Dahlias

This is my first year intentionally growing dahlias. I happened upon this wonderful group of plants serendipitously last summer, when my father-in-law asked me to baby-sit some of his. Thank you, VPS! I am a convert.

"Snickerdoodle" started blooming around September 10. Yes, it's just that delicious.



"Matthew Juul" has been blooming since the end of July and is still going strong. It grows upright to about 18" and needs no staking. Next year, I plan to use several to mask the longer stems of other dahlia varieties. The flowers are like little smiley faces on stems.



"Rose Toscano" is a solid performer: great shape, great color. My only complaint is that the stems sometimes bend due to weight of the flower heads. These last two dahlias complement each other so well; maybe I should look for a soft red to join the color club.



Lobaugh's Nursery, from whom I ordered "Rose Toscano" and "Matthew Juul," threw an extra tuber into my shipment. I stuck that unexpected addition into a corner of the garden that, although partially shady, had boasted a conversion-worthy load of dahlia blooms last year. More something was needed this year. As of today, this plant has set no flowers. But if it did, it would be "BB-ID-LB L/W" in dahlia-speak: small flower, informal decorative in shape, light blend in color. With dahlias, though, a picture is worth far more than a thousand words--or a few little letters.