I think they will be ok as long as it doesn't get down to 32 dedrees. However, do you really trust the weatherman? I know here when they give the forecast, that temp is for the airport in Salt Lake. The surrounding areas can vary by a few degrees either way. We are supposed to get down to 34 next Tuesday and I will be bringing in my tropical plants and cutting more dahlias to bring in. I have been cutting a lot anyway and bringing them in every few days because I really enjoy them in the house since I have not been spending as much time outside.

Linda

We have reached 32 twice this Fall and, while a few of the Dahlias lost some leave tips, everything has continued blooming. The temp reading was at the local airport about 5 miles away, but my yard is surrounded by trees, so I must have been just a hair warmer. Last night the prediction was for 28. Its still to dark outside (5:30am) for me to see if they are deaders, but I have my fingers crossed. It amazes me that Georgia is as cold as WI right now.

Good luck, I hope you have another month of blooms!

Thanks mandolls, Well it all faired very well thank goodness. I too thought it was kinda weird with us having colder temps than some folks north of us. Thats good old Georgia weather for ya. Supposed to be frosty tonight too and then its going to warm back up so hopefully I will have another month of blooms. Judy

Judy, I'm glad to hear your flowers are ok and hopefully they make it thru tonight too. I just watched the weather and they now have changed it down to 30 degrees for next Tuesday night. I hope it doesn't get that cold but I know it won't be much longer before they are goners. I think the latest frost we have ever had was Nov 14th. I really wish we could make to December but that won't happen.

Mandolls, Did they make it thru last night? Have you had any new ones bloom? I have some really big buds that are starting to open and I wish they would hurry. Supposed to be really warm here this weekend before the cold front coming next week. I am NOT ready for winter to set in.
Linda

Hi Linda, I was just looking at our weather for next week and as of tonight our lowest temp is 39. I hope they change your forcast and maybe it will be 40 instead of 30. lol!! I thought in the middle of summer when we had no rain and temps everyday above 95 that I wanted winter to get here but i've changed my mind. I really don't like winter until it snows. I love the snow for a couple days then ready for it to go away. Luckily thats about all we get maybe 1 or 2 times a year. I had a beautiful rosey pink dahlia bloom out and its gorgeous. I want more though!! Judy

Hi Judy, I like the snow too around Christmas time but after that I am sick of it and it seems lately we don't get much snow until January and February and by that time I am ready for spring. I just checked weather.com and they have a low of 30 on Tues and 29 on Wed for us. I hope they are wrong by a few degrees because after that it looks like the temps go back up.

I have been out working in the yard and digging up my Abyssinian Banana plants that can't stay outside in the winter. I do have some other banana plants (musa Basjoo) that I do overwinter in the ground with mulch I also went a picked a bunch more dahlias today to bring in the house. They are just so pretty right now! They are about the only thing I have left blooming except a few mums and zinnias.

Linda

Last year, my dahlias were blooming until late in November. I couldn't bear to take them down because they are beautiful, even in their faded fall colors. But .. . . I found myself out digging about 200 dahlia plants during Thanksgiving vacation and 2 weeks into December, when I would rather have been preparing for the Christmas holiday. Determined that this year, I start whacking down the plants the weekend nearest to Halloween, and that means next week. A few rows at a time so I'll probably still have flowers through part of November, providing we don't have frost.

My Dahlias (along with tomatoes, peppers and eggplants) are just slime now. We finally had our first hard frost two days ago. The last bouquets of the season are sitting in front of me. It is sad. I plan on doing some tuber digging this afternoon, though I am sure my neighbors would rather I get my leaves cleaned up.

There were a few plants I never got blooms from, but all in all it was a good season this year.

I have a feeling I will be whacking mine down next weekend. I plan on cutting as many blooms as I can to bring in the house before then. I picked all my tomatoes and peppers yesterday and today I am making the final batch of salsa. I agree...It is very sad!

Linda

Linda do your bananas produce fruit? Thats probably a goofy question! Sounds neat though to have your own banana bush. I hope your temps have gotten raised so you don't have a freeze just yet. Yummy salsa!!

Wow Phyllis I hope to have some dahlia blooms well into November. Sometimes we don't get freezes til late so fingers are crossed!!

Oooh mandolls, sorry about the hard frost. We had a good frost but everything survived so far even the annuals. I have alot of trees so I think that helps too. Glad you had a good year. Mine was pretty good for the few plants I have. It is sad knowing we will have a long wait to see all the pretties again.

Pretty Petals: It isn't all beauty, having dahlias so late. Eventually they get to a place where they are all open centered, mis shapen, and shades of their summer selves. Then you don't feel so bad about cutting them down so their strength goes into some good 2012 tubers! But it's hard to see them ruined by frost when they still look good. I have been waiting all season to see Hillcrest Kismet, and it's finally starting to open. My first ever Clyde's Choice is about 2/3 open now. Bonaventure is just about to start opening. I'm really not ready to cut down very many yet, but think I will do one row next weekend. Have to get started or I'll be putting away tubers rather than Christmas shopping in December.

Phyllis, Do all your dahlias end up open centered? I have noticed a few of mine (Thomas Edison & Raspberry Punch) have open centers now but most of mine still look great and the colors are still vibrant too. I wonder if that has something to do with the climate? I have also wondered why they say the giant dahlias often get bigger in the pacific northwest. Is it the cooler temps or more rainfall or what?

Linda

You couldn't prove that PNW larger dahlia theory by me this year. I love the big ones, and never got one larger than 10 inches. Planted MANY AA's. They just wanted to act like A's and B's.

Not all are open centered, but more are open as the season wears on. Tonight, my 92 year old father in law called wanting to come by tomorrow to pick flowers to take to a friend. I had some new ones opening that I was wanting picture of, and my father in law is deaf enough to not get the message of where he shouldn't pick. So I went out to try to pick him a bucket. It was harder to find a bucket full than I would have thought! Two weeks ago, I could pick two buckets and you wouldn't know I had taken that many. Now . . . not the same garden.

I had a good year! Several new "must haves" for my garden: Neon Splendor, Hollyhills Spiderwoman, Belle of Balmera, AC Gypsy, AC CJ, Northlake Pride, Citron Du Cap, Clyde's Choice, Baarn Bounty, Black Cat, and Karma Chocolate. There are probably more I forgot to mention! It has been a good year, even if late, and it's probably close to time for them to go.

Hi Phyllis, I have never had a flower over 10" either but I don't disbud and I think that you probably have to do that to get them bigger. But thats ok with me because a 9 or 10" flower is pretty impressive. Sounds like you have some wonderful new varities this year. I think I am getting Neon Splendor in a trade this fall. I love the picture of that one! How did it do for you? Some of the new ones I got this year were Hot Tamale and Punkin Spice. Hot Tamale way out performed Punkin Spice. Punkin spice didn't bloom a lot and stems were weak. They were planted right next to each other.

My plants did get a little frosted last night. Some look pretty bad and others right next to them are fine. I'm a Hottie is still beautiful with about 20 blooms on it. It supposed to get down to 28 tonight so I am sure they will all be toast tomorrow.

I guess thats ok because it is supposed to warm back up into the 60's so I won't be freezing while I am digging them up. I am already looking forward to next year because between the trades I am getting and the ones I have ordered I will have about 35 new ones!

Judy, no my bananas don't produce fruit because the growing season here is too short. But they do get big and give that wonderful tropical look that I love.

Linda

I disbud earlier in the season, and I especially disbud the AA's and A's while there's hope of getting big ones. It seems that the big ones like more sun than they got this year. Our real sunshine didn't start until what . . . July? And the summer was so short. I'm used to AA blooms by late August, and often in the 11-12 inch range. Only Ivory Palaces obliged me in August, and those blooms were 10 inches. Oh well, maybe next year will be sunnier.