I have been loving all the photos of dahlias. The only kind I grow are the little stargazers which I started from seed last summer, overwintered in the basement, and then put in again this summer. Years ago I gave up on the big, beautiful ones because I did not seem to have much luck getting more than a few if any blooms in our relatively short growing season. So I'm posing this question to the group. What specific dahlias have worked best for you as far as hardiness, lots of blooms, year after year reliability, and, of course, beauty?
What dahlias would you recommend?
To generalize flowering by flower classification: waterlilies,semi cactuses and single, flower early and often. The big ones - A/AA usually open later and will flower less, but are showstoppers when open. I could give you specific names, but it would be easy to answer questions you might have about ones you are looking at.
waterlily bed today - after 4 months of flowers.
Wow, are you saying that these waterlily dahlias have been blooming for 4 months in Menasha? We share a time zone so that is promising. What are the specific names and are some of them more reliable than others?
After reading the Fall plant thread, Al is the one of the few who grows them successfully. (Assuming they are his.)
The best flowering of those are:
Contessa
Tarahiti Ruby
Kelgai Ann
Harvest Moon
Porcelain
Bea Paradise
Twilight Time(not pictured) was a flowering machine.
Keith H.
reliable in what way? consistency every year ?
I do start mine 5 weeks early inddors to bump up the flowering. Which overall works, but I have a few that still won't flower - none of those though. Can't recall ever waiting for a WL or SC to open late.
Well draining soil and full sun helps a lot.
Al, thanks for your suggestions. This will get me going. One more question: do you have a favorite place you buy them? Here' s the only kind I grow, from early September, as a present to you.
