Yes it is s whole other thing growing dahlias in zone 7 and warmer. Mine are almost ready to bloom as well.

I've always felt secure knowing the deer have never bothered my dahlias. This year the neighborhood rabbit is causing problems. He's nibbled on close to a dozen already. A couple have been completely stripped of leaves. I've never had this problem before and I'm wondering if the leaves will grow back or if the dahlia is ruined. I've never seen more than one rabbit a year around here. The way they can multiply, I hope he or she never finds a mate. I have two live traps set but haven't caught him yet. I feel like Elmer Fudd trying to catch a street (trap)-smart "wabbit." There's a park close to here that I can release him in unless I happen to be hungry for wild game at the time. lol

Most of my dahlias are looking good. I have a few shorties. I waited longer to start them this spring since I usually end up with a lot of tall, leggy ones before it's time to plant. We never seem to get a drop of the rain the forecasters promise. I've been watering every other day but the plants grow so much better with rain water. I still have a few in planters. I'd like to wait until I catch the rabbit before I plant them. I might have to call upon the services of a coyote.

I am having more rabbit nibbles than I have ever had before this year. Similar to you in that 2 have had all of the leaves chewed off, and 3-4 others with easy to spot damage. I am planning on them all recovering - but it may be wishful thinking. Of course - they are mostly my HH Waterlilies, which I am really looking forward to!

Luckily my neighbor is a dandy shot with his pellet gun, and has picked off two this past week - I have a live trap set too, but so far nada. I'd rather haul them away, but when they are doing as much damage as they are - I gave my neighbor the go ahead to take out any he spots.

I would be happy to share some of our rain with you. Yesterday was the first day in a while that was full sun, and many of the dahlias were a bit shocked, with leaves drooping. I haven't even had to water containers, let alone plants in the ground. I am getting tired of sitting on wet ground to get things planted and weeded in between the rains. (but it is looking really lush around here).

Good luck with the dahlias' recovery, Geof. I've had heavy damage from earwigs and beetles in the past and the dahlias have recovered. At least I don't recall losing any. How do critters know which are our favorite plants? I have a very potent pellet gun with a scope but don't want to get in trouble if I was to get reported. Our area recently had animal cruelty laws tightened when some idiot threw a dog out a sixth floor window of an apartment building. I don't know if wild animals fall under the cruelty laws or not. Of course, I could pay an animal removal guy (probably $100+ ?) to catch the rabbit. Ah, no!

I'd love some of your rain. I can't remember the last measurable rain we had. The forecast called for a chance of rain every day from last Tuesday through Memorial Day. It finally rained a little Sunday night but not even enough to completely wet the lawn. The only upside is that the "poor" weeds need rain, too.

I have great success using onions and garlic peels and growing onions around the roses to ward off rabbits. When the onions grow the green parts, I cut those off and chop them up and scatter them around the roses. Since I have done this, I have not seen any rabbits coming close to the rose beds as well as my lettuces. Normally, they will eat up all my lettuces and nibble off tender shoots of roses.

Thanks Karen - I'll give that a try - but I have so many damn dahlias, scattering onion through out the beds will mean an awful lot of onions (but at least they are cheap)

Today I planted the first 14 dahlias (I'm slow, I know) and after I watered them in I sprinkled Blood Meal generously in the hopes the rabbits will leave them alone.

Mandolls, look at this product. http://www.plantskydd.com/ I am using it. It is also rain fast, according to the manufacturer. You have to catch the critters in order to shoot them. And it is not their fault if they want to eat pretty flowers. It is easier to just drive them over to your neighbors yard.

I just picked up some blood meal and will spread that around , especially the smaller plants.

I am not big on shooting the bunnies (I don't own a gun)- When I have trapped them in the past they get a trip to the park on the other side of the highway. However, when they have been destroying my garden, and my neighbor takes them down - I admit to not shedding a tear.

The product you pointed out looks good - thanks for that. If the blood meal doesn't make the difference, I'll try it. This time of year a bit of extra nitrogen for the growing dahlias is needed anyway, so blood meal seems like the best choice.

I've been busy and haven't really been following this forum. I didn't know there would be blooms posted already! I'll have to start paying more attention here! I have most of mine planted and they're about 6" to 12" tall. I can't wait to see blooms of my own!

I've been using Liquid Fence. It's a repellent as well. Seems to work pretty good.

I'm stilling watering with the hose. Our forecast for 60% chance of rain last night and this morning bombed and we didn't get a drop ... again! But I'm absolutely sure the 50% and 90% chances this weekend will turn out to be accurate (eye roll). I checked and the last measurable rains in the Cleveland area were .56" on 5/12 and .48" on 5/14. I must have slept through those. We've had something like 4" since early April.

I walked through the backyard garden this morning. Of the 50+ dahlias planted there, at least two dozen have been chewed on by the rabbits. A few are nothing but a piece of stem sticking through the soil. I have extra plants and will probably be planting a lot of them. But it seems useless unless I can get rid of the rabbits first. I've never had issues with rabbits before. This is really getting old. A neighbor walked over this morning and says he's having the same problem with his plants. And he says there is more than just the one rabbit I suspected. He also has a live trap and said he will be shopping for a pellet gun. I have a bag of blood meal that I have been hesitant to use after hearing animals sometimes dig up plants while trying to find what's buried. At this point there's probably nothing to lose by using it. My alter ego, Elmer Fudd, and I are both getting "vewy fwustwated" by the "wabbits."

Dan - sorry to hear you are having such a lousy start this season!

I put down some blood meal yesterday and have my fingers crossed. It sounds like your rabbits are doing as much or more damage than mine. My veggies are all in high raised beds, and the rabbits don't get up there, so at least something is safe. But like you - I am a bit nervous to put out more dahlias right now, especially since they are the smallest (and most delicious) ones.

Any neighborhood hounds will come running for the blood but not rabbits or squirrels (in my experience). Our old hound, Joey, once found a bag of Blood Meal in the garage. What a sight to see his entire head covered with it!

Some of the tubers of my last order received were not up to expectations - some are barely sprouted. I won't be using them as centerpieces in the garden! Others I saved from last year are over 2' tall.

I have some new ones that are quite small still too, and three that still haven't crested the soil in the baggies.

Luckily there are no off the leash dogs around here - hopefully it won't attract anything else. (my neighbor spotted a bear nearby last year)

Keeping the bear out would be a major challenge!

One main difference with blood meal and the Plantskydd product I mentioned above, is that the Plantskydd is supposed to be rain fast for ninety days, according to the manufacturer. I do not know what the difference is, as it is manufactured from animal waste material. Maybe even bloodmeal. Also, it is sprayed on in liquid form, and not as a dry granule. I am seeing positive results on some blackberries that I treated earlier this spring. Our deer like these thornless berries, but will not eat the native ones that we have in abundance.

Be careful and remember, sometimes you get the bear and sometimes the bear gets you! lol

A couple weeks ago, I had overwatered some of my best tubers/plants growing in the sandwich bags. I found that the stems or sprouts had rotted off on about a dozen of them. I really didn't expect any new growth but I put them into a planter without labeling it and forgot about them. This morning I remembered what they were and was pleased to find that eight of the 12 had grown new sprouts, a couple with several sets of leaves. All but one has new growth. I'm glad I didn't completely give up on them. Two were Islanders. I only had three and my favorite rabbit has had the other one for lunch. Hopefully, my second chance will turn out better.

I got the last of my dahlias planted today. It has been a wet week so I haven't gotten much outdoor work done. It is my weekend off, I have to work every other weekend, so I was determined to get it done. Went out in the rain and started planting. The sun would shine then it would rain. I was a mess when finished but happy to have accomplished my mission.

I planted the Unwins earlier in the week. They really seem to be happy to have their feet in the ground and the wet weather has meant no need to water. I have had about 4.4" of rain this week. Most of it on Monday when I received 2.5"

Congrats!.

I have been getting pretty sick of the rain too, but it looks like we have a week and a half or so with none so things can dry out a bit.

I still have a few small dahlias that haven't been planted, but now that the rain is letting up, I can at least put them out on the porch to harden off. The one single I have, and a couple of orchids and anemone - all of which I planted out a couple of weeks ago, now have buds. I was going back and forth on whether to pinch them off, but decided to just let them happen.

The garden is full of color right now - peonies are open, the last of the iris are opening and several other perennials are blooming too. It finally really feels like gardening season is truly underway.