Hi there! The normal pattern is planting the cloves in the fall during which time they develop roots and a small amount of greens, then letting them grow in spring and a portion of the summer. With summer, at least where I live, the solid bulb splits and separates into cloves. When the plant dies down (the foliage browns), then the bulb is ready to remove from the ground. Have you followed this method? (If you want garlic greens, you can plant cloves in the spring and start cutting once the foliage gets a chance to develop.) Maureen

Are they getting sun? Dahlias must have sun. Your comment about skinny stems makes me think that there is a lack of sun and they plants are reaching for light.

East or west exposure will net blooms for most of them EVENTUALLY. Most of mine grow on the east side, close to the window, and most of the mature ones bloom. There are some exceptions. But I will say that pubicalyx 'Pink Silver' (which I think is what you have there) is one that has always taken many years to bring to bloom for me, AND once it blooms, it's very stingy. I think a summer outside might be helpful, but I, too, am careful what I put out. Two kinds of Hoyas go out - the ones that aren't doing too hot (in hopes of the fresh air and sunshine making a difference) and those that are duplicates (as I won't risk my mother plants.) But I do have two out on my covered front porch that I keep a close eye on - pubicalyx 'Red Buttons' is one, and I must say it blooms like crazy all summer long. The leaves look less than spectacular (fairly washed out), but it does bloom... Use a bloom booster fertilizer, like Ferti-Lome. The number on it are 9-58-8. THAT gives them a real boost! Denise in Omaha

Agree with all of the above and will add that it is best to ask before you doing something, not after. ;-) Winter is a good time to begin planning and learning. Don't get me wrong - enthusiasm is a good thing, but it pays to first know what you don't know before acting on it and making it difficult to fix. For example, Daddy Pete's makes 9 different soil mixes - some good for a raised bed, some no good at all. So which specific mix did you use? The color of the writing on the bag at least let's us narrow it down. Second, I'd suggest you begin by reading through some of the many other 'new to gardening' posts here as many of the basic questions have already been discussed in them in detail. Then posts any specific questions you have. And please do include your location in your posts. Dave New to gardening discussions