As it's not been mentioned, I'll put in a word for Verrone's Obsidian. Mine started flowering early July and have just kept going. Very attractive to pollinators, and humans too.
Here sharing a vase with some Bishop's Children, sweet pea and a daisy
Jealous of your Veronne's Obsidian @Canary27. I have mine in a pot - there were a couple of other varieties in the same pot that the snails got at but they spared Obsidian. However, flowering has been very sparse and I only get one bloom at a time. But it is rather splendid. Blue Bayou in another pot. Only just started flowering and again, one at a time: But Soulman, in the ground, is a bit more prolific. Love it! Don't know what the pinky orange one is by the apple tree - wrong variety sent!
I also have a few single varieties - totally tangerine and waltzing Mathilda - both gorgeous but I find them unsuitable for cutting - they last only 2 days or so (I presume that might be down to the fact that they get pollinated very quickly by the bees as they’re open centred’.
I find Bishop of LLan (a single) to have a great vase life; About the same as a Rip City. I'd like to grow Matilda next year. It would be interesting to compare the two in a vase.
I have grown two bedding types for the first time this year - Mingnon and Happy Daze and for both of those the flowers last about a day in my garden on tiny stems, so it seems a little pointless.
I have been giving tom feed to my flowering pots of dahlias over the past few weeks and it does seem to make a tremendous difference in a sluggish year. Aruna is a gorg purple and hasn't done well at all this year. It is a fine plant but few flowers. Mexican Star (from tubers) started flowering in May but looks like it may be starting to go over first.
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Here sharing a vase with some Bishop's Children, sweet pea and a daisy
Blue Bayou in another pot. Only just started flowering and again, one at a time:
But Soulman, in the ground, is a bit more prolific. Love it!
Don't know what the pinky orange one is by the apple tree - wrong variety sent!