Here's some blooming from last week... More and more coming out to show their colors. Most plants are around 3 feet right now... they will top out at 4-5 feet next month, with a few probably reaching up to 7 feet.

I am SICKLY JEALOUS!!! I'm in Florida - just got my shade cloth up- only 2 dahlias are around 3-4 ' I had my first bud covered in thrips damage! It's miserable - I'm ready to move. Your blooms are so gorgeous!! If I didn't live in this cruddy state I would have dahlias like that also - it makes me so sad to c my dahlias quickly dwindling before getting a chance to grow. I have to start a spray schedule bc fungus has begun. I really love ur blooms! Your so lucky to live in a state root knot nematode free with much less heat & humidity. I promised myself if it kills me , I will do whatever it takes to grow dahlias here successfully- if I have to set up an outside air conditioning unit or go to great lengths I will! Id rather move but it's not an option unfortunately ☹️ Thankyou for sharing CiCi! So so pretty! It melts my heart but makes me sad also. LOVE blyton!!! SOO elegant & beautiful- also, Tahoma, hapet, camano & rivers rose bud !!! I would give a finger for just a few of the dahlias I have planted to give me some decent blooms this fall !! Ugh! You guys plz count ur blessings bc florida is a state of its own! It's crazy trying to grow many flowers here. They just don't like the weather & humidity & neither do I - :(

Glad you enjoy the images... it's exciting for me to finally capture a decent pict of each variety as they bloom.

Yes, the first blooms tend to be really disappointing because any and every pest insect seems to find it a delectable meal. Don't be fooled... I've deadheaded many a damaged bloom before getting these images. Japanese beetles are especially horrible here, decimating a perfect young bloom that is just opening in a matter of hours.

I am a beekeeper and prefer more natural methods, so I don't spray any toxic chemicals, but do use Neem Oil when desperate. It is hard to find even a single perfect bloom during show time... but I'm okay with that. I don't grow these for ribbons.

Finally downloaded more images from the garden. So many plants are blooming right now, with the colors getting deeper as the nights get cooler.

All beautiful-Mordor is very interesting.

My dahlias this year were planted-notice the attempt to evade responsibility?-about 6 weeks late but flowers are coming.

Yikes! Frost is coming here, only too soon. Folks were scraping their car windows just 20 minutes from us yesterday morning. Normally, we have until early to mid October, but sometimes there are those surprise frosts that take things out unexpectedly.

Love mordor!

Camano Mordor is definitely a variety that invites a second look. I grew it for the first time last season, and took many images, trying to show off it's inner glow. Since two folks commented on the same one, here's the picts from last year (the rest of the images I posted above are all from this season).

Friends that have grown this one previously warned me that it needs some shade to 'pop' the outside raspberry color; otherwise, it can fade a bit, loosing it's two-tone look. Hence, both years this variety have received the coveted location under tree branches to filter the sunlight.

Gorgeous pictures!!! I've been enjoying some beautiful blooms, so very excited! Still waiting on two varieties to flower for the first time. Can hardly wait on those!

First time blooms are the best! Waiting for quite a few, myself.

Oh cici I love ur platinum blonde!!! And a few others are so breathtaking!! I don't have any of your varieties:( they are so beautiful !! I have something plaguing a few of my dahlias and need your advice on what u think it could be !! Also mine were planted super duper late and I broke every rule possible when planting them but they're now growing a little faster now that the heat is letting up just a tad ! I'm so excited I've had my very first dahlia blooms here in Florida this year !!! Lots of hard work and worth every bit !!! Thankyou so much for sharing your pics made my heart smile!! :)

Glad you enjoy the images. I love taking them, and am quick running out of days to do so. I'll try to post more anemones like Platinum Blonde, once I process more Picts to Internet size.

Wow! They are all so gorgeous! I’ve been wanting Platinum Blonde for a long time. Your photo makes me even more determined! Thank you for sharing so many lovelies. Lisa

I didn;t get a chance to download the new batch yet, but here's some tiny gems from the garden...

Love Alpen fury and many more! Camano is definitely on my list for spring now! And so is belred desire & a few others w/ such beautiful color combos!! ....Wow- frost??!!! We're not even getting cooler weather yet, here in fla :( ugh! It's only dropped a few degrees @ night -I'm dying for cooler weather ! I did everything I could possibly do wrong planting my fla dahlia garden this year! Now, I'm dying for cooler weather so I can HAV bigger blooms ! I am however, tickled pink I even have dahlia's growing - and they're blooming!! They're so enticing!! Omg- I can't get over how beautifully intricate each flowers details are !! I'm totally hooked!! It's so different planting tubers myself & watching them grow. I'm used to buying small potted nursery dahlias that only top 2' now that I've been successful w/planting this year- IT IS ON & POPPIN from here on out ! I'll end up digging up all 3 acres for dahlias within the next few years!

☝Thankyou so much for sharing CC !! It's so nice to see such beautiful pics ! Very inspiring for me Thanks ☺️

I just took a pict of Hapet Daydream,which is a lovely raspberry-tipped ball with a creamy center. Just divine. I'll post as soon as I can. Similar to Camano Mordor, but not nearly as subtle. You'd probably love it. Just recently came over from England, and I got it this spring in a trade. Hurrah for trades! Buying directly from overseas is VERY price prohibitive... most folks go in on a coop order through a local dahlia club to share the permits and costs.

oh im sickly envious of England!! They have all the beautiful flowers! So many flowers I fall in love w/just to find they're not available in the states! but of course, England has them! I'm sickly jealous. I've contacted many of their seed companies & nurseries. They say they can't ship to me, regardless of cost Not seeds or bulbs! I told my hubby (out of frustration) I'm packing up & moving over there! There's a few mums I have to have! I found 2 places that sell decent mums in the states & they don't sell anything close to the ones I want They don't even touch the tip of the iceberg in variety! If I could, I honestly would move. Florida is the wrong state to be in regardless of what it is I want to grow. I would b outta here so fast !! I try not to harp on it Bc it'll depress me. Sounds like I need to join a dahlia club!!! But I doubt, being in Florida, there are any around Maybe I should change this! Lol - I can't wait to c ur hapet daydream !! I bet it's as dreamy as ever!! Talking to u any longer & im going to get myself into trouble! My dahlia list is going to end up 3 x's longer than it already is - lol

Just got my images cropped & converted... Buckle your seat belt, here the first 'new' ones come...

OOOOOOOHHHHHHH!!! any chance you'll sell tubers from these ??

I'm sickly jealous! Ugh

"any chance you'll sell tubers from these ?"

I never know for sure which varieties I will have enough extras to sell... my web store opens in January. I grow around 300 varieties, and typically can offer around 100 varieties each year, depending on which tuber up well. The 'store' is a bi-product of so many extra tubers, as there is only so many I can donate to my dahlia clubs and trade for new varieties. Way too early to order, but you're welcome to see last year's varieties I sold, and MIGHT be selling in 2018... http://cubits.org/Dahlia/store/  I don't believe in pre-selling based on plants in the ground, and always do an itemized inventory of actual tubers before accepting orders. I'm too small to grow dozens of each variety, and I don't grow to sell, anyway.

I normally hold onto half of last year's varieties, and grow half 'new-to-me' varieties each season. Its fun. I actually prefer trading to selling, but my wish list is pretty specific, as I've grown so many already and prefer the newer releases that go for top dollar. Trades are now mostly with other vendors, but occasionally I enjoy a trade with a well-stocked enthusiast.

'I'm sickly jealous!'

You, too, can peeve your hubby by making long rows for him to mow around, and have constant dirt in your formal dining room! LOL! Wait, what am I saying... aren't you already there, Rachel? I think you are close behind me in craziness, if not surpassing me when counting other species you're infatuated with!

Lol- yeah my hubby's learned to accept my plant obsessions. We have enough soil on the floor boards of both cars to make an above ground bed! This was my first year growing " real" dahlias I bought 62 tubers altogether. Plus, rooted cuttings in pots. I have a variety list as thick as a novel! I'm already making plans to dig up more of the yard- It started with flowers in general yrs ago - then, I was bitten by the rose bug & ended up w/300 + roses & still counting. Now, my roses have taken a passenger ( not quite back) seat for my dahlias !! I destroyed the paint on my back lanai in our new house (3y.o. now) dripping bleach everywhere bc it's too hot to trim & cut back my potted flowers in direct sun. All potted plants are put on the porch for trimming, deadheading. The rest, I do in the evening. I bought paint to re-paint the lanai but I'm not ready to do so until I finish the other 6 gardens I'm working on. Otherwise, the new paint will b ruined w/bleach stains & dirt. I pot up & propagate a lot of plants on my back lanai. We just cleaned out our garage but still have to buy a potting bench & some tables to set up my new germination stations hubby bought me a few months back. I have to pucker my lip & suck up often for all the extra money I spend every week on seeds, transplants, bulbs, ect... This past Friday, I made a 200$ purchase from easy to grow bulbs for their Italian ranunculus. I also purchased from floret, pase seeds & 2 ebay seed companies. Every-time, I come across a variety of flower I fall in love with, I HAVE to get it ! It's still a learning process though. Moving from zone 10 by the beach to zone 9 north inland made such a difference in what I can grow! I was able to grow poppies from seed last winter/spring, Whohoo! I don't listen to what anyone or any rules say online ab growing flowers in florida bc if I did I wouldn't have much of a selection- Basically, none of My fav. Beautiful flowers grow here at all !! unless they're fla natives- flowers for fla or tropical plants- yuck!! So, I'm growing based on trial & error - thru this I've learned I can grow geum, Achillea, dahlias & many more with some extra tlc & the right micro climate!! I was able to see columbine flowers for the first time in my life 2 yrs ago!! Anyhoo- I completely understand u would rather trade than sell ! I would b the same way if I were u !!! However, being "new" to dahlias, my wish list is rather basic. I will pay extra for certain varieties of your willing to sell them to me, to make it worth ur time & effort - a few like, penhill dark monarch-French can can - ka's cloud- platinum blonde - Sarah braken-tartan? & others w/beautiful color combos, I have to have !! I will definitely check out your store & I completely understand you only sell for hobby, ect... I wish I could trade w/others but I don't believe in being shady. Because I have root knot nematodes, I could never trade any tubes in fear of transferring them ! I do think they only live in Florida Bc of our super, sandy soil. I will have to do more research bc I don't think they'll survive in other states but it's still absolutely unethical to trade or share any tubers that've touched my native sand Bc of them!! I do enjoy talking w/you CC u seem like a fun person to be around. Thanks for sharing

Hey CC, I wanted to Check out ur dahlia store it said the requested URL is not found ☹️

Ooooh! Also, you wouldn't happen to have the anemone dahlia " garlands enterprise," Would you ?? I couldnt find it in the dahlia nurseries last season ☹️

Sorry about the store link... I fixed it above, but here it is again. http://cubits.org/Dahlia/

Houzz requires posters to use their link button on the bottom, otherwise they invalidate the pasted link.

It is still around... I believe Tim grows it, but doesn't sell it. I'll keep my eyes open for you, through my trading channels. Honestly, though, you will find Platinum Blonde very similar in growth and much more available.

Thankyou cici !! I reeeally want this one .

Sadly, frost wiped out my dahlia beds. I finished clearing up the plant tops this weekend, much to the dismay of the tons of cucumber beetles and honey bees. From here on out, these images are but memories of this last season's splendor.

True purple is VERY difficult to capture, so I had to go back and change the hue of the pict to match the real color of the bloom. The true color is even more darker and more purple then shown here.

Oh I love Irish pinwheel!! Your pictures are breathtaking!! Your dahlias are breathtaking!! I'm jealous & sad for your loss. Darn frost ! I wish we had frost/snow here! Very rarely. If so, it will come a couole times January- feb. Be thankful you get frosts & snow!! Without it, insects & fungus run a muck !! We don't experience enough freeze to kill these. After a few years most newly planted trees, plants & roses succumb to fungus & insects. When I travel out of Fla to other states. Their trees & vegitation look so healthy compared to ours! A nice bright green- so pretty! It's bc we don't get that winter kill. Our trees & plants are open to fungus & insects all year round. After a few years they look sickly. I would freeze to death if we had frost & snow here but my gardens would look better :) I froze to death last night bc our temps were down to 48• I had trouble sleeping I was so cold! We had our electric fire place going in the living room - I should've kept my bedroom door open ☹️ Cici You are the dahlia expert here. I have a question :) at what temps do dahlias stop growing or start struggling ?( cold temps) Our temps have been dropping some @ night. Once the suns out. Our temps rise back up to 70-90• during the day. When am I supposed to worry they're going to stop growing ? I know once frost kills back their foliage. it's time to cut them back but before this happens is the cooler weather going to affect how they grow & bloom or should I worry ab covering them if it's cold out but not freezing ? We won't get any frosts for a few more months so I would like to extend blooming for as long as I can since I planted so late to begin with . Thanks for sharing ur pics I look forward to seeing them!!

" I have a question :) at what temps do dahlias stop growing or start
struggling ?( cold temps) Our temps have been dropping some @ night.
Once the suns out. Our temps rise back up to 70-90• during the day."

Actually, dahlias LOVE cool evenings and warm days. Their colors become more vibrant, and tubers continue to grow underground. But, eventually, the plants grow tired and start showing lots of open centers with the foliage beginning to look really ratty. The time will be near for cutting down for the season, with or without frost.

Ok so I'm asking more of the same questions perhaps? I hope I don't annoy u cici ! I have some dahlias just coming into bud. They're actually a nice healthy green. I understand what u mean ab the foliage becoming ratty bc a friend of mine had this around summer time in tx. Hers where planted on time in spring. I read about a fla dahlia gardener (20-30yrs of growing dahlia gardens in fla) having success with dahlias in the opposite growing season ( fall /winter.) he said they grow better for us during these months. Bc I read this. I continued to buy tubers and plant more :( Even after my dahlias were well on their way. These newer dahlias are just coming into bud. They look happy to me but I do know from research they're going to need a rest ( dormant) period regardless of frosts. Here in Brooksville zone 9 - we will get frosts in Jan feb. and it does kill back many of my plants ( not all) so my question is, as long as they're growing and healthy. do you think it's okay to allow them to continue growing up until our late frosts ? Then chop them down after they're killed ? If I do this they'll only get a 2 1/2~3 month? rest period Bc we do get enough frost to kill the above ground growth. (I lost my white plumerias after moving here bc I didn't know Brooksville had frosts. ) But then again this might not be a good idea!! Dahlia season is the end of march. If I chop them down in Jan after frosts & allow them to regrow late march this wouldn't be a long enough rest period would it ? I was just going to leave them for nature to take care of them and cut them back after the first kill but maybe it's better to chop earlier ? But then I'll be cutting fresh lively growth instead of frozen plants. Maybe I'm overthinking this ? Please give me more insight as to what to do cici ! I planted my dahlias so late and now that our weather is finally cooling I'm ecstatic to get bigger blooms. I thought now was going to be the peak of my dahlia growing season. What do you think is best ? I thought the foliage had to be killed by frost before cutting them back? Or does this matter ? I planted my dahlias in June- July -August and even in September - I'm ashamed now for planting them so late and not all at once :( I'm sorry to flood u with my craziness but this is how I learn & im so very eager to learn what I can! Thanks again for your advice & also your patience & kindness CiCi !! You've helped me so much through this dahlia growing experience! And it's been a great experience! It's been worth every step of the way!!

Good grief I talk a lot! Every post I make is way too long ! I'm crazy when it comes to talkin' flowers Cici u commented on seedling dahlias in another post. Are all seedling dahlias pretty much the same way ? Messy open centers, not uniform in bloom ect... I bought some cactus dahlia seeds from pase or somewhere similar. I do believe I'm going to be picky with my dahlias like u are! Im picky on which varieties I like w/named dahlias. If this is the case I'll be giving all my dahlia seeds away!!

Rachel, I answered your last two posts in these following threads. Hope they help.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/4944716/growing-dahlias-in-florida-texas-mexico?n=1

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/1848160/if-your-dahlias-go-to-seed-what-to-expect-if-you-plant-the-seed?n=5

Oh my!!! I love the outline on Clara Marie !!!!!! And AC Big's color - it's so sad dahlia seasons over :( If u don't mind posting pics of the whole dahlia garden ? I'd love to see it !! Didn't u have it dug out in T shapes ? If u don'tind posting pics of the whole dahlia garden ( if u have it) I'd love to see pics! But also to compare how the shape of ur dahlia bushes are to mine - I'm wondering if Floridas heat might have something to do with why they're so thin & tall ? Most dahlia plants I c pics of look much bushier & mine just look tall thin & lanky :(

I don't have all my rows in one pict; indeed, I only take images of individual varieties, as rows are a bit boring to me.

Oh my gosh!!!!! I'm speechless! Holy crap I'm trying so hard not to cuss- cici they're gorgeous! Your hedge look is gorgeous! Who cares what others say! I take advice from others but I definitely don't abide by the rules - I make my own rules according to how I WANT to grow and this is the way it should be - I don't think there is a right or wrong way - sacrificing a couple of blooms for this look is a nice trade off ! My dahlias look nothing like yours! I'm wondering if they're so bare at the bottom bc they're hungry ? I noticed they can take quite a bit of fertilizer! More than I'm used to giving so I do believe my dahlias are very hungry. U should take & post more pics of ur whole garden! Might be boring to you but definitely inspiring to others!!!!! I'm totally lost for words! It looks like a pic out of a magazine! I would faint if I visited ur yard at the height of dahlia season ! All I can say is wow! If u don't mind me asking ? How tight is tightly planted ? Are u planting 18-24" between plants ? I wish u lived next door!! I would endlessly aggravate u by picking ur brain everyday!! Lol Thankyou for sharing ! I'm honestly speechless! My dahlia garden looks super bare & super sad compared to yours! Even being in Florida I hope to be able to grow mine as nice as yours one day. If u don't mind sharing ? What & how often do u feed ur dahlias ? Also do u use any sprays or chemicals ? Many ppl on here get upset if I say I spray my roses but I'm trying hard to learn to use enough organics the right way to ward off pests n fungus during our worst months but even then we have so many insects & the risk for fungus is so so so high ! It's hard not to use chemicals sometimes- it literally comes down to me losing my rose bush or using spray & of course I chose to spray but I'm still learning ab organics & companion planting & what not ..

"Are u planting 18-24" between plants ?"
<whistling off tune while
examining the ceiling cracks> hmmm... no, a bit tighter then that.
Three clustered tubers of the same variety make the equivalent of 1
bushy plant... let's put it that way. And if one/two of that variety
don't make it, I truly don't notice until digging time. But I wouldn't
put three different varieties clustered together, as I probably won't
see 1 or 2 of them bloom. Each variety has the 'traditional' space of
one tuber, except I get tuber insurance and sometimes triple the tubers
in the fall.

Re: spraying chemicals
I am a beekeeper, so I do not use chemical insecticides or fungicides. I occasionally use Neem Oil if I catch an infestation early enough, but if you keep the plants well-watered with good nutrition, they tend to fend for themselves. Weak plants are more susceptible to lots of garden curses, from insects to fungus to virus.

Re: fertilizer
I get three soil samples done every other year, from different 'zones' based on how old the beds are. The fence bed is the oldest (lots of humus and years of fertilizing), and always has the highest concentration of nutrients with the highest pH. The newest (lots of clay and most acidic) beds are three 50-foot rows I put in 3 years ago, and still need worked. When I examine my soil tests, I tailor my fertilizer and lime/sulfur treatments accordingly. THE THREE ZONES ARE ALWAYS NEEDING DIFFERENT LEVELS! So, in regards to asking a gardener's advice, what works for one garden could easily be too much/little for another garden. Soil tests and an experienced Master Gardener is a great resource for figuring out what to do next season... and prepping the beds should happen as soon as you dig THIS season's tubers. Some applications need the winter to break down in order to allow the plants to access them.

The most important of all the information on the soil tests is the pH. If it is too high or low, the plants can not use all the nutrients in the soil. Over-fertilizing can end up poisoning the soil for years, with only slight short-term gain in the season's plants.

So sorry, Rachel- I know you were hoping for an easy formula to follow, but it is truly by trial & error. Hope what I shared above might help you in your dahlia adventures.

Of course!! I understand what your saying ! Soil samples are the ONLY way to go !!! I just picked up my boxs & soil bags from the extension office last week :) I too am working on my beds - even tho I'm going to add what's needed as far as the soil samples go. It's not enough by looking at my soil bc I still have A LOT OF SILT & SAND!! YUCK!! I'm constantly adding compost & tilling in / tucking in banana peels, chopped leaves, ect.. when I pull up my annuals for the year. In 3 years I went from straight grey sand w/o any tilthe, a lot of grubs & wireworms & no earth worms in sight -To, a lot of grey sand, some tilthe & more organic matter & earthworms!! I can actually dig into this bed & find earth worms!! Whohoooooooo! It wasn't like this before. I have a feeling it's going to take me years of working it before I get it how I want it but it'll get there! One of my empty beds I'm going to dig a trench and lasagna layer!! I can't wait ! I'm sure when it's ready to plant this will b my richest bed- I wish I could do this w/all of them but I have seedlings n transplants to go in:( Even tho we test our soil & add what's needed we still have to keep up a fertilizer regimen for the health of the plants & your formula is what I wanted to know. Do u spray your plants w/liquid seaweed once a week or use liquid compost ? Some bone, blood or kelp meal ? I was just curious as to what fertilizer regimen it is you use for your dahlia upkeep ? ....

SO YOU JUST CAUGHT MY ATTENTION!!!!!! YOU KEEP BEES!!!!! This is what I want for Christmas!!!!! MORE THAN ANYTHING!! I did all my research & want to keep bees so bad! I've planted borage & other bee loving flowers. I had the neighbor till up 1/4th acre for a wild flower meadow I planted & the only bees I got where little green striped ones that looked more like a wasp than a bee :( it breaks my heart!! I'm going to buy all the supplies. My suit, smoker & a suit or 2 for my boys so they can learn to help & have a healthy respect for them. I do have to talk to all my neighbors ab using herbicide & chemicals first tho!! Otherwise it'll b a lost cause. Any advice on beekeeping? I'd love to know anything u think is important for me to know, that reading won't tell me. Also, do u have pics ? Do u harvest a little honey from the bees or allow them to keep it ? I truly respect the fact that u keep bees!! It's so awesome. More ppl should keep bees if it's a possibility. I've been wanting to for a few years but my neighbors opposed back when I lived in the city. Now, I'm in the country & many ppl in this area keep a lot of bee houses & provide honey for the local stores. It's great!! :) :) :)

I started another thread for 'Bees & Dahlias.'

"Do u spray your plants w/liquid seaweed once a week or use liquid compost ? Some bone, blood or kelp meal ?"

I've gone that route, but didn't find that any of that helped more then cheap farm fertilizer. In one bed, I only add nitrogen, one bed gets 10-10-5, and four beds a double-dose of 10-10-10. I intended to spray epson salt solution and aspirin solution this year, but never got around to it. My magnesium tested high, so I don't sprinkle epson salts anymore. Aspirin is supposed to help plant immune system, but I haven't tested it for myself yet.

Oh really ? I'm going to do some research on this then!! I actually live by liquid seaweed!! I haven't done any studies on dahlias but I use it on them for plant health. I've done a few studies w/liquid seaweed & cucumbers & tomatoes . It definitely makes a huge difference. I guess it depends on what fertilizer ur already using though. I haven't seen ur These new threads. Can u post the link ? I'm a little slow at finding these posts! Ugh -

I love inego & the colors of wandas aurora!!! And of course, the petals on ac pac!! The petal types like this are my fav (I forget what their called tho )

AC PAC is an incurved cactus. I have a soft spot for semi-cactus, myself, though lots seem to think they are too 'prickly.' Florists tend to like the round ones, like balls & formal decoratives, and the flat ones like waterlilies.

I was disappointed in the few tubers that came from my single plant of AC PAC this season. None to share/sell this year, sadly. But I should have enough for my own garden.

Here you can see Dahlias's photo from north Italy...:)

Hmmm... I haven't been on this site for several months. Sorry about that. Life intervened.

Wanted to let folks know that my store is up and running. I normally have it open in January, but only just got it open beginning of March.

Dahlia Vacation store