Here are some pictures of new Tree Dahlia flowers. These are seedlings sown last July & the tallest are 15' & more. There are some beautiful new colors & forms. About 20 have flowered & about 10 more will this year. There are 60 or more which may not bloom until the second year. Some have more than the normal 8 petals. It is very satisfying to grow these & select superior types to introduce to gardeners, & it is going to be hard to cull any. I guess some will ultimately have to be discarded though maybe I'll just keep the outstanding ones & give the average ones away :)

This last one is the normally grown D. imperialis. It is such a wonderful bloom & it is little wonder that it has been in favor for so long however I predict that it will in future be only one of many Tree Dahlias which will be common in gardens the world over. It seems it is only a cultivated form & the wild species is a simple star shaped flower somewhat like the 6th photo from the top above. There will be no excuse for losing any of these new plants as they are so easy to propagate & stem segments driven into the ground in spring reach full height & flower the same year. Unfortunately these are for areas with minimal frost as although they may survive cold winters the flowers will be burned off by early frosts. Here they are in full flower now just 10 days before the start of winter. If we get a mild winter some will bloom right through until spring.