Last year we bought some dahlia seeds called double pompone. The catalogue description read as follows - "Particularly attractive ball shaped flowers in double form. Bright solid colours
in a wide band of shades".
The seeds all germinated and have now flowered so I took photos of all the different flowers that have been produced.
To be honest in many ways I am really disappointed as the flowers just don't live up to their description. Compare my flowers with those in the photo in the catalogue here. I was also promised a wide band of colours but my flowers are predominantly yellow.
The photo below shows the whole of my dahlia bed and I'm sure you will agree that the overall impression is yellow.
I emailed my photos to the seed supplier to find out what they have to say and the response was that I had been unlucky with the colour range. Must admit I thought that if a wide colour range was promised that the seeds would have been packaged with that in mind. As for the form of the flowers apparently pompom dahlias have a tendency to produce single and semi double flowers in the first flush so I have to wait and see. Strange as this has never happened when I have planted tubers - anyone experience of this? I'll let you know if any pompoms appear but time is ticking on and at this rate there will be a frost before the second flush appears
The saving grace is that the bees love the flowers and I am sure they much prefer the open centres to tight pompoms so some good has come of my disappointment. Maybe next year I'll choose to grow single varieties just for them.
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Sue, you've hit on my one my Rant Triggers which is that you don't always get what is on the seed packet and the suppliers NEVER ever admit it might be their fault. I have to exercise the self-edit button severely at Bag End when this happens . . . Your flowers look absolutely nothing like the Kings Seeds picture but they are pretty and I'm sure what few bees there have been will have enjoyed them.
ReplyDeleteWill you lift the tubers over winter?
It is annoying isn't it BW? I doubt that we will save the tubers as the idea of growing from seed is to do away with the hassle of protecting tubers either by lifting or leaving in the ground
DeleteI think the supplier's response is a cop out, no way have you got what was advertised. Pretty as they are, there isn't a range of colours and they looks a totally different variety. Glad the bees are enjoying them though.
ReplyDeleteI thought that too Jo and I emailed the suppliers to say if a wide colour range is promised then I would expect them to take measures to provide that - I also will email them again if I don't get any pompoms at all. Must admit this year we'll be lucky to get a second flush. Although I'm not too sure what counts as the second flush as the plants just keep producing flowers
DeleteIt is still a pretty display. Will you be saving the tubers for next year or taking pot luck & leave them in the ground?
ReplyDeleteI'll just sow more seeds next year awpol - a different variety!
DeleteWe are yet to see pompoms in our dahlias too sue...maybe it's just the year we've had as we haven't had a problem before...or maybe it was just the seeds though we got our from Thompson and Morgan not kings seeds so I guess it is just the luck of the draw. I also sowed three pumpkin plants this year out of the same packet and got one pumpkin plant and then two different varieties of marrow!!
ReplyDeleteT & M offer the same variety don't they Tanya? It would be interesting to find out what they have to say about lack of pompoms. Have you a better colour range?
DeleteI'm not so sure about a better colour range but we don't have so many of one colour...will try to get out and take some pics of them this week to show you!1
DeleteSounds like they're fobbing you off! If it's going to be a pom pom then it will start the same as the later ones. I think growing dahlias from seed is always hit and miss. They're still pretty though.
ReplyDeleteI think this must have just been a miss Debbie. I thought the pompom explanation was a bit weak!
DeleteYellow dominant colour?
ReplyDeleteYellow is very dominant Diana - a bit like from my packets of pansy seeds.
DeleteYour mosaic of flowers if really beautiful!
ReplyDeleteBut not pompoms Kelli.
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