This will give you an idea of how my plants have done Appletree. This is two years after planting a 10 inch start. I'm not sure there is a "best way" to grow blues, even experts have a wide range on what's "best". Some say only pots, others say ammending the soil with sulfur and wait for ph to adjust, others add peat and pine, etc. I have been growing blues for about 8 years and have tried several approaches, most worked. The one big mistake I made was buying some older plants and I never could get most to grow. The best luck I have had has been with healthy young plants. Your plants are gonna do great. Did you say you are a biologist? I am too and that's why I asked. This post was edited by riverman1 on Fri, Apr 4, 14 at 11:03

Wow, what you should do is introduce me to your friend! You have some really nice varieties there and what wonderful descriptions he/she gave you. Here(at the link)is the best info on planting in pots I've found and am following it to a T right now for the first time. Read it, think about what soil you have available. Use well drained potting mix and try to avoid a high peat content which is tough to water. Get Soil Moist or a similar product to reduce watering needs. Get stakes (I'm using rebar to take up less space.) The pots I'm using are about 4 gallons? ~15" across by ~12" deep and will use whiskey barrels as well. Make sure you have good drainage holes either existing in the pots or drill some. If your pots are ceramic, I guess go with the usual rocks in the bottom for drainage. You'll need someway for excess water to pass OUT. Protect from slugs if you have them. You'll be happy to hear that I've had deer 3 ft away from my garden dahlias munching down raspberries and blueberry bushes while not touching one dahlia leaf. Ditto in the perennial bed: mowed down my phlox and glads, left the adjacent dahlias untouched. So the deer trail might not be a factor to worry about as far as eating goes: trampling maybe! Good luck, I'll copy this to your email address.

You should be in touch with the OR vendor for sure. They don't want to be selling diseased stock any more than you want to buy it. Established, reputable vendors will replace or refund your losses without any hassle, as long as you didn't kill them with overwatering or harsh weather, harsh chemicals etc. If it's any comfort, I've had more trouble with tubers this year too, no matter where they originated. One plant will grow as predicted at 4 ft, another of the same one will bloom at only a foot tall or stay stunted and wimpy. Diseased plants, eyeless tubers, mislabelled tubers- I've had them all and it is very frustrating. I would start with the vendor, if they balk, don't buy from them again; and then I'd look to a local dahlia society for some sound advice on how to proceed with your soil, or treat the soil/dahlias if they can ID some disease, if that is a possible problem. MN has some great growers. I'm sure someone would be happy to help and if you describe what happened in detail they may be able to give you definitive advice. Good luck. Sorry for your crummy year, but there's always next year's garden, or pots of dahlias on the deck/patio. Here is a link that might be useful: MN Dahlia Society contact info

According to the Looney, Ricks, Kiss website, the Tucker Bayou plan got an Aurora award for homes in the $1,000,001 - $1,500,000 price range. So there's that. And you don't know whether that's a real retail price, or a price less donated materials (from advertisers), never mind land, legal, permits and site development. In my neck of the woods, this plan, at the finish level shown, would easily be a couple of million. This plan is going to be relatively expensive whether it's on a basement, crawl space, or slab. The framing itself is not simple, and all the little features that make it cute cost serious bucks. Also the large, numerous windows. And lots of porches. And custom millwork, custom cabinets, lots of upscale appliances and plumbing, hardwood and tile, etc. You're in the classic conundrum of a budget that won't budge, so you have a choice between a smaller house with more detail, or a larger house that's plain. IIWY I'd revisit the sloped part of the lot. See if you can put the kids' bedrooms, lauundry, "family" room, etc. down there on a walk out. Then put the rest of the rooms upstairs. Try to make it a one story with some high ceilings, and a simple shape, e.g., a rectangle. Build simple decks or gravel terraces instead of wraparound porches. Stuff like that. The point is, to save money, the whole house should have a much smaller footprint, an overall simpler concept, and that gives you a shot at making your budget. Unless you've really got a couple million to spend, in which case you might as well give Looney, Ricks, Kiss a call.