Mid-Atlantic Gardening: Yearbook 2013: Your most favorite plant, flower, shrub, tree, 2 by speediebean

speediebean wrote:
This looks like a fun one!

OK, my favourite plant this past year is probably my Dahlia "Happy Single First Kiss". This was the first time I'd ever attempted to grow Dahlias. It was near the end of the Summer and I was cleaning up perennials at work; cutting back what was to be kept, and tossing what had died... or, rescuing what I wanted. ;) She was one of my rescues, but I didn't hold out a lot of hope, never having grown them before. She came home with me as a couple brown stems and a couple of leaves. Within about 3 weeks of installation she just exploded with foliage and buds, and not long after that she had her first bloom. WooHoo!! I love the depth of the green of her foliage, and her blooms are just so cheerful. Having saved her life makes her very special to me, and her returning the favour by flourishing so nicely makes me love her even more.

What did I find out about the plant that I didn't expect? LOL, that I could actually take care of her successfully! =)

Would I grow such Dahlias again, or recommend them to a friend? Absolutely! The foliage is great (I am a big fan of foliage), and they are much easier than I expected.
There is nothing about this plant that I do not love, and I plan to make room for more in 2014.

Pic 1: Sorry it's sorta blurry, but there she is with her first bloom. :)

Pic 2: A close-up of that pretty little face.

This message was edited Jan 30, 2014 5:48 AM