I just wonder if it is normal for the few chinese asters and dahlias that I grew from seed to not have even started blooming til about ten days ago? In fact, I have 2 plants in pots that are just about to bloom for the first time! Seems like it'll be winter soon! LOL We've had weird summer weather, hot for a few days, then cool, then warm again. I have made sure the plants were watered well and in sun. They are looking great, but it's almost fall! Not sure it's worth bothering with, if they take THIS long to bloom! Advice? Thanks!
(BTW, I DO know about the disease they can get, and to plant in different places next year, etc.) :0) Phyl

I have had the worst year ever with dahlias! My plants are barely a foot tall, only about a fifth of them even have blooms, and those blooms are on three-inch stems. I don't know if it's just the bad year that accounts for the three-inch stems, or if the description of what I bought as being "great for cutting" was a bunch of hooey. Very discouraging.

Actually, now that I think of it, I did grow some dahlias from seed this year (most of mine were bought as tubers) and those seed-started ones did start to bloom about a week ago. And they look a heck of a lot better than the tuber-grown ones.

I'm not sure, since I don't have a wide range of experience with dahlias, but I do think the bloom time can depend on the variety. I remember I grew one gorgeous one called "Summer's End" which I joked should be called "Autumn's End", because the darn thing never bloomed until November!

Dee

I find that I have terrible luck germinating asters outdoors. I have to start them indoors where I have better control of moisture and temperature. This year I started them 8 weeks before frost, earlier than usual, so they were bigger when I planted them out. We had an unusually hot summer(and very dry July), so my asters are finished, mostly dried up now.