Hi Steve, My shade does not begin until around 4n 0;clock. We have roses on east side of house and they do tend to lean out. All my dahlias are grown on south side. Shade comes from a tree line. Steve in Baltimore County.

I grow my dahlias in what is 6-8 hours of sun, depending on the time of year. They are definitely taller and leggier than dahlias that get more sun (tubers that are supposed to be 4-5 ft. are usually 6-7 ft. for me), however They are healthy and bloom beautifully. As far as growing straight - you will need to stake them whether they are in 6 hours of sun or 12 hours of sun, so its not really an issue.

I agree with mandolls.

Mine get the same amount of sun as his.

I just pinch back the P/T sun ones so they dont get to 8+ feet tall

keriann~

Thanks, I'll try some in my front bed this season and see how they perform there. I'll definitely pinch them back and try to keep them bushy as I don't want them to block my picture window.

- Steve