Thanks for the congrats. Pirl, I plant small tubers in 3 gallon pots and large tuber clumps in 5 gallon pots. I left them in the ground from the fall, the pots that is. Planting will not be that much work, just dump the pots in the wheelbarrow, put some soil in the bottom of the pot, through in the tuber clump, place pot back in hole, and backfill...easy peasy. I don't usually stake until after they pop above the soil line. Also, I don't label because I don't have as many as you guys, only about 15. My soil is clay (60%) with 40% vermiculite, sand, and pea gravel so drainage is pretty good. Now out side of the pots, it's all clay so a long period of soaking rains would be a problem.

I'd predict you'll do fine.

Haha, with the baby or the dahls? Hopefully both

Both! The baby may be a cause for tension or nerves at times, but not the dahlias. I already feel sorry for the first guy she dates but you'll be comfortable sitting in between them.

Haha, I'll tell him he'll have to treat her well because I grow a handful of plants that could give a human unpleasant side effects Just kidding of course.

Just give him some chocolate ExLax while he's waiting for her: no problem.

Went to Old House Dahlias last night and found a bunch of beauties!
http://www.oldhousedahlias.com...

Lol...too funny. Some beauties there for sure Pirl.

Arlene, you are a rat. I was just finished with ordering and there they are. Gorgeous. Interesting I got "Hy Mom" last year. Really pretty. Oh. I just realized it was Old House DAHLIAS not Old House Gardens. Wondered why they had so many dahlias. I ordered several of the little collerettes this year. To fill in around front of the beds.

Also slowly adding to my dahlia list here. Which leads to adding some pictures as well. As I look through my folders of pictures I am really bummed because I have some really nice pictures of dahlias but never got around to naming them. I think I can figure most of them out

I'm not placing the order until I give the dahlias one more check.

Our season at full...

some named plus many noids as usual A huge Emory paul



amazingly big Akita!

So beautiful, Arturo!

Hurray - Pictures of blooms in February!!! Thanks Arturo

I second Geoff. It is encouraging to see the flowers at this time of year. 12F this morning and crispy glittery with frost on the ice and snowl.

Just a few more pics to enliven your winter..today we reached almost 90ºF!!
This is my first Grand Prix

This is Orange Wealth a short but very prolific waterlily type very easy to multiply


and Tsuko Yori No Shisha laciniated white

Gorgeous white one. I had Mardi Gras but it never really developed and lost it over winter. I assume you can leave yours in the ground year round?? Apologies if you have already answered this question.

Yes Mary Stella...however I tend not so. The larger named varieties are expensive and I just woudn't want to loose any. Also difficult to replace specially if they are somewhat older cultivars in the market, simply something new supersedes it and off they go for ever. I also try to multiply these. I'm waiting for one that I accidentally broke off a new shoot in spring and placed it in a small pot. It rooted and perhaps next week its bloom will be open! I learn't a lot with this mishap. Of course one woudn't want to try it with the new ones just arrived from trade. But seconds could be an interesting alternative to multiply to what could be a reasonable amount of the same kind. Also because I could use shoots of the best individuals. Sometime earlier in this thread Geoff suggested this as a way used by British gardeners. Fortunately I have a lot of room for many dahlias and before ordering for more different ones I want to figure out how best each of them combine with others as well with other garden flowers. I've got years ahead of learning which combinations suit me best...the joy of gardening.

Amen to that. I was adding my dahlias with pictures to the list here and was looking on my own database here at home. Saw many dahlias that I have had in the past but don't have now. Many I really liked, some never bloomed for me. I decided that instead of chasing after all the new ones (or so they say by naming them newly ) I would try to reprise the ones I have lost. Lots less work also in that I don't have to add new ones to the database, just change dates and such on the old ones. I may try taking cuttings again this year. It was very successful a few years ago. Then I could donate them to the local botanical garden for sale.

Beautiful pics Arturo! It is really nice to see them. It is snowing quite heavily right now as I look out the windows. I try to match the dahlia colors with my other flowers too. Sometimes it turns out that some are mislabeled or the color of a new one means it should have been planted elsewhere.

Isn't matching dahlia color why we have February? I spend a lot of time doing it - "Color Echoes" is the name of the theory.

Arlene that does sound like a good feb. project. Winter arrived in a big way yesterday. Got about six inches of snow. Had to do some shoveling of course, but it was a beautiful sunny day to do it.

I guess I see the pictures of dahlias on the packaging or online and expect some of them to match, but sometimes they just look out ofplace with where I put them. Of course after a season in the garden where I have seen their true colors, I know where I want to put them the next season, assuming winter survival.

It is always a pleasure to see pictures of your gardens. They are beautiful.
Gary