hehehe....as one of many sorta "wise" ones, all I suggest, if you can't guarantee a cool spot for them, perhaps they have other plans than mid-December blooms!! Once they do go dormant you are looking at 8 weeks of cool and then another 4 weeks of growth, so if they went dormant today they wouldn't bloom until late January. As I told my class a couple of weeks ago, the only way to nearly guarantee holiday blooms is to start with fresh bulbs that have been prechilled and are ready to bloom. Right now, if they are actively growing, I'd withhold water, not cut green leaves...but you could try the advice in a recent post about uprooting....(with roots and leaves intact), waiting a few days, replanting, etc. Read that post...it might not work, but you could be the one to make us believers!! Unfortunately, the weather doesn't always cooperate!! Imaging how much fun we have with this here in SE Texas!! It's 78 this morning at 06:00!! :-/ Kristi

Oooohhhh very pretty! I just looked it up and here's what it says about Garden Wonder: -Plants are a tidy 2 feet tall, perfect for border use. Plant in full and enjoy lots of color from summer through fall. We ship plump premium tubers primed for growth in your garden. Order soon, especially for quantities. And for Duet: -An extravagantly colorful bi-color. Duet is a very choice garden dahlia. Plants grow strongly to just under 3 feet tall, and produce loads of red-purple and pure white 4-inch flowers. The base of the petals are red, the tips white. It is a showy specimen for cutting, and an eye-catcher in the garden. Hope that helps! I started Dahlias about 3 yrs ago, and this year I'm making a HUGE order (for my little yard lol) They are a very VERY addicting flower specimen. I know I'm hooked! I'll be getting ones that are 13" accross (the flower that is) Enjoy! Redd~

In southern Calif. dahlias can stay in the ground year round. For those big dinner plate size blooms I'd expect at least a 4' height. I don't know specifically about your two cultivars. But staking is a must. As to bloom time, there are early/mid/late bloomers.

In New Brunswick, I'd be waiting until the first frost in the fall. The leaves will turn black after that. Then, I'd dig the whole plant up, and cut off the top. Clean them up; let them dry; separate if you can; dust with a fungicide, label them as to variety; wrap in saran wrap or recycled plastic shopping bags; put into paper bags; put into a cardboard box covered with newspaper; and store in the cold cellar for next April. Then in April, you lay them out slightly covered with a growing media; pot them up once they've started to sprout; give them some light outside, but be prepared to take them indoors when it is cold; and plant after ALL danger of frost has passed. Did I miss a step? Seems like a lot of work, doesn't it. However, the reward is definitely there.