- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Date: Sept. 9, 2023
Location: A flower bed in Vacaville, Calif.
Mantis: “Hi, it's me, your favorite praying mantis! I just popped in to say hello!”
Photographer: “Well, hello there, Ms. Stagmomantis limbata, but I think you have ulterior motives! You're not here to greet me and tell me to have a nice day, are you?”
Mantis: “What makes ya think that?”
Photographer: “Because you're hungry and you're an ambush predator and you're waiting to nail an unsuspecting bee or butterfly. But that's OK. Every living thing in this garden eats.”
Mantis: “Ya think?”
Photographer: “Sometimes.”
Mantis: “Well, tell me how I look.”
Photographer: “You look like your crept out of the shadows and your head is spinning in space and it somehow got detached from your body. I could ask you what motivational and existential predicaments are playing directive roles on your current behavior patterns, like I ask all my friends, but I won't. Be well.”
Mantis: “Bee? Where? Where?”
![bugsquad 8019 copy bugsquad 8019 copy](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/103790.jpg)
- Author: David H Alosi
By Sue Hurley, U. C. Master Gardener
![dahlia dahlia](http://ucanr.org/blogs/ncmgblog/blogfiles/2818.jpg)
Dahlias are a perennial that grows from tuberous roots and blooms from mid- to late summer until first frost. I must warn you now: Collecting them can be addicting.
I love them because they make wonderful cut flowers and last a long time. The best dahlias for cutting are those with multi-petaled medium to small flowers. Large dahlia blossoms can be floated in a bowl.
Dahlia blossoms range in size from two inches in diameter to dinner plate size. They come in 15 hues and may be a solid color, bicolored or multicolored. There are 19 different shapes, including single, cactus, ball, informal and formal decorative, and pompon types. Dahlias range in height from 12-inch dwarfs to 8-foot giants.
Wait until after the last spring frost to plant them. The soil should be warm enough by mid May. Dahlias love full sun and do well in our Mediterranean climate; they will tolerate light afternoon shade in very hot areas.
Dig a hole one-foot square. Work some peat moss or steer manure into the soil. I also work a small handful of bone meal into the bottom of the hole. Plant the tuber horizontally four to six inches deep.
Drive a stake of appropriate size into the ground now so that you don’t damage the roots later on. Dahlia tubers have small “eyes,” which are the growing points of the plant. Place the stake a couple of inches from the eye so you can easily tie the stems to the stake for support.
Now cover the tuber with soil and water well. Snails love the new sprouts so scatter some snail bait. After they sprout, dahlias will need deep watering two to three times a week, and more often in warm weather.
Dahlias like low-nitrogen fertilizers such as those used for vegetables. Give them the first feeding a month after planting, and another feeding three to four weeks later. High-nitrogen fertilizer can produce small blooms, no blooms or weak stems, and cause the tubers to rot or shrivel during winter storage.
In the fall, dig up your dahlias two weeks after a killing frost. They will be brown then. If you dig too early, the tubers will not store well. Cut the foliage to about four inches and lift the plant out with a spading fork. Wash the dirt off and let them dry overnight in a protected area. Tubers should be stored for winter in cardboard boxes. Layer with sawdust or peat moss using newspapers to separate layers, and store in your garage. Write the name, color, and size on each tuber with a black marker.
In spring, a few weeks before planting time, you can divide the tubers by cutting the stalks with a sharp knife. Leave one inch of stalk for each tuber, which in turn needs at least one eye or bud to enable a new plant to form. Place the tubers in a tray of wet sand to encourage new sprouts, or sprinkle occasionally with water until it is time to plant.
Would you believe that there are even “tree dahlias” that can grow to 20 feet? They are multi stemmed and grow each year from permanent roots.
I decided to try my luck with one that a fellow gardener was trying to get rid of. I must say that I had a very hard time trying to get a piece of the root using a pickax. So be cautious when planting a tree dahlia because it might be hard to move or remove.
The flowers bloom in late fall on branch ends and are four to eight inches wide. Cut the tree to the ground after frost. Plant them in full sun or part shade. They will grow from cuttings.
Tree dahlias can be dug in the fall or left in the ground over the winter. Nurseries rarely sell them because they are short lived, but their fall flowers may take your breath away.
Free Workshop: Early winter is the best time to plant bare-root fruit trees, the least expensive way to purchase them. Napa County Master Gardeners will hold a free workshop called “All About Fruit Trees: Selection and Planting” on Saturday, November 7, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., at Napa Valley College’s Upper Valley Campus, 1088 College Avenue, in St. Helena. The workshop will be repeated on Saturday, November 14, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., at the University of California Cooperative Extension, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Napa. You will learn planting techniques, what to look for at the nursery, and what characteristics to consider in your decision. This workshop is the first in a three-part series. Reservations are recommended; call 707-253-4221.