I just saw this message after I voted on your previous post. I'm sorry to hear about your losses. I know I'd be very disappointed if I lost plants at the ground. Since you've lost Citron de Cap in your single bloom category, I vote for Victoria Ann. I still go with China Doll and Bride to Be for the three bloom category. Again, this opinion is based solely on your photos. Good Luck--and I'm interested in hearing what you show and how you did.

Annabeth

I would also be interested in the results. But my up bring makes me want to find a solution to your wind problem. There has to be a way to build a portable cover that can be anchored around you potential show plants. Some way to save the blooms and the plant. This is going to come up every year. May be you will have to grow your plants in containers so you can move them into a greenhouse. We cannot be defeated

Bummer!! We usually end up with raining buckets before a show & it turns all the big guys to mush! You just can't trust mom nature!
So... back to the drawing board-- I'd still go with Victoria Ann if she looks as good as the picture and try the varigated one if it's center is good.
Did Snowbound survive the wind? If so, it looked good.
When's the show?
We're finished with shows out here for the year & the dahlias are blooming their heads off. Our season was really late & the shows were early. The last show had the most blooms & now there's thousands of blooms out in the gardens & no shows to enter them in. Let's see-- 7,000 plants with at least 5-15 blooms per plant-- means a lot of dead-heading to do next week!

Viking,

All that IÂve lost to the wind have broken just above the ground, so I have to believe if theyÂd been in tomato cages that wouldnÂt have happened. IÂve also been considering chicken wire, like a wrap, going entirely around the plant. That would likely help stop branch breakage and keep the plant from getting tangled up in nearby plants. Those could be put up early and left all season, which would be much easier than trying to put something out just before a show.

Plantlady,

Yeah, big bummer. All the Tahiti Sunrise blooms I have right now look like SC, not C, so IÂm going to go with Lemon Tart. ItÂs neon yellow is really attractive, and IÂve a few to choose from. Only problem is that itÂs the one I sold the most of this year so IÂll likely be competing against myself...;-]

Every time I look at Victoria Ann I like it more and more, it really is a beautiful flower, and every bloom IÂve had has been nearly as perfect as the others. There are a few of them out there, so IÂm going with it. I just canÂt bring myself to enter an all white bloom, even if they are good looking. Bodacious suffered enormously, because it was on the outer edge of the garden, so IÂm going with Gladiator for my 3 bloom entry. I have quite a few of them, and they look way better than the picture.

The judging is tonight after 8:00pm, but we wonÂt find out how weÂve done until tomorrow...;-[

Cheers,
Russ

I think you hit on it. I watched a garden show on TV. They used chicken wire as a cage around their plants. I can see you doing a row of chicken wire on both sides. Then you could put plastic over this to protect from the wind. With walts steel pipes driven into the ground to anchor this it might hold up to heavy winds. And I won't beable to sleep waiting to hear how you made out at the show. LOL

Well, I just got back from making my entries. Honestly, the largest Dahlia there was a small B, mostly M's!! There was a very nice purple Pompon that was entered into 3 classes (open single, open triple, and pompon,) but if you ask me it was way too flat on the bottom. There was a Lemon Tart there in the open class, mine is in the Cactus and there's too was flat on the bottom (whereas mine is fully rounded.)

Between the pot I put the Gladiators in (~15" tall) and the Gladiators themselves (also ~15" tall) my triple entry towered over everything on the stand...;-]

That said, there was still 2.5hrs remaining for entries to be delivered, so the best may have arrived after me.

Sigh, now I have to wait until noon tomorrow to find out how I did...

I am so tempted to go back down at 7:30pm tonight to watch the stand close at 7:45pm and take pictures. Hmm, maybe I will...;-]

Cheers,
Russ

Well, I have to tell my funny story.

So I did go back down to the fair grounds last night, arriving right at 7:45pm which was entry closing time. I felt kinda silly going there with only camera in hand, kinda like a kid shaking his presents under the christmas tree trying to figure out what they were.

Not having been to one of these things before, I didn't know what to expect. I even wondered if I'd be allowed to photograph the stands...;-] Too many computer trade shows I guess.

Anyway, I looked at the entries and pressed the power button on my camera and...dud...nada...no power! I got so flustered that I simply left...without even taking a good look at the competition! Lol

I do know that the most competition is in the 3 bloom open class, which I thought was kinda surprising. I also noticed that there were a lot of the same variety in both the 3 bloom and 1 bloom categories, which made me feel good about entering two different varieties. That said, the names of the people making the entries are hidden, so the judges wouldn't know that I put two varieties in.

I was also surprised that they didn't want the variety name on the entries.

Finally, I definitely could've entered my Crichton Honey BA in the Pompon class...I really don't think they'd have known the difference.

Now patiently waiting for noon to arrive...;-]

Cheers,
Russ