Would love to know your favorites this year, the dahlias that you look forward to growing again next year. Pics would be wonderful.

Ferncliff Copper was new for me this year (thanks to Geof/Mandolls) and I guess my many photos of it must confirm that it's my favorite this year:


Penhill Yellow Queen is outstanding at 4' and looks like a beacon in the garden:


French Doll has been a favorite for years. The coleus grew beyond 3' so I've been cutting them back to allow French Doll to show off:


Nadine Jessie is gorgeous:


Vancouver is a must for me. If I couldn't have it in the garden I doubt I'd grow any dahlias:

Wow, I love your Vancouver and Ferncliff Copper! The others are great too but these two stand out the most. I must add these two to my want list. Thank you, Arlene.

Thanks, Karen. It's such fun growing them.

Thats a hard one.

but a few jump to mind immediately.

Skipley Bonanza has been producing steadily, and I keep being amazed at how beautiful it is. I had it last year, but it bloomed late and I only had 2-3 blooms all year. This year it has been blooming for months.


Enchantress has me enchanted


Spartacus - usually I odnt get many blooms off the big ones, but Spartacus has been putting them out.


Galen Rose - I added quite a few new Ball dahlias this year, and this is probably my favorite of them


Zapf's Desert Storm has also been consistently beautiful


If you asked me next week They might be different, but these are the first ones that came to mind.

I think the ball type is my favorite style ...and WOW that white one is gorgeous

I have been late in coming to like the ball dahlias, but I am liking them more and more. Galen Rose has beautiful coloring and form - the pic I posted is a bit early - the petals do curl around the back perfectly as it matures.

It's a beauty, Jeff. How big is it?

The coloring reminds me of other white ones with that slight touch of lavender, like Michael C.

Galen Rose is only 4-4.5" bloom, pretty average size for a Ball. I don't know Michael C, but it looks quite a bit like Midnight Moon.

I have so many really intensely colored dahlias this year that the the whites and light blends really stand out amongst them.

Midnight Moon

Is that the one in your avatar?

Actually the one in my avatar is Mingus Gregory, which I no longer have - I need to get it back as it was a favorite.

Galen Rose is a pretty one. I had it long ago. The light colored dahlias do stand out while the darker ones tend to recede unless they're next to a light one, making them more noticeable.

I am new to dahlias but my favorite is this mislabeled one (said Color Spectacle). Blooms like crazy!



Also really enjoying Crazy Legs - amazed how different the blooms look on the same plant.





Lisa

So pretty and so vibrant, Lisa!

I'd rather have a blooming machine with the wrong name, if it is wrong, than one with the right name that only gives four or five blooms each summer.

Wow, your top 5 are all gorgeous, Geof. Skipley Bonanza, Spartacus, and Zapf's Desert Storm are superhot. I particularly like the form of Skipley Bonanza and Spartacus Your Galen Rose has such lovely romantic colors.

Lisa, with Arlene. They are all so pretty. The color range in dahlias is incredible. There are so many varieties and forms.

My favorites this year are Tartan, Thomas Edison, Zoey Rey, Alpine Diamond, and a tie between Candlelight, Lucca Johanna, and Cafe Au Lait. I hope my Cafe Au Lait does better next year. It blooms a bit later than others.

Tartan


Thomas Edison



Zoey Rey (not its best bloom)


Lucca Johanna

Love Tartan

I will be looking for that one, thanks

I think Cafe Au Lait is over-rated. It has become incredibly popular, due to Martha Stewart, but it blooms late and I have never gotten many flowers from it. I do like the soft beige-ish color, but I am not sure I will bother growing it again.

I haven't heard of any really "serious" dahlia growers who like it much, unless they are selling to florists, who apparently can't get enough of it due to wedding order. Your Tartan and Thomas Edison look great !

I lost my Thomas Edison this year. It was one of my favorites