Melissa's photos of Steve O. put it at the top of the list for me. Thank you so much, Melissa!


Harry Meggos (Vassio was so splendid and still is going strong)


Then there's Blyton's Softer Gleam. Geoff in England grows this one. I don't know him but photos of his gardens are so enchanting.


Any four star recommendations?

Steve O will definitely be back in my garden next year, too! I think you will like Blyton Softer Gleam, Arlene. I grew it this year and it will also be invited back. I've made one purchase with Swan Island, and I ordered Spoiled Rotten, Drama Queen, Nicholas, and Kidd's Climax (2 tubers of each, because that is how I roll).

I won't allow myself to buy anymore until half of my garden is dug and divided, and Tall Grass Farms will likely open then. They always have some gems up for grabs.

A couple I will definitely acquire for next season:
Skipley Lois Jean



Woodland's Wildthing

The color and form of Blyton's Softer Gleam appeals to me. I like your choices, Melissa. Once I ordered a Wildthing's (something) but they had run out so I never did get to grow it.

I like Steve O, too. Melissa is an enabler! LOL

I probably won't order anything till after I dig the tubers and see what I have. I don't think the seller(s) I plan to order from will be open till after the first of the year or later, anyway. Might try a new one or two this year. So many places have closed since I first started growing dahlias!

Oops! #sorry#notsorry for the enabling bit!

It was a cold/rainy day, but I still hung out in the garden and even dug and washed about 10 plants. I've been trying to grow tuber stock of Hapet Daydream for 3 years, so I can share it, and I think I finally did it! Snapped this pic of "Blyton Softer Gleam" for you, Arlene.

Keep enabling! We love photos!

Thanks for the temptation, Melissa.

How many tubers of a loved variety do you dig and keep before you feel reasonably secure that you should have something to plant come spring? (Guessing 3 to 5, but it is just a guess.)

I normally try to limit myself to 3 of each of the favorites and maybe a couple for family. But after losing so many during storage last year, I'll probably be so gun shy that I'll save every one possible this year.

If it is a much adored variety, I will dig and keep every tuber I can get off of the clump. I tend to grow 2 of each plant, so I need 5-6 tubers to make me feel confident that I will see it in the garden next year.

It's nearly impossible to toss good tubers. I've given some to my daughter and others to a neighbor. Neither person keeps names!

Ferncliff is selling and already out of stock on some varieties. I guess that it's started.

My 2020 is going to be pretty modest. I am hoping to get two of 5 or 6 varieties, with all of them being B-size or smaller. Well, except for Bahama Mama, which is a special case :). And I am trying not to buy anything until December (or later), though I don't know how wise or foolish it is to wait that long. (Being new, my want list is pretty wide open - I would prefer varieties noted for cut-flowers combined with heat tolerance).

Thanks for the tip, Top.

I'd rather wait and check out sites on the dreary days of winter but may order a few before then just so I don't miss out. Steve O. is my most wanted (thanks, Melissa).

Top, a lot of vendors don't open until December (or later), so you should be alright waiting that long. If things get crazy and you can't get your hands on anything that you want, just let me know in the Spring (I would just charge postage to anyone active on this forum). I grow a slew of BB sized cut dahlias, and one of my criteria to stay in my garden is that it has to be floriferous and tolerate heat.

I noticed that Ferncliff had marked some varieties as sold out the other day, too! I put my order in with them, and am excited to bring "Dog's Breakfast" and "Ferncliff Cameo" over from Canada next Spring. The exchange rate has been strong enough that it offsets the extra cost of the phyto certificate.

Thanks, Melissa! I appreciate it.

And not having ordered anything from abroad, I was unaware of the need for a certificate, so that is good to know. I am going wait until January - I'll need some green dreams by then.

Well, I made it to January :)

I am new to dahlias and only have a handful of tubers saved from last year - from a pair of different plants. That means I've got a clean slate and can get excited about plants that are probably standards.

To sum my buying plan up, I am growing for multitudes of smaller cut flowers rather than size. I've ordered:

Cafe Au Lait
Chilson's Pride
Cornell
Ivanetti
Maarn
Snoho Doris
Tempest
Diva
Jessie G

All rolling in from Happy Hollow Farms (MA). I am happy to have been looking and day dreaming - we've got snow and ice coming tomorrow and I enjoyed the respite.

Looking is relaxing and free. We'll all await your blooms.

Wal-Mart has some different dahlias from last year, but since I was not satisfied with how my dinner plates grew in the pots I had I will not be investing in more. I am just going to wait and see how they grow this year.

Has anyone ordered from Swan Island? Their 2020 catalog contains many many varieties that immediately went onto my wishlist...

I place a couple of orders with Swan Island every year, and I've always been pretty satisfied with their tubers. I have only had one tuber refuse to sprout, and they did honor their guarantee, and shipped me a replacement the following season.