkler is planted in the
middle of my back garden in full sun.
Flower Bud Opening:
Mystic Sparkler in full flower:
As you can see Mystic Sparkler is stunning, with it's super bright colours of pink and yellow, with beautiful striping in the petals. It really is one of my favorite dahlias of all time. Mystic Sparkler is an absolute bee magnet all summer long.
Comparison with the self-seeded seedling of Mystic Sparkler:
Comparing Mystic Sparkler and a self-seeded seedling of Mystic Sparkler, you can really see the difference in colours, but otherwise the flowers are the same shape and size, and the beautiful striping remains. I'm very happy to keep both in my garden.
Multiple other dahlias are about to flower now, so you may see another dahlia profile tomorrow...
Have a wonderful day
Julie-Ann
Want to discuss my post? Feel free to chat with me on Instagram or Mastodon or Bluesky.
Dahlia Profile - Keith Hammett Mystic Sparkler Self-Seeded Seedling
Hello friends,
Today's dahlia is a self-seeded seedling of one of my other dahlias, Mystic Sparkler.
A dahlia with dark leaves popped up in my back garden over spring, and since I didn't plant a dahlia in that position, I concluded that it was a seedling from another dahlia in the garden. And considering that I only have two dark leaved dahlias in my garden, it was either a seedling of Mystic Sparkler or Dream Seeker, which are both Keith Hammett bred dahlias.
I bought the Keith Hammett Mystic Sparkler dahlia back when I lived in Wellington. When we moved back home to Dunedin in winter 2019, I dug up all my dahlias and brought them down with me.
According to the breeding notes: "Dahlia variabilis ‘Mystic Sparkler’ features unique single hot
flamingo pink flowers with warm yellow halos and dark central discs on
glossy mahogany-black foliage." Mystic Sparkler will reach 51 to 76 cm high and has flowers 10 cm wide. Mystic Sparkler is planted in the middle of my back garden in full sun.
My Mystic Sparkler seedling:
Flower Bud Opening:
Mystic Sparkler Seedling in full flower:
As you can see, the Mystic Sparkler seedling differs from the breeders notes. The flamingo pink and yellow colouring has been diluted into soft rosy pinks and yellows, but it has the most pretty striping ocolours. Unfortunately it looks like some earwigs have had a chomp at its flower petals before they unfurled, so she's not perfectly rounded.
I'm quite happy with the Mystic Sparkler seedling, it has more muted tones than Mystic Sparkler, and I love both, so I will keep them both in my garden. You will very soon see a dahlia profile for Mystic Sparkler, as I saw her first flowers unfurling this morning on my walk around the garden.
Have a wonderful day
Julie-Ann
Want to discuss my post? Feel free to chat with me on Instagram
or Mastodon or Bluesky.
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