CORNEL

BA-DR 6007

Form: Ball  

Size: 3.5"+

Color: Dark Red

Hybridizer: Cor Geerlings

Introduction Year: 1994

December 11, 2023 Misfit Monday Post: Misfit Monday coming in hot! Red hot!! In the spirit of Christmas, today's Misfit Monday needed to be red and classic, and the 1st thing that came to mind was good ole CORNEL. With great form and great color this dark red ball is known far and wide. CORNEL was introduced in 1994 by Cor Geerlings from Heemstede, Netherlands. I have a hunch that Cor is short for Cornelius which may be where Cornel comes from but it is just a hunch. Either way Cor Geerlings started his dahlia business, Geerlings Dahlias, in the 1940s when he was 22 years old and continued farming dahlias till he passed away in 2012 at the age of 90. Today his son Jan and his daughter-in-law Elly run the family business. And it looks to me they are still pumping out new introductions. The ADS has about 75 dahlias classified as Cor Geerlings originals but I am sure there are many more. Some more familiar varieties include: JOMANDA, RED BALLOON, YVONNE, and a unicorn that has recently popped up on my radar: CAROLINA WAGEMANS. Geerlings first introduction is actually in my heritage garden, GLORIE VAN HEEMSTEDE, which for some reason the ADS has classified as a Bakker origination. So I will be trying to figure that out. As for CORNEL it is a stunner and definitely worth growing and showing. In 2001 it won the Stanley Johnson Medal and still does quite well in shows today. It also has sported off some pretty amazing dahlias including: CORNEL BRONZE, IVANETTI, ISABEL, and CORNEL SALMON. Maybe even more. So whether you are fishing for a win or fishing for a sport or just looking to grow a gorgeous red dahlia, this is a must have for you!

UPDATE: Cor Geerlings' wife was Nellie and their names put together created the name CORNEL!

Side note: The last photo in this collection is from the National Dahlia Society Picture Archive which is an amazing resource of Dahlias. And can be found at ndsarchive.co.uk Enjoy!