rolling the dahlia dice
Are you sensible? I am not sensible. I am not stupid and I do not lack common sense as such, but I do not always make sensible decisions.
This year I have been very clear; the priorities for the field are growing food and growing flowers for seed harvesting. Bio-diversity tucks into the corners obviously, and it is nice to have a space to cook and to eat in the orchard, but self-sufficiency and a closed-loop economy is key.
Do I need a bed of dahlias that I may or may not like? Of course not. I have culled my dahlias collection ruthlessly and I am now down to the ones I love (a surprising proportion of which are dinner plates) and yet I watched a Floret video on dahlia breeding and I knew I was going to have to give it a try.
The principle is simple. Every dahlia will set seed, but they cross pollinate with the dahlias around them. Like human beings, their seed is a bit of both parent but mixed in such a random way that every seed will create something entirely unique and very much themselves. If you have rolled that particular dice, you will know this feeling. All children have movements, gestures, characteristics and mannerisms that you recognise from yourself or your partner and bits of them that you think ‘where on earth did they get that from?’
My thinking is that I only grow dahlias that I adore, and so any crosses that I get will also be dahlias I adore. And so this week I have been in amongst the last, although still glorious, blooms and looking at the spent seed heads. To start with I went round and I collected those that looked perfectly ready. I put them all in a jar and I brought them into the house. However, I have already seen the error of my ways. What I need to do is make sure I have collected one seed head from every dahlia plant that I have. This is the way to get as much variety as I can next year. As a wise person once said, the world does not need another bright yellow ball dahlia.
Singles set seed easily and prolifically. Sometimes the abundance of petals and ruffles on a dinnerplate can prevent the seeds getting to the dispersal state which is, like for all seeds, dried and brown. However, with patience and care, you will get there.
The first stage after the petals fall off is damp and wet and when you squeeze it, it oozes water. Give it a little bit of time and the edges will start to look a bit jagged, like teeth. Although Erin is able to leave her seed heads to dry on the plant, I find that only singles will ever do this in the field. The bigger, fatter seed heads I put in a jar and bring indoors. I label them very carefully, although I am not sure why. I don’t imagine it would make much of a difference.
On singles: I don’t like singles a huge amount and they are very easy to get seed for (just look up Bishop’s Children) so I am not saving the seed from my usual singles. The Mexican Chocolates on the other hand, I have no idea what they will do because I don’t really know what their genetic heritage is given that they are already crossed with chocolate cosmos. All the more exciting and so I have saved absolutely tonnes of seed from them.
Dry slowly and kindly, no heat. Once they are grey-brown and papery, they will shatter at your touch. Separate the kernel of seed from the papery chaff and put in a paper envelope.
I love all seeds for the fact that they are huge, glorious potential plants in a tiny, apparently inert speck of matter. Isn’t this all the more exciting that we have no idea what this plant might one day look like? You may have just discovered the next Café au Lait.
A few other questions you might have:
Yes, they will grow, flower and form tubers within one season so if you sow them in spring next year, you will find out what they look like that year.
The proportion of must keep and awful flowers is going to be a product of chance and your taste. I have finally got to the stage that I don’t keep dahlias that I don’t adore and Erin says her keep rate is one percent. If you are more forgiving, it might be more but this is not an experiment to embark upon if every centimetre of your plot is precious. Just source a tuber you know that you love.