Arlene: I'll read up this one, it's pretty! Thanks. Have you had luck with it?

Yes. It did well for me.

I am tempted to try some more dahlias cus I can get 9 dinnerplate tubers for 25 bucks. The pots will cost me like 100 and then the potting soil probably 120. It's a project I'm thinking on.

Dahlia Encyclopedia

I am a big fan of Diva (must grow in my book), but some other darker purples I like are Purple Joy, Dark Magic (magenta and purple), and Boogie Nites. My pics should be in the database. Clearview Erin is an amazing purple in the same form as Raspberry Punch, but disappears from dahliaaddict every other year, it seems. I checked my tubers the other day (anything that felt squishy, haven't gotten to full blown unwrap them all stage- yet!), and unfortunately I have only one tiny tuber of BN that made it through the Winter. Oh well...I'm cut off from buying anymore this year...unless I have a few cocktails and see something I cannot live without for a season.

Thank you all for your ideas! I will need to go research and look at pictures. Thank you so much for replying. Yes, I knew you both have all tried different types and colors and know which ones you have lots of luck on or look nice and why I turned here. I have another reason to sit online today looking

Bought two more smallers dahlias at ace. Anyone know anything about the dalina dahlia line?

Eric: Have not heard of that brand. Sounds like you are thinking a large project! What colors are you looking at?

Yes, they are sold here as bedding plants - orange, red, pink, yellow.

The local HD had some, while others were in ,"mixed" bags, so I passed up, on those.
About the only one I had even considered, was 'Hana Fubuki'.

Edit, to include, I haven't checked out if Ace Hardware has any.

The dinnerplates were at farmerseed. They have a collection of nine for 20. I'm liking the smaller plants I've been finding so will probably forget about the dinnerplates.

This is the time of year when we all start getting antsy about receiving our mail order dahlia tubers. Considering the absolute nightmare regarding mail delivery across the country, I'm wondering if anyone else is worried as to when, or even if, they'll arrive. Will they sit in transit for days, weeks or months and dry out? Will they arrive after potting or planting time or become lost in the shuffle? I have over a half dozen mail orders this year and judging by my recent mail delivery I'm not hopeful right now. And please don't think that priority mail is actually a priority, the waiting just costs more. I've never seen anything like this.

Dan: I learned ordering for Christmas in October that things would get stuck at USPS hubs and it was like they got lost in their bins for a week plus (never hope you have anything to through Minneapolis, you'll never see it in a timely manner). My fear is always things freezing as they notoriously get stuck on a dock over a long weekend when the post office is closed for a federal holiday and then we get a freak snowstorm with bitter temps or the freaky extreme heat up in May and they are parched and withered upon arrival.

I was reading on one of the iris threads once a while back some members traded rhizomes both in Cali. I seem to recall it took weeks as it was sent to Hawaii and these two lived maybe a few hours apart. I don't understand the whole dilemma other than something in the travel process screams incompetent. Others have had things shipped from the west coast that go to Chicago and go back to the west coast. I've also had things just "sit" in Chicago which is another hub that is questionable on timeliness. Now I'm about 5 hours from Chicago and 2 1/2 hours from the twin cities and all the mail coming into my state seems to hit both before it gets to me

So I feel your worries. I check to see if the vendors I have bought from are shipping or have posted a schedule. Just so I have an idea of when things may be traveling. I know Brecks have posted a tentative date of 4/13 for the order my mom bought me. I haven't seen anything from any of the others. If any of them read here: please put a tentative schedule on your sites! Not all of them have them, but it sure would be a help. And yes I'm totally impatient.

I know I pester my local PO, in fact if I know it's come in I go and pick it up the day it's in my local stream, before the next delivery. They don't like it as it messes w their reporting, but I always say it's plant material or for a birthday. Usually our packages come at 830am on the truck. Delivery leaves by 8am for the day. They sort and pack up prior and head on out. And priority is no guarantee for anything anymore, I agree you pay more for nothing faster.

Good luck and I know I'll post as I start seeing things travel to me, but I'm zone 4b. maybe we can all be a help for each other. I've got dahlias and irises traveling this year.

Antsy is spot on, Dan! I was really worried last year, but everything arrived in a pretty timely fashion. I'm more worried about their misroutes, and tubers going somewhere cold, sitting there, and freezing.

Scarlet, you're so right about the Chicago hub! Whenever I see a package arrive there, I know it is going to be longer than normal before I see it. I've also learned (stalking packages over this past year), that if something arrives at the Omaha hub in the evening, I should see it the next day. I'll be slipping my mailman a $20 this year, as I have 15 packages coming, and he is always a gem about leaving them at my side door, plus my route is a mostly "walking" route, so my boxes have to be a pain in the...

Received my first shipping notification last night! It is pretty early, but the seller is in MN and I know he checks the weather prior to shipping. It is Springlike here right now (63 degrees!!!), so I am excited to see something arrive prior to the April rush. Fingers crossed for happy deliveries for everyone.

Meanwhile, I've placed " more recent," orders & hope they aren't delayed too much.
I just wanted more, later, after the crazy "January Rush" before some things were 'Sold Out" !
Cali, & Hawaii areas, may share the first exact same Zip code starting with "Number 9."

I've sent a box to my sister before, & that went to the wrong Island, being the big isle of Hawaii, it's self !

Two years ago, I can recall a 3 day Priority taking at least 5 days (if not more,), & my mail may not get delivered, until well after dark !

This Spring, is possibly going to be slammed with mail orders. Especially once any funds get released, for whatever they've named it, by now. (I've forgotten, what they call it latest relief funds.)
Though the expiration date for previous help, is this 14th.

I sure do hope things aren't so delayed, they get baked ! (Forecast is soon, in 70's for here, already.)
Now, I'm wondering if I ought to "add" anything more, at all, to any existing orders
As local mail, can end up, at the Capitol in Richmond, then go across the HRBT bridge, to be processed in Norfolk, & then go right back across that very same bridge, plus go to the Central main Post Office on this side of the water, before it gets to the "local" one, on the truck, out for delivery.

I don't know who that darned "mastermind" was, to make all those dim witted ideas, about disorganized mail processing.
(Amazon using the US Postal, to take advantage of the System, is a whole 'nother "story.") As the USPS loses money. Go figure why, if they can be allowed to so easily overload it...

I hope we all get our Dahlias arriving, at a fairly good pace. (I for one, would like to try & get them off, to a slight "head start,", if at all possible.) Not a longer delay.

Scarlet, I'm not as worried about suppliers shipping on time as I am about what happens to the boxes after they're in the hands of USPS. I sent my Discover Card payment and my real estate taxes on 2/6. They were due on 2/18 and 2/20. As of last Friday, neither payment had been received. Discover rolled two month's payments into one and charged a $35 late fee. I called and paid over the phone. They dropped the late charge and I arranged to start paying through my checking account each month. Called the county treasure and was told they understand about late mail but I will be charged a 10% penalty, anyway, for the taxes. This is my 4th late charge this year, none my fault. I sent documents this morning to my brother who needs them ASAP. I didn't dare send them first class so I paid $26.35 for overnight. I mentioned to the lady at the PO about late mail. She said it was because of the weather (?). I'm still stunned at that!!

Melissa, speaking of misroutes, I sent a mailing envelope to my aunt in Va. on 2/19, expected delivery was 2/24. It traveled from here to Pittsburgh, south to Memphis before heading north again to Jersey City! Last tracking on 3/5 said it was on it's way to the next facility. California? Alaska? Sorry for the rant but I'm waaaaay beyond irate!

Dan: that's horrible! I know our accountant was doing mail in or drop off and phone calls only. We were given the option to mail our stuff to them. No way! I drove 1/2hr each way to drop off all the forms from us and then again to drop off payment. It's a sad day when we can't trust the USPS to do their job in a timely manner. Yes - anyone have things going through my two "local" hubs - good luck. Minneapolis tends to loose them for about a week and don't have truck drivers or so my PO says as they have to drive up to the border to get our mail, Chicago a week and half. And then if you do have a tracking number it will either tell you it's invalid or en route. Or even better I had one that left the twin cities at 4am got to my local PO at 730am at 7:35 am it was on the truck back to Minneapolis at 10am it arrived at 10:30 it was on the truck back to my PO and arrived and delivered the next day to my PO. Tell me how this makes sense?

I'll join you in ranting.

Let's think good thoughts - dahlias growing soon! Lots of color! Dan did you load up on your favs this year? We're they pinks or purples? I know you always post such lovelies!

Melissa: kind of you to do for your mail person. I have one that drops on my porch always, another that drops my stuff 3 miles away fairly consistently and another that jams my box. I live in a small podunk. I can't imagine a city Omaha's size. Wait - actually you may have one of my cousins as your delivery person. I've 2 in Omaha that are mail carriers. Hah! Funny how when you stop and think …

I've ordered a little of everything this year, new ones, some I haven't grown in years, some favs and I've tried to order a few I no longer have that have become as rare as unicorns. A new supplier opened last Saturday at noon. They had two of the oldies plus 4 others I wanted. I clicked on their site exactly at 12:00. Two were already gone. I picked out 4 varieties, quickly put in my info and credit card number and submitted the order. Instantly I got a message that one of the four had sold out. I resubmitted and... Bam! ...got a message that another had sold out. LOL I was done by 12:07 yet ended up with only 2 of the 6. I assume this is a small operation and they probably didn't have a lot of tubers. At least, the shipping was very reasonable, a little over $4.

My brother does a lot of target shooting. He has most of his "toys" delivered to me so his better half won't know. I've noticed that UPS and FedEx have been pretty much on the ball. But anything coming from USPS... you might as well sit back and twiddle your thumbs for a couple weeks or more.

Dan: I've no clue if my last dahlia order will be filled. Never heard back, but they cashed my check. I either get what I ordered or a bunch of replacements. Ah well, soon my friend we'll be getting these! I look forward to seeing them all. I plan to look when I go to town tomorrow at Home Depot and Walmart - you never know what you might find. I need a replacement Kelvin - I like the big happy yellow bloom and I'd like another dark one. Will see though. I may come with something I hadn't planned.

Scarlet, you never know, it is a small world after all! My mail carrier's name is Curtis. I kind of enjoy the rants, I mean we all need to vent/let off steam, right?! I ordered a gift card 3 weeks before I needed it (shipped via USPS), and as time droned on, I contacted the merchant (Duluth Trading) and they told me I should allow 15 business days!!!! I gave it an extra 5, then picked up the phone and called to see what the hell was going on. Apparently it was returned for "insufficient address". The address was right, so someone was either incompetent or lazy. My best friend's boyfriend is a mail carrier, and he told me that all the stupid Amazon packages really mess things up.

I agree, Dan, UPS/Fedex are more timely and accurate. I do seriously wonder about their ability to read directions, though. I have a sign on my front door asking to please leave packages at the side door (I live on a busy main street, only had one package stolen before that sign went up). UPS took awhile to figure it out, but Fedex never has. A couple weeks ago, someone kept knocking on my front door (clearly not someone who knows me), so I popped out the side door, walked around, and scared the heck out of the driver. It was a delivery from my employer, so he needed my signature, and seemed baffled when I pointed out the sign on the door. And kudos to you for being right on time for a dahlia sale, too, Dan!

On a happy note- I worked outside in the garden today! Mostly getting rid of leftover dahlia debris (and leaves, SO MANY leaves still) from the Fall, and removing cardboard along the edges that I use to suppress weeds. Felt wonderful, and looking forward to getting back in garden shape.

I grow at least 8-10 Kelvin Floodlights every year. Nothing lights up a garden like KFL! I buy new clumps every year at big box stores. I've found that when planting a packaged clump, I get very few new usable tubers in the fall. Most new growth are the skinny tubers that don't survive storage. I usually just toss them and buy new ones in the spring. I did get a few decent new tubers last fall. If you buy them after they begin to eye up in the bags you can often find clumps with multiple sprouts. I once got 7 divisions from a bag of three. KFL is without doubt one of, if not THE most dependable dahlias I've ever grown. Always one of the first few to bloom each year.

Suppliers don't always send an order confirmation. I ordered from Birch Bay on 1/7. They cashed my check just over a week ago. Other than that, I haven't heard anything from them. I wish all suppliers would get away from the old mail-in ordering system.