November, 2005
ANNUAL MEETING AND ELECTIONS: The Dahlia Society of California under Section 1, Article 5 of the Society Constitution, shall hold an annual meeting of members for the elections of officers and directors and for the transaction of other business pertaining to the Society. Under Section 1 Article 7 of the Bylaws, the annual meeting of the Society for the election of the officers and directors shall be held on the second Tuesday in November (Regular November meeting). We hereby give notice that this meeting will take place at 8 PM on Nov. 8, 2005 in the Recreation Room of the County Fair Building in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco.
The election of President, 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary and Corresponding Secretary shall be by written ballot at the annual meeting of the Society to serve a term of 1 year. Also the election of 4 members of the Board of Directors for a term of 2 years shall also be undertaken by written ballot. Members are requested to nominate Board Members and send nominations either to Lou Cornish (415-388-1671), Lou Lombardo (415-664-2854), or Ron Dingwall (415-383-5585). PLEASE ATTEND TO VOTE. (There are no proxy votes.)
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NEXT MEETING:
8 Nov. @ 8 PM @ 9th & Lincoln. |
Tinnee won the Best of show, Mary's Jomanda. |
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THE LAST MINI SHOW: We enjoyed one last flourish of lovely blooms before the mud months set
in. Congratulations to Diana for her first show taking Blue for her
stunning Lady Darlene. Barbara triumphed in the AA’s with Penhill Dark
Monarch. DJ struck again with a sassy Sean C, collarette. 
Frank scored with Valley Porcupine NX, Poppet P, Elvira PE,
and Alpen Pearl, AN. Tinnee swept the rest of the categories
with Pink Jupiter, C G Elegance, Skipley Spot of Gold, Franz Kafka, Pam
Howden and x3 Alpen Diamond. How could Tinnee have saved the perfect
Mary’s Jomanda from last month’s Best in Show to capture the title again
this month? Thanks to the Dingwalls for judging and Franck for
clerking.
SPECIAL DELIVERY:
DJ’s excellent article in the last ADS Bulletin outlined how to make
personalized dahlia stamps that legally transport letters through the
mail. His photos of his dahlia stamps graced the back cover color
page. DJ graciously reprised how to make ones own custom photo stamps.
John led a discussion on why the dahlias and pumpkins in the Pacific
Northwest grow larger than here: an extra 1 ½ hours of sunlight being
that much further north.
John also
reported that powdery mildew has been sighted in oak trees in the dry
Sierras. No escaping it, it seems. Tinnee and Lou L. were asked again
how to build small but terrific greenhouses from book shelves. Editors
in New Zealand so appreciated the photo essay on Tinnee’s greenhouse,
they requested permission to use it in their next bulletin! Raffle man
struck again. DJ had some early tubers. Who should win the huge vase
of flowers but new member, Patricia Hunter. Congratulations and
welcome! 
CAPITALIZING IN CAPITOLA!Although dahlias were scattered all over the mall, many of the DSC entries made it to the Fountain of Honor. Barbara’s Penhill Watermelon trumped Frank Schulkin’s gigantic Islander for Novice Best AA. But Frank’s spectacular Hollyhill Electra clobbered the other big bruisers at the Fountain for Best in Show! To prove he knows small as well as large, Frank nabbed Best Peony with Elvira. DJ knew he had Best Double Novelty aced when one of his Valley Porcupines was pitted against the other.
In explanation,
DJ said, “Deborah opened a new world for me when she informed me I
could enter both Open as well as Novice.” Lou Lombardo said DJ showed a
new universe for him by letting him in on the secret of Open exhibits,
thereby capturing Best Anemone with an almost plastic-perfect
Powder-puff Polka. Chloe Lombardo continued her triumphal march with
Best Junior Bloom, Vernon Rose.
With her son Ricky’s
help, Gerda mounted impressive wins: Best Small Seedling; Best O-Juul
Star; Hall of Fame Candidate—Kenora Clyde; and Best Disc and x3 Disc
with inimitable Mathew Juuls. The Lou Paradise Show entertained the
crowd with: Best ADS Seedling, Best x3 Pink Paradise; x3 Ruskin
Marigold; B Chimacum Julia; BB Dark Horse; Min, G W’s Babe; P, Hallmark;
WL, his new yellow seedling; MB, Franz Kafka; and Best Small C G
Spirit. “I was surprised to see so many win, because I only brought a
few, ” Lou commented. The right few, obviously.
Roy
Stier stunned the throng with Best x5 Kenora Jubilee just edging out his
magnificent x5 Edna C’s; Best AA, a monstrous Inland Dynasty; A,
Spartacus; BA, L’Ancresse; Open Novelty, his yellow seedling; and Best
Small Rose Toscano. Janet Thalen exhibited great Little Caesars
x1, x3 and x5—that’s depth for you! She won Best Vernon Rose and
Smallest with Chimacum Pumpkin. Team Larkin-Zydner triumphed with
Largest, Penhill Watermelon and oldest Union Jack, a gay red and white
striped single originated in 1882. Wresting winners from
impenetrable clay, Guy Chibante scored with Best Small x3, C G Coral.
His Alfa Soccoro, 374 LC, captured my fancy as well as Frank’s Felida
Stars & Stripes 575 and his Robert Too, 413. DJ’s Buffy 671,
earned Best Novice Collerette again.
Visiting
bloomarti, Bob Papp and Pat Cunningham drove up from L.A. to tour Bay
Area Dahlias and judge. “I took out a mortgage on the house to pay for
gas,” semi-joked Pat. His seeds augmented an outstanding public
demonstration of Dahlia Lore including examples of all the forms, a
tuber clump freshly dug, and sign ups for the Colorado Dahlia News Alert
web link. Janet Thalen masterminded fabulous publicity; two newspapers,
The Sentinal and the Pajaronia covered the show with beautiful colored
pictures as well as well written articles.
M
ore dahlias that
caught my eye: both Janet Thelan and Joe Ghio’s Starring, 564; Joe
Ghio’s Hanna Baker, 30 and his spectacular Tropica; Dean Barn’s red and
white Bert Pitt, 235; Paradise’s swirliest yet Bird Nest; Mingus Julie
M,170 from the Zydner/Larkins; and Juul’s Pearl, 521, a very very tight
MB. Seedlings to covet are: Lou Paradise’s third year seedling to
be named Prometheus, a blazing flame incurved 266 as well as a BB ID,
335; and the Larkin/Zydner Purple Swirl 569. Joe Ghio has a very
promising B FD pk but it’s only the first year—can we wait 3 more?
DRIVING FOR DAHLIAS:
For the last 10 years the Monterey Dahlia Society has arranged a
Dine Around whereby members potluck a meal course at each of 5 private
gardens. This year Tinnee, Rose and Ted and their son Kevin, DJ, Diana,
and Deborah were privileged to participate. For breakfast we visited
Kevin Larkin and Karen Zydner at their
Corralitos ranch where they
erected a tent “garage” for our dining pleasure. 
Planted
from March through July, 1,100 plants produce 25-1500 cut flowers per
week. Instead of individual stakes, they employ 3 rows of longitudinall twine which they buy in commercial 5000’ “balls.” Predatory
mites & drip systems keep many problems in check. Some eye catchers
were: Ryecroft Gem, MB Pk; Leota Mace, WL scarlet; Ayers White Knight,
13” humongous SC's which thrive in the hotter weather; Vista A Rod BB FD
dark luscious red; and Stephanie shich Kevin said, “ Not a great show flower, but
fabulous substance and staunch stems. We sell a bundle!”. 
Devil Liam from Grahm Carey in England; and Vera’s Elma, that rare and elusive category AA FD, lav. Some of the enticing new seedlings are a bronze BSC from Joe Ghio, JG02-3; a fuchsia and white BB FD; and a red single with dark foliage and a dark center. Corralitos Gardens has 4 long rows of pot roots so they can start cutting production in heated beds in the greenhouse at Christmas time to fulfill your orders by March. Walking through the Corralitos 1500 seedlings is like walking into the future: so many possibilities for the dahlia germ plasm.
Read
and see the rest of the stops: Second stop was at the
Thelen Hacienda, Third stop was the Wilson place. Fourth stop was at
Sharon and George Lucchesi's Aptos California Oak and Aviary. Fifth stop
was at Cynthia Geske's
Love Apple Tomato Farm where Ozzie grew Dahlias among the giant Redwood
trees.
NOVEMBER NOSTRUMS: Check your labels for accuracy whilst you can still discern what the blooms should look like. Rogue immediately; get rid of trash plants. Dig up and throw in the garbage any dahlia bush which you feel did not do as well as it should and which would not please someone buying its tubers at the Tuber Sale. Do it now. Fill the hole with luscious compost for next year. Water only those plants still thriving and GREEN. Anything brown, cut it down to 4-5 notches or joints. These will act as water seals over the winter. I like to wait a minimum of 4 weeks after I have lopped back before I dig up and divide my clumps. They seem to develop tougher skin if they are allowed to go fully dormant. DJ, on the other hand, likes to dig out within a couple weeks of lopping down.
DUES ARE DUE: Dahlia Society of California dues are $10 for the calendar year January-December or any part of it. These dues cover your informative newsletter (either snail mail or email), 12 monthly fascinating programs, the August Big Show, Dig Out, hands-on practice at the Dahlia Dell and wonderful company. The American Dahlia Society dues are $23 for an individual and $26 for a household. Please use this form for your information update.
N MEMORIAM: Last month we lost a wonderful DSC friend, Dr. Karl Hanson. Besides pioneering psychiatric counseling to the OB-Gyn department at UCSF, Karl helped at many dig-outs—even spilling blood whilst performing tuber surgery. His astute insights into people, his wonderful sense of humor, and his love of dahlias will be missed. Our best wishes and loving memories of Karl go out to his wife of 20 years, Mary. DSC has sent a contribution in his name to the Florence Crittendon Services.
Dahlia Society of California, Inc., San Francisco, CA -- Copyrighted
Chief Editor: Deborah Dietz
eNewsletter Editor: Ted Marr
Acknowledgement: Photos in
this issue by Deborah, DJ and Ted