Well, apparently I forgot the pic. Here it is.

I am out side at night at least twice a night with my flashlight and my amoina and water bottle. Sam knows what lets kill slugs means.

Is there any way you could keep a few ducks where you live? I think Ducks and dahlias are a great combination! Mine have free access to my dahlias garden and keep the slugs down real well. You probably know that Western Washington is Slug Heaven. Well, very little slug activity now in mine. I still have ear wigs and leaf hoppers, but the plants grow unmolested from the ground. I do still prestart mine through to get a jump on our gray, cool weather. and get them big enough the ducks won't accidently sit down on them. Not sure what cold temps a duck can take in the winter.....It might we worth it to get ducklings in the spring and keep them through the summer. Fewer slugs mean fewer slug eggs laid to hatch.

Good idea, lizalily, but won't work for me. For starters, the last thing I need in my life right now is one more thing to care for...LOL.
I do know about WA and slugs...yours are waaay bigger than ours. I don't understand how tiny ones like ours can do so much damage! BTW, my DIL has lived in western WA, but now lives down the road from me. She was commenting this past week on how she never saw so many even when she lived in WA.

I guess me moving in with you so you can take care of me is out of the question. LOL

Mytime, a similar thing happened to me last year, only I don't know the name of my dahlia. My first bloom is shown below, but the 2nd bud looks like it will be the dark rosy color that appears on the tips of the petals. I loved this one last year because I never knew what I was going to get. Sure wish I knew its name!

Yes I wish you knew the name also. I like the look of that.

Addicted, that's really a pretty one. I need to quit visiting this forum...too many "ooh, I want that one, too" flowers.

Oh My! What a fun dahlia! Yes, I want it too! Hope someone can come up with the name!

Oh My! What a fun dahlia! Yes, I want it too! Hope someone can come up with the name!

Look at this
http://www.botanus.com/products/Caribbean-Fantasy-Decorative-Dahlia.html

Amazing! That looks like it! what's amazing is that I started it too late and it didn't bloom in time before our first frost, so I'll have to wait until next year to see it. The picture I bought from (a local grower who actually uses pics of his own flowers) shows more red and yellow, way less white, so I didn't even begin to recognize it.

Here is a link that might be useful: local pic of C.F.

I wasn't very clear in my above post...I meant I bought Caribbean Fantasy this year but it didn't bloom.