The end of February is creeping up and that makes me want to get all my ducks in a row for planting out dahlia tubers this upcoming spring.

First, and most importantly, you will need dahlia tubers or dahlia seeds. Did you know that you can plant either to get a dahlia? When you plant dahlia seeds it is like rolling a dice in the sense that you don't know what you are going to get. The shapes, sizes, and colors are unique to each seed. When you plant tubers, the 'daughter' plant is an exact clone of the 'mother' so you know exactly what you are going to get. My preference is planting tubers because I know what flowers I can plan on harvesting in the summer. We offer several lovely varieties of dahlia tubers that ship in time for spring planting. If you are just starting out I would recommend growing 5 different tuber varieties. We offer a Grower's Choice pack of 5 tubers that would be perfect!

Along with the selected tubers the other things you'll need are:

• Trowel for digging 6 inch hole
• Blood Meal for adding fertilizer to the hole
• Wooden Stakes for labeling variety name
• Sharpie for writing on stake
• Twine wrapped around T-posts for stability

It can take 60-90 days until the tubers that was planted flowers. It seems like a long wait, but dahlias will bloom again and again until it frosts (in Lexington, OR that is typically mid-October). You will be rewarded with a bounty of blooms! Growing dahlias is so rewarding. What are you favorites to grow?

HAPPY NEW YEAR! One thing that the new year means to me is that it is time to finalize garden plans! I get to flip through catalogs to decided what seeds I want to start this year! I have a few GO TO places for buying seeds and I thought I'd share them with you to help with planning your garden.

​Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds:
This site offers hundreds of unique seeds. I'm talking purple carrots, giant beans, and a zillion tomato choices. They have some fun, rare finds.
 
Dawn Creek Farm:
THE place to get lovely zinnia seeds.
 
Johnny's Selected Seeds: 
The place I order seeds from the most is Johnny's. They offer a wide range of flower and veggie seeds from single-packet sizes all the way up to bulk seeds. They are a name that I trust to get quality products. They also offer tons of gardening/planting tools. They also offer many varieties as organic.
 
Renee's Garden:
I'm sure you'll recognize these seed packets as they are in many garden centers. Each seed packet has lovely artwork. Renee's Garden has wonderful seed mixes great for backyard gardeners.
 
Territorial Seed Company: 
An Oregon-based seed company with wonderful seeds. Their website has helpful resources like growing guides.
 
True Leaf Market: 
Another great source for flower and veggie seeds. I especially love their flower seed mixes. I used the Dry Land Wildflower mix this last year and LOVED it for easy planting and zero maintenance.

​If you have an abundance of seeds (like me) storing them can be a challenge. I outgrew my cute metal seed organizer and then switched to using photo organizers that are clear and can be grouped together by seed type or starting date. Seeds do prefer to be stored cool, so make sure you have a good space for them.
 
All the seed/flower planning and dreaming gives so much HOPE to the future. I just love it!
 
If you aren't typically a gardener, I challenge you this year to try and grow something (start with something easy like zinnias or sunflowers). 
 
If you are a seasoned grower, I challenge you to grow something new this year.
 
One new flower that I'm hoping to grow this year is echinops. What will you try this year? I'd love to know.