Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Ever since I broke two bones in my right hand back in August, my gardening activities have been drastically curtailed.  Sure, I could have used that functioning left hand to catch up on weeding but I just couldn't stand the thought of weeks and weeks of weeding and nothing else.  So, instead, I've done . . . nothing else . . . and just allowed late summer to roll along without ever lifting a (cast or splinted) finger to assist. I've sat back, put my feet up, and celebrated the parade of dahlias currently passing by.

Normandy Painted Pearl

Karras 150

Pattycake

Park Princess

Arabian Night

Bonne Esperance

The dahlia output was more uneven this year than in the past.  Some tubers, like Rose Toscano, are yet to bloom despite being planted exactly where they flourished so abundantly in previous years. Others, like Arabian Night and Pattycake, are six feet of blooming madness.  And Normandy Painted Pearl, which I accidentally abandoned in the ground over the winter, is a towering seven-foot explosion.  Despite our Zone 6 climate, it seems that a dahlia tuber left in the right place--next to a south facing foundation wall--has enough warmth and protection to survive.  I'll add this tip to my lazy bones gardening manifesto. But then all my bones are lazy right now.


Bounty!

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