Scarlet, PV posted a message 3-4 years ago saying they were getting older and would soon greatly reduce the number of varieties they sell. A year or so later, they had over 400 on the list. Who knows?

Did you catch the reason they claim they're no longer on the Dahlia Addict list? Or the comment from the lady who runs DA? There are a couple new reviews. One is scary and claims they had ordered something like 20 tubers last year but all but three were mislabeled, if I remember correctly.

Also saw a review that mentioned the word "wonky". I only recall hearing/seeing that word on this forum Hmm! Anyone I know? LOL

** Strange but the comment on DA from the lady who runs it has been taken down since yesterday

It was on the other sites forum that I just saw a generic request so in theory it could be any of the vendors. No names listed at all. Just general. I don't know, I had good luck and average is far better than horrible. I had one mislabel and one that rotted which could have been my own darn fault and why I start mine early and put in the ground taller. And actually my review was changed from what I sent in, maybe I was too wordy for the site peeps but the middle part was missing which isn't a true review in my book and had I known that would have happened I wouldn't have sent it in. All said, I was happy w the tubers that grew and I had lovely blooms in the end and some heavy seed producers. And I'm willing to give second chances, especially if the problem only lies in one area that can be quickly remedied. Will see if that's true.

What did you end up ordering?

I'm awaiting one more shop to open and I have a smallish list but maybe that will even out my colors some more. I went heavy on bi-colors for this next season.

Need to get my shoes and coat on and head to work. More later if it's dead.

I'm still alive. The holidays seem like nonstop socializing and I'm a bit worn out. Scarlet, are you going to share a pic of this shirt that looks like something an 85 year old would wear? I always try to be grateful for any gifts I receive, but most people steer clear of gifting me clothes, unless it's a tank top or socks!

Mary, that blows that you're feeling sick. Hope you are on the mend now! Can't believe BB sent your order back. What is the purpose of sending your email and phone with the order if they aren't even going to use it?! Knowing that, I'll never buy from them. A few years ago I sent them an email asking about availability before I put a check in the mail, and they didn't answer, so I waited a few days and sent another email. Their response was super rude and a total turn off. Guess they didn't want my money, and I'm more than happy to give it to a different vendor.

Haha Dan, I recognized the word wonky in that review, too! I'll just say that it was DA's decision to move them to reviews only, and I think PV was pretty crabby about it. The blurb on their website made it sound like vendors must pay to be listed on DA, which is not the case. Elkhorn Garden threw a similar hissy fit on their website a few years back.

Still messing with my want list, and waiting for vendors to open. My friend said she might just give me AC Sandra J, since I managed to get her everything she wanted from Lazy Day. I'll still look for it elsewhere, though. Need to start hunting for a few new stakes, as some of mine bit the bullet last season, and if I wait until April or May I'll probably just find bamboo or flimsy ones that do not offer much support.

Scarlet, I ordered:
Ben Huston x 2
Stillwater Krista x 2
Canby Centennial x 2
Mary x 2
Wanda's Capella x 2
Almand Joy
Wyn's Mauve Mist
Hilltop Lost Treasure
Winkie Carnival

Any bets on how many of those I'll actually get?

You know Dan it's a crapshoot. If I get the ones I want wonderful. If I end up with all mini balls on 7foot plants I'll be matching Medusa. Just sayin.

Melissa:oh the top, now mine you I'm an 80s gal not 85 that said I got a sweatshirt jacket shirt, w two patch pockets at the bottom front and snaps all the way up. I'm sure it will be perfectly nice on someone but really now, at this point in my life it's not quite my speed. Though some days I feel 80 with my body's issue I still don't dress anywhere near that. Heck I still wear shorts (I once read somewhere a classy chick doesn't wear them after 37!) I don't care if my knees aren't spectacular, or my gams have the "won't blow over in a wind storm" look. But between that snappy jacket and a used jacket … I know I know. I could have gotten a lump of coal. Maybe I should have. I'll send a thank you and wear snappy once to lunch w her and put a big pin on it or something and she'll be happy to see it and then pass it on to someone who might take a fancy to it.

Ugh snowing here. Havent seen anyone since 2. It's going to be a long aft and early evening. Maybe once I get everything done I should I'll drop back in. That or make a huge list of what I want yet to buy. Hah!

Ps: you know nothing **as she waves her magic wand ** words can disappear that are unusual to all

Now spin 3 times and click your heels oh wait that's Dorothy's method …

Lol Dan you better get those Mary tubers or I'll be writing a review! Hahaha.

I need to spend more time in the review sections. The drama sounds exciting

Yeah it was kind of annoying but I'm over it. Could have been dodging bad tubers anyway based on those pics Dan shared.

I think I'm moving onto the chest mucus phase so hopefully better in a few days.

Mary: do you have the rona again? Geez girl! I'm sorry it keeps visiting w you. What a pain.

Melissa: the snow is about done here. We had about 4" and the hubs kicked me up so I didn't have to brush off the car. Yay! Hey would you like snappy?

Dan: sounds like a good list. We'll be on watch together and can compare later but dang I hope that they are all lovely and correct. I've ordered from others and lost all the ones I bought and the only thing that grew was the freebie. So I did have fairly good luck in the end with the aforementioned group.

AM: closed early and I'm tired. Lots to do, not many customers but a lot of busy work behind the scenes. I'm glad to be home.

I need to check and see if I have heard anything from the vendor I'm hoping to get from. I also want to check out a few other sites just to see.

I'll send anyone snow if you'd like. Off to peruse and eat some pizza.

I'm sure PV will send the tubers and they'll have "Mary" written on them. Question is, what will bloom? LOL

And do you know that's one of my favorite thing with dahlias? Anticipating a new one opening and what will it be. Partly why I collected seeds this past year too.

You can keep the snow, Scarlet! Forecast says our first real snow is coming on New Year's Day which is annoying, but that's later than usual. Hope yours melts quickly. Haha, I totally see what you're saying about the snappy jacket/shirt, and I'm not really sure whose style that is, guess not yours or mine. I'm no fashionista, but the stuff they're selling these days is crap. Stopped by Kohls and Target today, looked at some clothes, but the choices seemed to be potato sacks or crop tops and I'm a fan of neither. Ended up purchasing cuddle duds instead. And to hell with those "women shouldn't wear this that and those after a certain age" lists, too! I'll be wearing knee high socks in the Winter until the day I die.

Lol Dan, I like your positive thinking!

Mary, the DA reviews is a fun read, highly recommend it. There is one vendor that got 2 bad reviews from 2 sisters (recognized their names from FB dahlia groups), and the vendor actually responded and told their side of the story. Some people are just miserable and leave bad reviews all over the place.

I've been thinking about trying to grow a few from seeds this year, and got an email that Coseytown's seed sale will open on 1/3. I think they sold out in a minute last year. Might try to brave the stampede, could be worth it.

Scarlet, if you read through PV's reviews, you see a recurring theme, "good prices and great looking tubers that grow well". But another constant theme is "mislabels and more mislabels". Same things have been going on for years. If someone can produce nice, healthy tubers, I have to wonder why they can't' find a remedy for the mislabeling. Why have you business trashed just because you can't or won't address what would seem to be a fairly simple problem. Makes no sense!

Melissa, I didn't know whether or not DA charged suppliers to be listed. But their post yesterday said they hadn't or wouldn't accept a dime from PV. The post was taken down. Have they kissed and made up? LOL

I've got 260 or so seeds I saved. I'm sure most are duds but I do like a controlled adventure. oh don't get me started on clothing. I've a tall hubs and kids and trying to find pants or jeans long enough is a serious pain. Crop tops are like a bikini top. You wear your knee socks and I'll keep up w my shorts. To heck w the naysayers. I do enough crazy talk on my body as it is.

I've got to run to town tomorrow. Kid1 has PT and I may pop over to the hoblob. I love to say a nursery but there are very few anymore up here. Like department stores they've gone the way of the dodo bird.

Edited to add: see that is my point. Focus on what you can fix I get we all label wrong, I'm ok w odd ones. I'd rather blooms then blind. My biggest issue was followup. To me that's easy to fix. But what do I know. I don't own a business.

Melissa, I loved reading the Elkhorn Garden reviews on DA. Got to the point where the lady who owned EG was ready to throw punches or fire off a few rounds of lead. LOL

I used to go on the Daves Garden Watchdog site to read reviews on companies I planned to order from. There was a nursery in Tennessee (might have had Tennessee in the name) whose ratings were absolutely abysmal! But one weekend they got 51 positive reviews! There were very few companies on that site got 51 reviews in 10 years, let alone one weekend! The administration stepped in and froze their reviews until they investigated. As I recall, they were all deleted. It was obviously, family, friends and employees trying to save their bacon.

Do you remember Franks Nursery and Crafts. I used to like to go there. I still have a 20+ ear old ponytail palm and pachira, I purchased from them. It was a fun combination.

I worked at a store in my early adult years. I understand farming is hard and a lot of work. What I don't understand is when ANY of these vendors know there is a problem someplace in their chain of things to get an end product out the door. Like any company they should take the time to implement changes to help them out instead of telling the customers they are wrong or their expectations too high and send out subpar items. That's for ANY vendor. I don't think hoping for good stock that will grow is a problem, or response or correctness. Unsure if part of this disconnect is because we've become such a toss away society. If it's wrong toss and move on.

Never heard of Franks. I have been to Steins but that is a Milwaukee area nursery and garden center. I miss having a nursery and large greenhouse to preamble through right now. I know I usually popover to the guy I buy annuals from after the first day of spring just to breathe greenhouse air and feel one w the earth!

Anywho, the day needs to get underway. I've got to take kid1 to clinic. Happy day all!

Yeah no covid this time. Just a bad cold.

Lol just went to the review section to ponder. Selected the first vendor with less than 5 stars and it turned out to be the 2 sister situation haha. They sound annoying. 60 dahlias does not mean you are a professional. I know people who grew that many in year 1. Also there are experienced growers who think they know best on a lot of things, but they just know what they've been doing the last 20 years which may work for them, but not representative of everyone that grows dahlias!

Perusing some of the other vendors with lower ratings ha hilarious. I came across one with comments about Dutch resells which I didn't even realize was a thing til last spring when I ordered tubers from a local farm. I just assumed they would be from their own stock! Since then, I learned a lot of farms do not even dig their own tubers and just order wholesale tubers every year since the time costs of digging and dividing is not worth it I guess. I am wondering how this may change with gall and mislabeled crap on the rise.

I wonder how many farms like that are on DA as sellers when in fact they should be under the resellers category. I've seen some vendors share their websites in FB groups and I so badly comment saying they are clearly a reseller, because probably a lot of people are naïve as I was and could end up getting crappy product. I only bought a couple varieties from the local farm. On the bright side they were sold as individual tubers, but I got clumps which I could further divide and they were not bad looking considering. On the downside, one of the clumps came with gall! They were labeled correctly as well.

I did it - I started a new thread for 2022 just in time to yell Happy New Year!

Here is the link to the new thread:

The thread "2022 Dahlia Season" in Dahlias forum

See you there dahliaheads!