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Those blowsy, shapeless things.....
dahlias that is!
They are blowsy, in your face, full of earwigs, need staking and have no shape or structure at all. 
On the face of it not my sort of plant at all
So why then am I enjoying them more and more? 
I am particular......brutal with those I dislike.....but I am growing more fond of them esp at this time of year. Along with salvias and heleniums right now dahlias are providing colour galore 
They grow so large and can dominate the garden unless divided every year or two. But it makes me popular......I give away my surplus every year.
So...blowsy, gaudy, brash even vulgar or are they indispensable?
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Blowsy and shapeless, I thought you were talking about me for a moment Verdun. Gaudy, brash and vulgar, oh you are talking about me.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
There are dahlias for all tastes and even some for people with no taste
Cafe au lait. First year from a bought tuber it struggled. This year it has huge flowers on a Bush five foot high. One flower would make a bridal bouquet, or just singly in a vase. Love it.
I'm also a recent convert. They seem to fill a flowerless gap in between summer and autumn, and the red flowers amongst the autumn foliage are stunning. theyre in my Christmas list !
I grew Bishops Children this year.
Thanks to so little rain this summer they're only just really looking good now. The dark foliage and tropical sunset coloured flowers warms me up just looking at them.
Will def grow again next year
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
I agree with you completely Verdun! I wasn't that keen, I think the foliage is a bit meh, but I got some mini variegated ones on my birthday (July) and they flowered all the way through to mid-October and they were gorgeous:
Me too! I've always said I didn't like dahlias, but rescued some this year, as mentioned in an earlier thread, and they've wormed their way into my heart. Now going to look out for Cafe au lait, fidget!
I love the dark "reds" like nuit dété and soulman and bishop of Aukland. They look FAB with yellow flowering plants, rudbeckias, helianthus etc.
Throw in an orange like David Howard or similar, for something you'll either love or loathe.
Last edited: 30 October 2016 16:55:26
Star Child and the Honka types are gorgeous ... and I just love the smell of dahlia foliage - it's the smell of autumn and allotments and conjures up memories of buying a bunch of dahlias from a table by someone's garden gate
I love the smell of chrysanthemums too, for the same reason.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.