This is not a Shakespearian play, or is it? Probably not. I refused to grow Dahlias for years due to their fussiness. An ex-boyfriend’s father loved to grow them. He would dutifully plant the dahlia clumps each spring, baby them in his garden, and every fall dig them up to store them in his garage.
This seemed like way more work than I was willing to put into a flower. One year I bought a few to try in the garden. I fell head over heals with the colors, the way the petals were so symmetric, I could not get enough of their beauty and at that point I knew, I was bitten by the Dahlia bug. I made every Dahlia mistake known to man, like not pinching them, not giving them enough water, not enough staking, but I got some gorgeous blooms even if they were falling all over the place. I went on a researching spree trying to find any and all information related to Dahlia’s, this is about the time I found Floret. Erin and Chris Benzakein’s pictures of Dahlias had me drooling. At this point, there was no turning back, I needed Dahlias in my life forever. Every year since, I buy a few more tubers, and a few more. This year may have been the worse, in an attempt to increase my Dahlia stock I bought 30 different varieties and have about 80 plants in my small garden plot. At what point is having too many plants considered hoarding? I am not sure, but every time I tell my husband more Dahlias are coming; he shakes his head and tells me, “The first step is admitting I have a problem.” I tell him every time, “I never said I had a problem and smile.”
