Dahlia

While living in San Francisco I was introduced to a lot of wonderful things. Food, wine, flowers, culture, and lifestyle (Oh and PEOPLE). Some of the things I have been able to find in Fres-yes, some I have had to create on my own. One being great flowers!!

Especially the Dahlia.

The Dahlia does happen to be San Francisco's flower and they grow like weeds there. All shapes, sizes, and colors! Always cheery and vibrant in color! After speaking to my local Clovis nurseryman, just down the road, I was informed that I too could grow Dahlias, if I planted them in Spring and PATIENTLY waited through the summer they would blossom in fall! The other tidbit of information I got was that I would need to support them.  Note I don't know what that meant to support the Dahlias. I remember thinking I will support them, I will water them, fertilize them, and give them words of encouragement...yeah not what the nurseryman was talking about. He meant they were top heavy and needed to be supported, held up. I'm a woman, I get that! Being that I am new at gardening, I was not really sure how to do that, with a bra, with some string, with a cage...I didn't know. Remember that the cobbler's children have no shoes... and well the farmer's children don't have a green thumb! That being said I attempted to tie the plants to the fence, with beautiful copper wire. And as you can imagine, that didn't really work. So tomato cages it is! And they work great, but are not beautiful!

My first flower (pictured above - the coral and white flower) came in late spring, and was a great surprise!! I was so excited!! And then came our REALLY hot summer, or as most call it a normal Valley summer, it was much too hot for me or the Dahlias to bloom. The next flower (the red flower) came only a few weeks ago...I am hoping for more...but if not...

I may just stick to purchasing them at the flower market!