I've heard good things about this one, though at first glance it seemed like a Thomas Edison knockoff with an absurd price tag.

How are those stems? They look a bit floppy.

The stems are ok. You need to stake it and the blooms are more sideways facing rather than upward facing. I love all purple dahlias so I am biased.

Diva is beautiful. I just put it on my buy list for next year. Where do you buy your dahlias? I primarily use Swan Island. Thanks for the recommendation.

If you haven't discovered www.dahliaaddict.com, you'll be in heaven come buying season! Check it out.

I buy from very few vendors, and avoid those that mislabel or send too many virused dahlias the year before. Mostly, I trade with online buddies that are scrupulous about keeping the names right, and who yank virused plants asap. My track record is averaging 100-150 new-to-me varieties a year, dropping less then a hundred from the previous year.

Thanks for the link to the website. Looks very handy.

I second the recommendation for Diva - really beautiful flower and very stiff, strong stems. Gorgeous dark purple, almost looks like velvet. I'll have to take a photo to share...