Morning all! New year and new thoughts and so over all the crazy in the world. Let's talk dahlias!

What has everyone ordered for the 2021 season? We're you good with what you have purchased? Did you find more hopped in your cart then you planned?

I will admit, I went a tad overboard for my space but like everything else I plant, I will make it work - as Tim Gunn always use to say.

I've bought from some new to me vendors because I was looking for some specific types. And I bought some unplanned and a one there wasn't a photo to be found but the price was right so I said why not, I am game to try.

What I ordered:

Penhill watermelon
Gitts crazy
Wyns ghostie
Salsa picante
Citron du cap
Myrtles folly
Colorado classic
Gingersnap
Crimson snow
Gloriosa
Cornell bronze
Natalie G
White aster
Vermont aristocrat
American Beauty

Hope in trade w a local dahlia friend:
Diva
Camano Buz

Yay for Christmas and Birthday money. It supports my flower beds!

I've been checking over those tubers I have been overwintering. Once a month I pull out my crate and check for soft or mushy and pitch. I aim to have a riotous bunch of color!

Look forward to your posts and to see what lovelies you'll be growing soon.

Ya know, I wouldn't buy what everyone else is buying, Either make something for the Dahlias yourself, or go to an expert or someone you know who knows a lot about those species of flower.

Happy New Year, Scarlet and all dahlia lovers. Out of your list, I've had and loved Colorado Classic and Citron du Cap.

Mine are all in full sun and it hasn't helped them to bloom sooner.

I've resisted buying more dahlias so it's only the ones I bought in early September that will be new to me.




Then I added Mikayla Miranda.

@PlantsAnimalExpert - we share word of what we've bought to remind others of the beauties out there and possibly tempt them.

I had wanted a Mingus Randy, although I've ordered Alfred Grille.
If I can get Yachiyo Tsubaki', by itself, I may go for it.
I like that 'Citron due Cap', also.
I guess I like some older ones.

I sure do hope, that I've stored 'Just Married', well enough to survive at room temp. for another winter ! (I can only "store", such few number of tubers.) Unfortunately !

@pirl: I look forward to seeing your bluetiful. I was trying to keep mine kind of hot in color range and I'm trying some new petal types to me. I do hope they all have a chance to bloom this growing season we won't go into deep discussion about my early frost and my feeble attempts to save them. at least I got tubers out of all last years. I'm looking forward to @psudan and @Melissamaeday lists. They always have so many beauties. Besides you encouraged me to try Citron du cap as I've been eyeballing for the last few years and said this year I will try it out. I fell in love with a few from the gent from Italy with all his Joweys as well. Beautiful blooms everyone has shared.

PlantsAnimal: I posted because I know the dahlia people have been good resources for me in the last year and winter is way too long when you love your blooms. We love seeing what each other is growing.

I'm not seeking anyone's approval, I'm planning to plant what I enjoy.

Sometimes you love what you plant, other times you don't and change is good. Gathering information from others on like plants is a help from staking correctly to tuber production and what to expect. Everyone lives in different areas and plants behave way differently depending on weather and soil. Then there is the self chosen color palette or shape Etc. I'm glad to share what I'll be planting, maybe you'll join in too with what you'll be growing.

You went hot while I went cool, Scarlet. It's nice to see the many varieties out there. I had American Beauty on my list along with one that's splashed with red but neither made the final cut.

Seeking the approval of others is fruitless - so glad you realized it an early age.

The Jowey dahlias are so lovely.

Hi Pirl!

Finally back to where I can grow dahlias so I will be playing it conservatively and just buying a dozen or so locally. I have a spot to plant them, but want to make sure it works well and I can overwinter tubers before I expand that.

Welcome to the dahlia forum, BigcityAl! I seem to remember reading some of your posts on the Dave's Gardens forums years ago. Glad to have you here!

Hi Al: waving at you from WI west coast. Where do you go locally? Up by me most local growers just have the smaller dahlias available.

Arlene: I like the hot, but did tuck in a few cooler varieties. I am also getting a bunch of annuals to plant and tuck in as well. I had ordered books from the library on flower arranging for ideas on what to use for fillers and spillers. So I'll be adding all of these to the beds and hope this year to work on my own little arrangements.

Shawn: Alfred looks like a dr.seuss character! How lovely. I thought I wouldn't like the shaggy petals of the lacinated types, and fell for Encore that my Mom gifted me last year. I have a few of those crazy petal types and look forward to citron. Those are all lovely blooms you've got your eye on.

Scarlet, over the years, I've become pretty content with the dahlias I'm growing and have found I'm buying fewer new varieties each year. Most of what I've bought so far have been the same varieties I've grown for years. Some were bought on sale last fall before I had even dug my tubers. Call me pessimistic, but I was looking at them as insurance policies in case my plants didn't produce much in the way of new tubers or I had bad luck during storage. I consider some of them "have to haves". I've only bought 4 new varieties so far. Still waiting on a couple suppliers to open who sold some hard to find "oldies" last year. Hope they have them available again this year. I've always wondered why some of the older ones seem to fall out of favor with growers and become as hard to find as Bigfoot.

Partial list, so far:
Kidd's Climax
Alpen Parfait
Cafe au Lait Rose
Winkie Colonel
Labyrinth
Breakout
Contraste
Canby Centennial
Lady Darlene
Emory Paul. (All the ones I've bought recently have sported to Maki. I'll try one more time.)
Almand Joy

Thanks for starting this thread, Scarlet! I love seeing what everyone has purchased, as we are still in the 'dreaming' part of the season. I have only grown 4 on your list, and 3 from Arlene's. Dahlias are so diverse, and we all have different tastes, which makes it even more fun.

Welcome to the dahlia forum, Bigcityal! I recognize your username from when I was new to gardening, and trying to soak up as much wisdom and knowledge I could find on the web.

Here I go-

Bloomquist Jean
Bloomquist Blush
Tahoma Tang
Penhill Dark Monarch
Southern Belle
Caitlin's Joy
Brown Sugar
Radegast
Hollyhill Pink Martini
Ketchup & Mustard
Lakeview Lucky
Hy Patti
Kung Fu Kitty (I actually screamed when I finally saw this one for sale, I've been chasing it for awhile!)
Hollyhill Masquerade
Clearview David
Clearview Jennae
Lakeview Gertie
Salish Twilight Girl (confirmed that Salish Going Dark IS Twilight Girl with the breeder)
Valley Rust Bucket
Lakeview Storm
Woodland's Merinda
Country Superstar
KA's Rosie Jo (can't believe I paid $22 for a cutting, but it was the only way I could get my hands on it)
Bloomquist Daniella G
Hollyhill Finlandia
Hollyhill Hotshot
Allen's Jupiter
Zoey Rey
Verrone's Sandra J
Crazy 4 Teedy
Dzivite
Wyn's Pink Pearl

Ones I've grown before that I'm bringing back/ acquiring new stock of for various reasons:
All That Jazz, Mambo, Bahama Mama, Mexico, Tahoma Vivian, Barbara B, Pineland's Princess

I may have ordered another, although most likely forgot the name, as now I usually have began comparing the New Year, as off to the races, with buying mail order.
I did nearly buy a 'Sea Urchin', or perhaps it was called 'Ambition', instead.
Though I feel overwhelmed at times, by ordering such great variety of garden plants, that arrive at later times of the year.

A good thing, as I don't think I could do it all, in one day.
(All, so much easier to order, than to plant!)

Welcome, BigCityAl. I've missed you and so glad you're back again.

The one I bought without finding a picture ANYWHERE is Verkist Aristocrat so if any of you have a photo let me know, it was the right price and it was listed as a good bloomer for cut flowers.

I'm so happy seeing your posts as it will give me more to look at instead of the white snow world on out there. Look forward come growing season to chat with you all.

Hi Dan - That was me, on to a new project here.

Scarlet: I can get some ones I like at Jungs or Steins this year. Even Menards has a better selection than most garden centers here. I saw Ferncliff Illusion and Akita there, which are two I really like. Waterlillies are my favorite though.

Hi Melissa - Good to be here.

Hi Arlene - I hope you've been well. I've missed my flowers for sure.

Akita and Vancouver are favorites of mine.

Here is a Gardeners World video for all you Dahlia lovers. https://www.bing.com/videos/se...

This is safe. Enjoy

My dahlias did so so last year in pots. Not as many blooms as I would have liked. This year I plan on paying more attention to them.