My Very First Dahlia

I ventured into a new world with my first purchase of dahlia tubers this spring. Since I first planted those tubers (indoors first, then outdoors in June), I have discovered that dahlia growers are a peculiar kind of gardener. I know several that are passionate about their dahlias. Their care for their favourite flower is nearly obsessive, so that no one dare harm their dear babies. They have a philosophy far from my "grow the tough perennials and toss the rest" approach to plants.

Here is the cactus dahlia"Tahiti Sunrise". Looking at the photo, I see that a spider has made this flower its home.

I'll be cutting off the dead flowers, hoping for more blooms!

Bulk Shopping for Plants and Stuff

Though we may live many, many kilometers from urban civilization, we do attempt to do some power-shopping when we are traveling down south. While I like shopping locally, we (like many others up here) like to avoid travelling north with an empty vehicle, so we fill the space with supplies from these giant bulk-purchase stores. This keeps us stocked with boxes of toilet paper, crates of cereal, and huge bags of dog food. I like picking up some garden-related stuff as well, having found some begonia and dahlia tubers at the Saskatoon store this week. While I am generally a hard-core perennial grower, I use annuals and tender perennials for containers. They are also useful to spice up the perennial beds in August when some spots are looking a bit bland and flowerless. Besides, I've never grown dahlias before, and I plan to enjoy their showy flowers in my garden for the first time.

On the other hand, resident-lawnmower-man comes home from Costo with purchases like this:

He says he plans to eat it all himself. Personally, I can't see how any person could need or want two litres of sauerkraut! I keep telling him that sometimes, you don't need to buy large amounts of things. For example, the pinon nuts that went rancid before we ate them all. Spices are another good example of things that go bad before you can eat a pail-sized amount of them.

On another note, this is why I admire and love this animal. Kona has a perfectly nice doghouse, but it's a nice sunny day at a balmy -19 degrees C, so why not nap in the sun? She's a husky-malamute and loves being in the snow. I don't think she's pining for hot summer weather at all.