Too Big To Fall, A Dahlia Story
I decided to plant bulbs this past winter. I had never been so ahead of the gardening game to even consider planting something ahead of time, but there I was with Sadie at Lowe’s wondering if I could have something as fantastically gorgeous as these hot pink dahlias in my garden?!?! Could I actually grow something that embraced the flowery fuschia abundance that I loved in my chalk paints?
So we bought, planted and waited. You know I’m no good at this so this was agony. I just hoped they bloomed before my mom’s visit in July or at least by our beach trip the next week.
I knew enough to be dangerous…
Here’s where this derailed. I read that if you pinch the dahlia stalks as soon as they “leaf” you get more blooms!
More is more right?!?! So I pinched all those little suckers back.
They started to grow and I see the first little buds in June. YASSS!! Perfect timing I’m thinking. (no, no it was not)
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So I’m basically watching these buds like a hawk. Like my baby eggs about to hatch.
It’s mid June. Hatch dammit hatch!!!
Mom is now arriving in 2 days!
They don’t hatch.
Mom is here and now we are all leaving for a 2 week family trip. Nothing.
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It’s the day before we leave and one petal releases.
![](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2457/4543/files/IMG_5363_480x480.jpg?v=1627847755)
Holy f*cking hell these guys are gonna pop the day after I leave. How could they do this to me??? I’m gonna miss the whole damn show!
I’m gonna com come back to a bunch of shriveled up flowers- all sad and spent.
Johnna to the rescue!
Luckily my girl Johnna took some pictures for me so I could at least have a virtual show.
![](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2457/4543/files/IMG_5296_480x480.jpg?v=1627845113)
Two weeks pass and we finally arrive home. Sadie runs for her dogs. Dey runs for his cats. Brian runs to his computer, Nona runs for the bathroom and me, I run for the dahlias!!!
It’s dark and I can’t see them. Like I can’t see them at all! Weird.
I go to bed and first thing in the am I bolt for the garden. Where are they???
Then I look down. I see the pile.
![](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2457/4543/files/IMG_5372_480x480.jpg?v=1627847709)
They had all collapsed. Layer after layer of dahlia stalks and blooms piled on top of each other. Crushed by the weight of extreme, audacious, fluffy, fuschias-ness.
I had pinched so much that I had too many blooms per stalk. They got so huge so fast, the stalks could not support the weight and they all tumbled down during a storm.
![](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2457/4543/files/IMG_5375_480x480.jpg?v=1627847668)
I grabbed poles and tape and twine and got those suckers back at attention! Those that I could not save, I offer here for you.
![](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2457/4543/files/IMG_5336_480x480.jpg?v=1627845278)
Please show me your version of these Dahlias
Here is MINE!
![](http://tanglewoodsue.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/IMG_6626-1-1009x1024.jpg)
Please enjoy them. Paint them. Copy them. Show me what you do with them.
I’m sure I could make a metaphor about being too large. Shining too bright. Moving too fast. Falling down and getting back up. It seems familiar somehow. But today let’s just #takethewinmyfriends, take the win.
![](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2457/4543/files/IMG_5341_480x480.jpg?v=1627847873)