What were the poor ratings about? I have ordered from VB about 4-5 times over the years and have always been satisfied. Although I have ordered dahlias from them, I have not purchased any of the Karma types, so IÂm afraid I canÂt help you about those. I will say, though, when they state that an item is an "exclusive," sometimes that is just not true, as it is available elsewhere.

The Karma dahlia was developed specially for the cutflower market. For this reason, they have incredibly strong stems -- as well as length. These are highly productive plants which flower for a very long time with an incredible vase life. As growers of cutflowers for market, we find our Karma dahlias bloom from April on. They continue to bloom now in our hoophouses. These plants are intensily planted, and don't bush out as much as other dahlias. Therefore, we are able to maximize the space in the hoophouses. The plants generally grow tall and not as wide.

The reason that you don't find many distributors of the Karma at the retail level is that these dahlias are patented. Propagation is allowed by a few growers. Obviously, VB is one of the growers with a contract with the Karma brothers to propagate. Since these plants are patented, a royalty is paid on each sale. As tempting as it may be to propagate your own plants, you should also be advised this is an implied contract upon purchase of the plant material. Propagation is illegal.

The Karma dahlia isn't necessarily a showy flower; however, the colors are intense. The flowers are lovely in bouquet work. Currently, there are 10 varieties of the Karma dahlia -- six decorative, three cactus, and one waterlily.

I hope this clears up any confusion you may have regarding the Karma dahlia.