Serenade Dahlias Honesty Stall

18/10/2026

The very first little self-seeded dahlias are starting to bud up and bloom. For the most part it’s too early to assess, but I’m pulling out a few that I know won’t improve enough.. and leaving some like that first one to see how it goes as the days lengthen further.

Yesterday we had the best time out in Toowoomba for the first of the Queensland Dahlia Society tuber sales. Next Saturday will be the second one happening down in Coorabell - I highly recommend if you’re looking for some great dahlia tubers!

Finally our dry Spring has broken and we’ve had around 20mm of rain over the last couple of days. Not enough yet to really pe*****te the dry areas, but where the soil is best under mulch in the main cutting patch the young plants are loving the moisture. It has also been the perfect opportunity to get more of my cutting-grown plants out in the garden, as it looks like another week or so of overcast skies and showers, which will allow them to settle in without too much transplant stress.
My 2000 new seedlings only have 1-2 sets of true leaves, if that, so it’s too early to put them out, but I hope to do that soon too before the heat returns.

How is your season going so far?

14/10/2026

14/10/2026

FLORISTS! I need your input. I’m helping draft judging criteria for the “cut flower” class at our state show.
I would love to hear from you. What are your pet hates when it comes to dahlias?
Tree-trunk stems is one that comes to mind, as well as back petals falling out…what else?
If you go to a wholesaler or pick up up wholesale bunches from a dahlia farm what things really bug you?

13/10/2026

‘Serenade Margaret Mary’ (named after my strong, determined, independent grandmother 🥰 ) was part of a sneaky soft release earlier this season at the Botanical Bazaar gardening event. No hunger games online sale, just easily available to people who sought me out amongst stalls at that lovely in-person event.
She has excellent functional traits and colouring that varies from a cool pink with burgundy flecks through to mostly burgundy blooms. Tiny white petaloids are sometimes visible tucked in deep between petals too.
You can’t buy this one anywhere online, but my retreat attendees at the end of the month will have the opportunity to choose this as their special tuber to take home (or whichever new Serenade they prefer). I’m also going to check through my tubers today and might have one or two to take along with me to Toowoomba to the Queensland Dahlia Society tuber sale this weekend (link through to their page for all the details!) but no promises, because I’m only taking tubers that have eyes that have woken up, and I need to check first. Either way there will be so many wonderful cultivars to choose from! I’ll also have my books if you’d like to buy a copy in person.
Hope to see some of you there! ✨💕🌸

11/10/2026

One of my very favourite garden tasks is taking cuttings. The novelty never wears off for me. Even though I understand the biology, there’s still just something magical about the process. I’m only striking a few hundred this year of my favourite seedlings to build up stock.
Another tray this morning and I added a couple more of this lovely creamy white with lemon streaks seedling. I can’t wait to see this one blooming in its second season. The functional traits are off the charts! I cannot fault it!
I’m doing a talk at the Tamborine Mountain garden club tomorrow which will be really fun! I was thinking I might touch on taking cuttings along with the other topics I’ll be exploring. I think a lot of gardeners who only dabble in dahlias might not realise that it’s even an option for us to propagate them in that way.
Oh and quick reminder to locals, the Queensland Dahlia Society has the first of its tuber sales on this coming weekend in Toowoomba. Absolutely worth the drive! I’ll be there with some tubers and my books which will also support the society - a great organisation!

11/10/2026

SEQld growers - I highly recommend the QDS sale happening this Saturday! So many great cultivars available at good prices PLUS you get to support such a great organisation! Definitely worth the drive from Brisbane.
I’ll be there, and taking some tubers as well as having my books available to buy through the society as well 🥰

07/10/2026

‘Serenade Queen of the Faeries’ is a very special new dahlia named for my Mum ✨💕
This beautiful seedling is heading into her third season and I was really hoping I might be able to release her next year, but I didn’t get enough tubers, so might need to be 2028.
But I’m doing what I can to grow as many as I can this year.. including striking this tiny cutting which was a shoot of around 5-10mm emerging from a node in the (almost) dormant stem when I was dividing one of the clumps a month ago.
I didn’t hold much hope for it, but I popped it in with some other cuttings without thinking too hard about it. As I was potting up the rest of the tray a couple of days ago I checked and it had started growing and had initiated a couple of lovely little roots below. That tiny tiny little spark of life on an old stem will grow into a full sized plant, give me a season of blooms and an extra clump of tubers at the end of the season… nature is incredible! ✨💕✨💕✨💕

05/10/2026

Petaloids! ✨
This is my favourite fully double petaloid so far. It doesn’t have contrasting colour petaloids, which is my longer term goal, but I adore the fluffy full form and also the neutral colour of this gorgeous bloom!
Heading into her second year and despite a decent sized tuber clump I didn’t end up with many viable tubers from it, so I’m really pleased that I took some Autumn cuttings (which I overwintered and have continued to take more cuttings from). So I’m planting some into my main cutting patch to put through her paces for production (good news for my florists!) as well as a couple in planned hybridisation hubs in the seed patch.
She’s a cornerstone to my “petaloid romance” line. Her seed parent has a similar form with a pinker colouring, and I’m hoping to grow a decent number of her as well. I didn’t manage to get much seed last Autumn (the downside to such a high petal count is the tiny disc centre that doesn’t open until really really late!)
We might need to start brainstorming names for her soon as I know she’ll be a keeper so I want something prettier than 25-076(432) to catalogue her! Any thoughts?