I have some Dahlias coming and I chose shorter growers to place in pots.

kristine_legault's ideas · More Info

I also have 2 in the ground that have come back for a few years now

They are taller and need staking.

I dont dig mine up in southern Oregon. Survival of the fittest. The ones in the ground were from the grocery store so inexpensive. But, they have been very nice Dahlias.

I have heard that Dahlias like a lot of compost so I am going to try adding more to the pots.

Ugh I'm jealous, Kristine. I doubt any would ever come back in my zone 5, and I'm far too lazy to want to dig them back up every year.

I am way to lazy to dig them up too.

The purple one is Blue Bell and was only $5 so even if you grew it as an annual it isnt too expensive.

Good reminder about the compost, I heard I think they like good drainage too so I am going to try planting them with EB stone compost or soil conditioner so they get better drainage during the winter (in my clay-ish soil in a rainy city) to hopefully overwinter them in ground.

I just plant mine in the ground, but you could start them in pots if you want them to get a head start. I will probably plant mine pretty soon after they arrive -- if you are storing them you want to put them in a cool dark place. They seem to overwinter pretty well here.