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Naomi Slade is a freelance journalist with a degree in science and a background in publishing, events and managing rock bands. In this podcast she shares her love of and fascination for the subject of her latest book, Dahlias: Beautiful Varieties for Home and Garden.
Things we talk about in this episode:
Naomi’s background
Her Snowdrop book: Plant lovers guide to snowdrops (Timber Press)
Joe Sharman of Monksilver Nursery
Naomi’s snowdrop Galanthus 'Naomi Slade'
Her Orchard book: An Orchard Odyssey (Green Books)
Definition of an orchard: 5 Trees with crown edges not more than 20 metres apart
Perennial fruit and food
Dahlia as fashion victim
Divisive dahlias
Rich man’s plants
1851 Exhibition
Are they worth the effort?
Dahlia genetics
Humans are diploid - 2 sets of chromosomes
dahlias are octoploid - 8 sets of chromosomes
Loads of transposons which spontaneously change what they look like
quick mutations = thousands of cultivars
Yellow and orange dahlias often have irridescence
Dahlia History
Aztec rituals
Cactus dahlias
Dahlia requirements
How to start them off
Slugs and frost
Slugs hide underneath the tuber and come out at night
Pinching out
Planting out
Feeding
Staking
Deadheading
Dahliaworld.co.uk has all 60k varieties - the perfect place to geek out
National collection in Penzance
Overwintering
Nobody likes a soggy bottom
Favourite dahlias
Restrained dahlias: ponpons and small balls
Containers
Varieties and cultivars we talk about in this episode:
D. Hamari Gold
D. Peresii
D. David Howard
D. Arabian Knight
D. Gentle star
D. Thomas Eddison
D. Hootenanny
D. Eveline
The gallery series - compact and pretty
Happy singles - simple daisy flowers