All my beds are raised, Mary Stella, and filled with a good planter's mix so planting is pretty easy as is digging in the fall. I already dig a few hundred glads every fall, only takes an hour or so. I know the dahlia tubers are larger and I'll have to be more gentle but I think it's doable. I'll probably try a few different ways of overwintering but expect to store most as full tubers. Since my daughter moved out for college we have a stall in the garage where I can set up shelves or hang bags that will be out of the way while still somewhat temperature controlled.
I'm still trying to get in touch with the local dahlia society here in CO to get more specific advice on overwintering, haven't had any success with emails.
The majority of my beds are perennial. With the new varieties I've ordered for this fall I should be up around 675 peonies but I'm going to the APS convention this year so the number will probably grow. I don't always cut them back in the winter, most years it's dry enough here that I don't have to worry about any of the typical peony diseases, but even when I do I only do a few at a time so I'm not killing the trash guys with several bags each week! And the deer tend to take care of cutting back everything else....
Hopefully the tubers I ordered will do at least as well as the noname one I got from Walmart last year--the tuber that struck the spark on the obsession! If so I'll just have to look at the bloom pics to inspire me to dig/divide/store. If it's too much work I can always depend on several friends from the Rocky Mountain Gardeners Forum to help out, as long as I share the spoils!
