I always tuck a few dahlias into my annual beds each year. I usually grow them from seed. This year I sprouted ‘Double Extreme’. This Fleuroselect Award winner grows 18 to 24 inches tall with double and semi-double flowers in a wide range of colors.
The plants grew sturdy and tall and weren’t bothered by pests or diseases. My only complaint with this cultivar is that it bloomed so late. I didn’t see the first flowers until the third week of September. Some years we’ve already had a first frost by then.
I started my plants from seed 9 weeks before setting them outside, so technically it took 6 months from seed to flower. That’s too long. I really couldn’t have started them any earlier or the plants would’ve gotten too big to fit under the grow lights before it was safe to plant them outside in the spring. ‘Double Extreme’ is a good plant, but it’s not suitable for my Zone 5 garden.
The bumblebees are taking advantage of the fresh, late-blooming flowers for nectar-gathering as all my other annuals and perennials slowly shut down for the season. In the late morning last week it was barely 50 degrees with a stiff north wind when I spotted this slow-moving bumbler hunkering down in a dahlia for warmth:
I guess very-late-blooming flowers make good blankets, too.