******UPDATE********** I have lists from: Collielover Paperfinch Monet_g Mayflower Eva1garden I need a list from: Mandolls This has already been so much fun and I can�t wait to swap all these dahlias around. I will get a spreadsheet made with all of the dahlias in the swap and send it out to you (it will include name, size, color, and shape as well as a picture). I hope to have it done by Sunday, but next Sunday (the 5th) at the latest. I will keep you all updated! Keriann~

Henry, I believe we do have very similar weather. This is one reason we may find it helpful to share our growing experiences. Out of curiosity: Did you bring in the dahlia cuttings the first week of March because you didn't know how long they would be help up in customs? We have been picking up our order directly from the grower in mid March. This is the only grower who is licensed to take cuttings of these patented varieties of dahlias. It is a partnership/agreement between the grower and the VerWer brothers, the patent holder in the Netherlands. Because we pick up our order, many of the plugs are pretty tall. We assume because we don't have them boxed (and they wouldn't fit in boxes with their height), we take delivery of some good size plugs. We did notice when we bumped them up into four inch pots that a handful were already trying to produce tubers. Yes, the plugs were trying to produce tubers. Again, as mentioned previously, even under ideal conditions this will apparently happen for whatever reason. The plants mission is always survival. In our experience, your plants will be fine after you pinch out those early buds. Our dahlias were planted out in the tunnel at the same time as yours. We're always on the lookout for a bud trying to set deep withing the plant, and we pinch those out. The plant will go on to produce two very nice and long laterals blooming at the same time. As farmers, our tunnels are not automated. Our tunnels are situated with the prevailing winds which generally come out of the west. It is difficult to maintain a constant temperature. Ventilation, of course, is important to prevent the spread of disease. We had two beautiful days last week for planting. And, then the weather turned dastardly. It was cold and rainy on Sunday. The low overnight was supposed to be around 44 degrees. The plants were not covered in remay. If the temperatures are in the mid 30s, covering them with remay would be helpful. One question: Are you using drip irrigation in your tunnel? We are continuously searching, learning, and sharing information regarding our favorite flower, the dahlia.

Those are wonderful dahlias. They stay very compact and don't get tall and spindly. I can't remember if I even pinched them but to keep them compact, pinch them anyway. You have plenty of sun for them. I feel for you with the Voles. I lost all my clematis. They just tunneled down and ate the whole thing. It had taken 3 years for them to cover the arbor and now nothing. I have tried everything with the voles but my dahlias are in raised beds. I have never had voles there. Good luck.

No- it isn't normal- if you keep them cleaned up & dead-headed they'll bloom until frost no matter when they start. It might help to give a boost of garden fertilizer in July to give them more energy to keep on going. We use 10-20-20 at planting and again in July to spruce them up for shows in August.