You cant buy them right now, but you can start your window shopping through www.cgdahlias.com.
I love this site to pick out my furture gardens.

You can buy dahlias right now by going to FernCliffGardens.com. You pay now by credit card and you will receive them in the spring. I have bought all my dahlias at FernCliff dahlia farm and they are outstanding! They are located in Mission, Canada, but they ship all over the world.

I love them all, but I recommend the dahlias I am growing. Look a short ways down on the forum and you will see my post "Pictures of my Dahlias!". Post the url into the top of your browser and click go, then you can click on slideshow and have a look at my choices of dahlia to grow.

Connell's has a very wide variety and for $4 you get a great many-paged color catalog to look at all winter long or at least from January on. I believe they mark which varieties are suitable for cutting both in the catalog and online catalog. I've had nothing but great luck with their tubers, 98% of them anyway and I figure the 2% is my own fault!

Dan's Dahlias is another good provider with a wide variety. I think he changed his website a bit so the photos aren't so large anymore (I could be wrong and don't have time to look right now.)

Accent Dahlias sent wonderful tubers as well. And Dahlias by Les and Viv Connell. Swan Island is popular. If you want some big beauties, look at Wynne's dahlias for fabulous colors and stems suited hold those monsters up!

I'll tell you some of my favorites for cutting, but only after I order my tuber allotment for 2007 LOL!

You know a really good way to help in choosing what to get is to get out to a grower and eyeball the plants for yourself. Are they truly "covered in blooms" as the websites say? How are the stems? Is it a robust plant or a little shrimp who won't get stems long enough for cutting even with help from you. Are you near enough to some dahlia growers that you could get out yet this season?

Just some of my thoughts.

HEY Buckster! Long time no see!

Take a look at Karma dahlias for cutting. Googling them will get you the info on them. They were bred specially for cutting and they come in gorgeous colors on long stems. I Am growin Karma Naomi this year and also have Karma Fuchiana and Karma Serena. I have several more picked out for next year including Karma Sangria. I have about 160 different dahlias and I can tell you a lot of them that are NOT good for selling to the cut market. Anything with soft petals, cactus and fimbriated ones just do not have the staying power when exposed to less then perfect conditions as cuts. As well as the karmas I am more and more drawn to the ball shape ones like the Barbarry series. Cornell and Jomanda are also good ball ones. As to larger Dahlias, I find most of the AA's fun but they have a hard time taking up enough water to stay fresh in the vase for more then a couple of days. Some of the "A''s work well is they have a lot of substance to them.

I buy most of my dahlias from Connelll's and Swan Island. They do not carry the karmas though. Anything that is developed in Holland you will probably have to buy through the wholesale market. I got my Karmas from Van Bourgundian but don't recommend their quality...just the only source I could find for individual plants or in bags of 5 each color. Out of the 5 I usually can get 3 to grow. That is enough for me.

It probably depends also on how you sell your flowers. Do you only sell to florists or do you have a home stand also, I forget. If you can control the temperature and keep your flowers out of the sun once picked then you will be able to do more shapes and kinds. My customers have gone for about 90% Bright autumn colors this fall...red orange, yellow, gold, or Purple and orange,. Anything with blue in the color is not selling well for me and sales of pink only if it is a hot pink combined with other lively colors! That may be true where you are or not...who knows who decides these things! Occasionally I will sell all purple bouquets....maybe purple wearing red hats?! THe crazier I make my combinations, the better they sell!

Howdy all,

Hey thanks a ton for the info. all very helpful. Yes I'm looking at selling them for farmer's markets.

Yo, Lizalily....

Great to see you!!!!! Because of you I posted an update on the cutting forum. I have been too busy with fire season cherry season etc. Things are getting alittle slower so I have been out walking my fields.

Ok, now on to the dahlias. I have had no luck with my dahlias. Of course these are costco and home depot specials. I'm not sure if they will work or not. I'm zone 8 but you have to remeber that I get no rain in the summer and most of fall. I'm super hot and dry.

I usually like fragrant plants only but the colors are too much. I like the idea of the karma ones. I sell to both florists and farmers market. I was just going to put a bunch in the ground to see what the response is. My mom had one when i was growing up and they bring back memories for me.

I will look at your list and if you can think of any other types let me know. Also what do you sell with the dahila's?

Take care all and I pray all is well,

Bucky

Buckster: The Karmas are definetely the way to go for cutting. Last year I bought 50 tubers from Van Bourgundian. They were absolutely stunning.(Only three of them didn't grow.) The stem length was great too. See yous back at the cutting forum. Heidi