I have always ordered from Swan Island and had great sucess. This year I ordered from them and two other suppliers. I ordered from Red Hawk, and I will admit that I was a little apprenhensive about this but they had great prices and I figured I would try them and see how it went. The tubers arrived last week and they were very nice tubers and all of them were already eyed-up and starting to sprout.

I also ordered from Lynch Creek but I haven't received that shipment yet. I think it will be here next week. I will have to comment on them later.

Linda

I have ordered from Swan Island for 2 yrs. with no problems and am very impressed with their tubers...large, healthy and eyed up or already sprouting! Accent was a pleasant surprise. I ordered 2, but got 5 of one of the ones I ordered (small but all starting to grow) and a bonus (Otto's Thrill), plus 2 little NOIDs. My order from Aztec has not arrived yet. Elden Bros. was the first to arrive and all were fine -- they too sent a bonus.

Ok how come it is only about five of us die hard dahlia growers that are responding? There must be thousands of us out here in the world that grow dahlias. I can only comment on two suppliers Wynnes and swan island. Been very happy with both. I had up to 1600 tubers till I got rushed and stored them improperly. So I am restarting my collection. I let the wife do the ordering and I take care of them. Works out well for us.

Most of these replies speak to TUBERS and not necessarily the plants per se, though I assume most replies end up meaning they were happy overall, which MUST mean the plants turned out OK. I am personally more interested in the quality of the plants than the way the tubers look out of the package because I have some real stinkers in my yard. They grow tiny plants or give only 6-8 blooms that seem to take forever to bud and bloom and then don't last long if and when they do bloom.

Some of these stinkers came from Dan, some from Swan Isl. and some from Connells (RIP) and some store bought. I assumed I was doing something wrong in growing them but after several years of anemic blooms from the same now veteran tubers,I know it is the plant, not me.

That said, I have no idea how the grower would know whether the plant would be a winner or loser so I still don't blame the grower. (Except for the big beautiful plump tuber I got last year that NEVER grew and when I uprooted it, saw it had no eye on it at all. But boy the tuber should looked and still looks good!)I won't name the grower since it is on everybody's list from above.

I sure wish I could tell which were going to be hardy and which were going to be lean ahead of time though! It is SO aggravating to have a prime spot set aside in my yard and then NOTHING while I am out checking it daily for anything growing. Makes me feel like a kid hovering on the steps on Christmas Eve waiting for Santa...

I got my order from Lynch Creek today and the tubers were nice bigs ones with eyes already sprouting. The packing kinda surprised me though... they came individually packaged like you would see for sale in a store.

I have had a few tubers in the past from Swan Island that have not grown and they happily replaced them the next year but overall most everything I have grown has done well in my yard. I know some of the larger dahlias do not produce a lot of flowers. When purchasing the bigs ones I try to look for ones that say they are a heavy bloomer for their size.

To Davidinsf: I was generally asking not only about how the tubers looked, but how the plants turned out or whether they grew at all.

I disagree that the grower would have no idea whether their plants are going to be winners or losers.

They GROW them! They grow them from start to finish, so they certainly SHOULD know if the plants are of good quality, or if they bloom well, or if their flower colors are good or bad, etc. Why wouldnt they, unless we're talking about dahlia farms run by the blind!

I was happy with the plants I've gotten from most suppliers except Dans. The ones from Swan Island looked as good as the pictures in the catalog or better.

It DOES also come down to how well WE do our jobs growing them too! Look at Google images pictures of different varieties of dahlias. There are many there that look terrible! That might be mainly the fault of the person who bought and grew these tubers. If your soil is lousy, the ph is way off, you dont get enough sun, not enough moisture, or too much, etc. Not enough or too much nitrogen. Maybe that was the problem with your dahlias(?) Apparently too much Nitrogen at the wrong time, or not enough sun can prevent them from flowering well......

I have bought from Accent, Elkhorn,Cowlitz, Clack's and Jan's and don't recall ever getting a "bad" tuber. The one's that didn't grow were because of bad weather, cat's digging them up or "fertilizing" them or maybe something that I did wrong. I've been very pleased. The problems I have had have come from buying from sellers rather than the actual growers. A few years ago I received eight tubers out of eleven that were not what I ordered. The seller did offer a refund. I don't believe they have the necessary control over the product as a grower does. There is nothing more frustrating than waiting a couple months for a bloom only to find out it is not even close to what you thought you were getting. This is why I usually only order from the growers. A couple of times when I needed a replacement I have gone to Home Depot or Lowe's and bought a couple. The advantage there is that you can see through the bag and find any sprouts. Also since they sell clumps, it's sometimes possible to buy a bag of three and end up with 6-9 tuber divisions.

I have a question about how the tubers look. On all but part of one order, the tubers were smooth with most having buds or visible growth. A few tubers are very large and firm, with rough skin (pitted) and no visible eyes yet. I am worried that these are old and may not grow. What is a reasonable amount of time to wait before trying to replace them? All of the tubers that I stored are growing nicely, and all of this year's orders are starting - except for these few. Perhaps these are simply later varieties but would be interested hearing your thoughts.

I pre-start all my dahlias before planting so I know they are going to grow. Yes, it is a lot of extra work, but I like doing it! Our "warm" season is not very long here and in order to give the plants plenty of grow time to be ready to flower , I like to have them about 18" tall before planting in the garden. I do FINALLY have a greenhouse which helps to get them off to a good start, but if you have only a few then they can be started on a porch and covered up or taken inside when it is too cold for them. I played that game for many years before getting a plastic pop up greenhouse. That worked great and I had nice big dahlias that were used to the sunshine when they went out. Now I have a regular greenhouse and sell my extra tubers.

The other option is to let them "eye up" before planting but not pot them up. THat way you always know they are alive and healthy when they go in. Lay your tubers out on damp soil in the light and the eyes will get the message to start growing stems. You will see the little eye get bigger and then you know it is alive!

I have found Wynne's dahlias very slow to eye up and some haven't but the ones that have have been worth the trouble and waiting. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND prestarting these! SOme of mine grew so slow that they did not get around to blooming before frost last year.

Most curious thing I have found as I dug my dahlias this spring to divide them..the Candy Jane I planted last year that never grew had about 8 bud eyes coming off the collar , but no new tubers at all! Is seems to have just remained dormant for a whole year, and decided to grow now! It is now about 5" tall in its pot with abundant healthy foliage! Can't wait to see it bloom! (white cactus with red flecks!)

Keep learning. Never give up

This year I bought two of the Wynn dahlias, Farmer John and King Salmon. I potted them up a couple of weeks ago and I see Farmer John is already coming up. I hope these two don't take too long to bloom as I really want to see both of them. I also start all my dahlias in pots because I want them to have a head start and hopefully be blooming by mid July.

Lizalily, you will have to post pictures of Candy Jane. That was one dahlia that I wanted to get this year but didn't end up getting. I think it looks fabulous. I am going to the local dahlia society tuber sale next weekend. Maybe I will get lucky and find that one there.

Linda

I just realized why so few people responded to this post. There are a few people who buy so many tubers there only needs to be a couple of posters. LOL

Hi All,

I just received a nice batch from Alphadahlias.com. They even had a buy one get one free.

Peaches :)

Peaches have you grown dahlias from other growers and compared them with alphadahlias. I was just wondering if there was any difference with dahlias that have been grown in our climate zone. I came from Warren Pa. many years ago. You know the people who send you all that water every spring. I live out on Long Island now which is close to your climate zone.

I ordered from the usual suspects this year... Dahlia Barn, Corralitos Garden (had good luck last year, they come as plants, not tubers), and Swan Island for the first time. I also have bought from Costco (but none this year) and Home Depot for the first time this year. Every thing is doing amazingly well and have already sprouted in pots except for my Swan Island dahlias. It is strange. The Home Depot dahlia plants are huge. A few of my tubers that survived over winter are already up and out of the soil. I wasn't sure about a few and those have not sprouted, but had very visible eyes. Swan Island - Nada. It makes me so worried when this happens but to be honest they arrived with non visible eyes, only one out of seven had a tiny bump and the rest had nothing visible (but we're not experts...). Oh well, we'll just wait and see I guess.

After reading Red Hawk's preamble on their web site and seeing things like "short, mean and cranky and too da-n old to change. That's me. Did I mention that I was mean?", I was a little too intimidated to order. lol I certainly wouldn't ever ask for a refund. I'm sure (hope?) it was all in fun.

I agree their website is a little intimidating but I decided to order anyway and was plesantly surprised with the tubers. They even sent a bonus tuber. All the tubers I received were sprouting when I received them. They are now potted up and I see a couple of them sprouting thru the dirt. I was glad I didn't have a problem and didn't have to ask for a refund.

The few times when a Swan Island tuber hasn't sprouted I just call them and a new one arrives in 2 or 3 days time. By that time the one I was worried about has usually sprouted too. They are very nice to work with.

Since we're sort of debating/commenting here.

I've ordered from S.I. for several years and they ARE great to work with, though I never ask for replacements so I am pretty easy to work with also.

One of my issues though is their 'mailing' schedule. In my neck of the ocean, some 'early' blooming dahlias are already up and sprouting in Feb. and Mar. and I now even have my first BUD on an early blooming variety (Not sure if it's Patty Cake, Sheer Heaven or a different vendors tuber) and yet SI ships to my area in early April as a rule. I get the tubers with no eyes or sprouts and have no idea whether they will pan out or not until it is too late. One year, I ordered some summer 'sale' items and planted them in mid summer and though all sprouted, none of course bloomed. But that is one way I guess to tell if they are eyeless or not! But I always plant new tubers with trepidation because it will be mid to late June before I know I have a dud and far too late to get a replacement IF they even had the same plant.

I sent American Meadows a comment yesterday that I was disappointed their 'Color Therapy Mix' (Otto's Thrill, Kelvin Floodlight and Barbarrosa) arrived in one bag WITH NO IDENTIFYING labels at all. I told them now I will most likely have a red dahlia growing in my yellow section or a pink one in the red section (or all 3 in the wrong sections)and wondered if I am just an oddball for wanting certain dahlias to grow in their color coordinated spots! I told them I was surprised they didn't either single bag each or mark the tubers with a name (like SI) or numbers (like Dan et.al.)

I'm curious as to whether you guys agree with Highlander that growers SHOULD know which tubers are (possibly) going to be dubious growers or which are winners. I was surprised to see year over year in the SI catalog that they don't always have the same plants every year (think Patty Cake, which is no longer on their site) which leads me to believe they must have had issues with it. I assume they grow DOZENS of each plant so while they may limit sales, there is no way they should eliminate an item one year over the next. Regardless, I contend they most likely ASSUME every tuber will grow (since they'll replace any that don't) but not necessarily know for sure. Otherwise, why would some sort of 'survive' only and not flourish? And why would they eliminate any (unless it is just a slow seller) since by their own pics. of the farm, they have PLENTY of ground to plant in. (I guess I should ask them, huh?)

David

You are not alone in wanting certain colors to geather. It makes for a better display when I go out to look. As I get older I tend to be more aware of how things look.

I agree that American Meadows should label the tubers so that you know which tuber you have. I don't plant my tubers by color sections but I would still want to know which one I am planting so I can make sure its next to a complimentary color. Some colors just don't look good together. For instance, I wouldn't want to plant a light pink next to Show-N-Tell.

I think you should call Swan Island and see if you can get an earlier shipping date. I know some growers will ship them earlier if you request it.

As far as them not carrying the same variety year after year, I know they do discontinue some for various reasons such as not selling enough of them, and also in Dec of 2009 they had freezing weather before digging and still had quite a few in the ground that they were not able to dig. They dug a few of each type but did not have the quantities needed to sell those 30 varieties.

This year I ordered from Swan Island, Lynch Creek and Red Hawk and all the tubers I received in the mail were already sprouting except the ones from Swan Island. I have no idea if those will grow and you're right, by the time I find out if they are duds, I will have to wait until next year for a replacement. I will keep my fingers crossed that they all sprout.

Linda

The most upsetting thing for me,with all the mislabeled tubers I use to get, was unknowingly planting what turned out to be a 2 footer BEHIND some 3 and 4 footers. Only happened a few times but a "few" was way too many. I'll stick with the folks that actually grow them. Unc

Like Lizalily, I start all my dahlias indoors, so I can take cuttings of the ones I want more of, but also to make sure there are no blind ones.

Peaches - I had a very good experience with Alphadahlias too!

Dahlialove, we are in the same zone, but must be at opposite ends because I can't put mine in the ground yet and have never been able to leave them inground for the winter. My SI order arrived last week and are all growing indoors. They arrived with eyes showing or tiny sprouts. I put them in baggies with some damp potting soil (leaving the tips above the soil), and keep them indoors, under observation for a week or so to make sure they'll grow. Then I transfer into pots, keeping them on my deck and filling the pot as the tuber grows, till it's time to set them out.

Davidinsf, try requesting SI to ship early. I know a lot of places will, but won't guarantee survival if you live in a frigid area. If you start them inside, you will soon know if any are blind. I do all of mine early and indoors so they have a headstart when set out.

I would be upset too, if my tubers weren't identified. In fact, that alone would keep me from ordering from them again. I keep records and want to know what each is from the day it arrives. All the more important if you plant by color!!

I basically agree with Highlander. To be successful, growers would have to keep good records. I suspect if they get too many complaints about a variety, or if they have to replace too many of them, they will cut back or eliminate that one from their catalog. As Linda mentioned, an early frost could prevent them from offering even a successful variety...as could extreme wet conditions, diseases or other unforseen circumstances.

Addicted2dahlias - Sorry if I was confusing. When I said "survived over winter" I meant by storing them in our garage. And when I said they are "coming up through soil" I meant in their pots indoors.

Also, two of my Swan Island dahlias poked through the surface. Hopefully the rest will too. The Home Depot purchased tubers are out of control and almost a foot high a week after planting them indoors. I'm not quite sure their pots are large enough to last until we can plant outside here...

I always ask for the delivery date I need for Swan Island, I think it costs $5.00, but I'm happy to pay it to have them delivered when ever I choose. This year I've had 29 of 40 sprout in 10 days or less. Some dahlias do take longer than others to sprout - I guess that's where having "nerves of steel" comes in - though I've been known to lift them out of the pot carefully with my fingers to see if anything is happening or it it's time to order a replacement. Best of luck to all of us this year.

You people are going at this the wrong way. You must sing the Marine Corp hymm to your tubers. That way they know you are serious about them growing.

I always ask for a shipping date in mid March to early April when I order and mostly that is when I get them. I tried to add to an order to Swan Island last year and wasn't able to because it was already in the "shipping line up" in the sheds. This took about a week I think. They must ship an enormous amount of dahlias! I can see why they ask for extra money to ship early if they don't have their crew set up to pack them yet. Its worth it me.

I would think that, just due to the numbers they would take some of the older varieties out of their catalogs each year and add new ones or soon they would have a thousand different varieties and have to buy more and more land to grow them! (Wouldn't that catalog be fun!) I get all excited each year to see what new ones they have.

How many of the new ones did you get this year Liz?

I ordered so many older ones this year, just to fill in certain colors or replace long gone favorites from the past that I think I only ordered one of their last year new ones, Safari, (I am on an orange and red kick this year) I really like the pic of Flame Thrower...maybe next year when it is a few dollars less. I did get 2 each of Wyn's Ghostie and Wyn's Pink Pearl and I am excited about those.

I have been potting up dahlia tubers for my sale next weekend and I am Exhausted! Off to bed for this happy gardener.

Hi lizalily!! I know this is an old post but I'm looking for Wyns Pink Pearl and wondered where you got yours? On the big list the only place that list it wants to charge me for the sanitary certificate so I'd love to find a place in the states! Take care, Judy

I am not too crazy about Swan Islands dahlias. Last year I bought some dahlias from them and I did not receive them until May 1. I could not start them earlier indoors. As a result, the dahlias did not bloom until September. One dahlia, Awaikoe never sprouted. Ahoy Mateo and White Nettie were never rigorous. They gave me a few flowers for the whole season.

This post was edited by kousa on Mon, Feb 24, 14 at 17:32

I find I get my best results when I put out 12-18inch plants late May, started in March indoors. More than half the tubers I've put in the ground without being started tend to die or not bloom until frost. I'm in zone five.

Can't justifiably blame the vendor for poor cultivation techniques or cold wet ground that invites rot. All they have control over is sending a tuber with a viable eye, which the vast majority of vendors do.

I have Swan Island and another vendor sending tubers early March, and will be on the phone to make sure they are on the way.

If no sprouts in two weeks, these vendors will get another call to request replacements be sent out immediately so I can still have those varieties this year. Folks who don't request replacement tubers early will have to wait for next year to get replacements, as the vendors will have planted, sold or donated all their tubers by May-June.

I believe that one should be proactive with vendors, helping them help you, and not just becoming another address on another package. Vendors will go out of their way to assist fellow growers, especially if you reach out to them EARLY and ask.

When I see that a tuber did not grow, I seldom see an acknowledgement that the seller quite probably sent an extra tuber with the order. And whose fault is it that it did not grow? If a gopher ate it, should the seller replace it? Once a tuber is mailed the seller has no control over the storage and growing conditions. And nearly all sellers let you select shipping dates, if you remember to do so. As many people complain about getting the tubers too early in the season as complain about getting them too late.

One of the tuber Swan Island Dahlias sent me was bad. Because I planted all 6 tubers in the same location, if all of them did not sprout and rot, then yes, it would have been my fault. But if one out of the lot did not grow then they sent me a bad one. I dug the bad tuber up after planting it a month and the tuber was rotting. I did not complain to them because it was only one tuber and just not worth their tiime and money and cost to send me a replacement. However, after one season of growth, there were some poor performers. i just felt that their dahlias were not as rigorous as the ones I bought from my local garden center. Whereas I got a large clump of tubers from my local centers, I got one single tuber from Swan Dahlias at a higher price. As it was my first time ordering from SI, I was not aware that they had May as the appropriate shipping time for dahlias for my area. I wish they disclosed the month of shipping when I ordered, then I could request them to ship earlier. All they said that the dahlias would be shipped at the proper planting time for my area. This was just my experience. I am telling other newbies out there so they know what they would be getting and not be disappointed as I was with SI plants.

One of the posts above said that a grower stopped selling a variety and that they guessed that the reason was that variety is not a good one. That is not probably so. One large nursery will drop a variety not because it is bad but because that one is no longer selling well or they had too few tubers to sell. Or they are re-selecting the good stock. Once in awhile they drop a variety.

The ones you purchased at the local garden center are quite probably imported from Holland. They do not sell tubers but instead small clumps. There have been more negative posts about dahlias bought from garden centers who import from Holland than just about any other source. Most of the complaints are that the variety was not the one on the package along with a lot of complaints they did not grow. I saw at our local store that they have the Holland tuber clumps in stock now. This year, instead of selling them by variety name, they now are selling sets of tubers with a name for the set and you will have no idea what varieties you have bought. The pictures of the varieties are those of of the better varieties and one set had a picture of Vassio Meggos and Lady Darlene. Since there is not a list of varieties on the package, they could be just about anything and I seriously doubt that there any Vassio Meggos or Lady Darlenes in there.

Now when your Holland tuber clumps do not grow, do you dig them up and take them back to the store in the packaging that you probably threw away? And where is that receipt? With Swan Island and the other reputable sellers you have a phone number to call and they will make it right.

" I did not complain to them because it was only one tuber and just not worth their tiime and money and cost to send me a replacement. "

Au contraire, it would be worth many times the cost of one replacement tuber to them to make you a happy customer... You are warning newbies of how they will be dissatisfied of SI's product, and that may well equal to twenty times your original purchase price with them.

Being dependent on creating my own paycheck from my client base, I am well aware how negative comments can indirectly cost thousands in potential sales, and go WaY out of my way to 'make it right' with clients that feel slighted in any way, even when it wasn't technically my fault.

For me, it's well worth seeking out and patronizing companies that treat their customers right, because they are built upon their reputation, and not of sheer volume sales like the companies selling through big box companies and mail order catalogues.

Please don't feel put out by our comments, Kousa... Your presence on GardenWeb is great, and I enjoy seeing your posts. This is a conversation, with no animosity intended by anyone, that many future dahlia growers will read and judge vendors by.

One outstanding source that hasn't been mentioned are the tuber and plant sales at your local dahlia society. First these are top quality tubers locally grown and quite inexpensive. Beside all this the members at the sale are more than happy to give you growing hints. Check the ADS web site for locations and dates. Tell me where you live and i will get you society location and sale dates.

CC, you are right. I should have written to SI regarding the experience I had with their tubers. I should have given them a chance to set things right. Of the 6 tubers that I received, 3 were good performers and 3 were lousy growers. This percentage is rather poor and they should know.

I do want to emphasize that I was very happy with the 3 dahlias from SI that did grow well and gave me lots of blooms. If I do order from Swan Island again, I would request for an earlier ship date to start the tubers indoors, even if this costs $5 extra, Also, if anything fails, do not hesitate to contact them.

I would like to order from red hawks ..but I can't figure out what the shipping is? I saw a form last year said if you ordered their shears that it would be a 7 dollar shipping fee...free if you ordered 6 to 10 tubers...does that mean complete order is 7 dollars? or 7 dollars for every 10 tubers??? Thanks for any info...they don't want you to call or email so...I didn't know what to do..Help...they have great prices!!

Are you on their 2015 site?

http://redhawkdahlias.com

I didn't see any mention of shears this year... Got them a few years back and still use them lots. And you can email them... They just don't want you to call in or email an order, preferring it mailed in for bookkeeping reasons--first come, first serve. Very nice folks, great selection.

SHIPPING 1 to 5 tubers $9.00

6 to 15 tubers $11.00

16 to 30 tubers $14.00

31 to 50 tubers $17.00

Thanks so much for the info....no I wasn't at first, somehow I didn't see the 2015 list till I printed off the whole 2014 list and had an order ready but didn't see where they said how much their shipping was......sometimes company's will use the same list again..but they had some on there that said they would no longer carry certain ones. I don't know how I missed seeing the 2015 list and like you said no mention of shears on it when I found it. I still can't find shipping rates anywhere on their list or an email address??? I appreciate you answering me! Can you give me their email address so i can ask if they would still happen to have any of those shears left? Thank you sooo much for your help cicivacation (5/6) .

I don't want to post it here because it might change, and this thread is archived for future readers.... However, the email is on the main page if you scroll down a tad...

http://redhawkdahlias.com

It might be worth giving Mary a call and ask about the variety availabilities on your order, as she has already shipped in my colder zone, and may be sold out on them. This is late to be ordering.

Always include a good-sized substitution list on dahlia orders, regardless of the timing and of the vendor... It makes it easier on everyone, as even the best vendor growers have stock fail in storage or sell out early. They like to know what will make you happy, without having to hunt you down and ask. If you don't tell them what your wishes are if your choices are sold out, they will most likely guess.

Shipping rate is on their order form. Be sure to print it out and COPY your order before mailing. I forgot this year on a couple orders, and can't remember what is coming to me... Duh. Driving me crazy waiting for the last one!

Thanks once again for your help cicivacation !! I don't know why I wasn't seeing the shipping rate and email address at first..but went back and found it..even talked to the lady...the were very nice..and sent a substantial order. Wonderful prices! :)

The only dahlia supplier I have ordered from is SI. Last three years. This year my tubers were smaller and several had no visible growth I wonder if because I ordered later, the "good" tubers were already spoken for. I will try ordering earlier next year to see if my tubers are any larger. I realize that some are smaller by virtue of their variety, but these seemed skimpy. Two of them never did sprout. I dont pot them up until I see growth.

' I dont pot them up until I see growth.'

A combination of moisture and warmth is what wakes up a dormant tuber. Sprouting tubers are by definition NOT a dormant tuber, as there is active growth already going on.

Those tubers may well sprout still if you pot them up and allow them a month grace period before giving up on them. Letting skinny tubers sit on the bench until they sprout may dry them up past redemption.

Some giant variety take FOREVER to sprout, and just as the grower is ready to dump them in the compost, there's green poking up from the potting mix. Very frustrating, especially if one had intentions on making several cuttings for backup plants, but dormancy hung in there until it was too late.

Wow. What a read! I got into Dahlia three years ago. A good friend gifted me with a single cactus - pink that I have yet to identify. It's a strong plant with lovely blooms that also make great cuts. Because of how I grow my flowers, this dahlia in particular will yield an incredibly quantity of useful tubers for the next year. Of course, I share what I can and my friends fall in love with growing dahlias because of their success in growing this particular cultivar. Sorry, my intro went on for days.

Given that I reside in SE Portland, I have come to rely upon Swan Island [Canby, OR] and Old House Dahlias [SE Portland]. This years crop came entirely from Old House Dahlia. I am very pleased by the quality and performance. However, several cultivars have been slow in growing, notably Lindy, Tanjoh, and Fascination. The blooming is delayed, too. Aside from the pink, my planting of Shea's Rainbow has been the showstopper of the season. Relying on the Aer. Dahlia Society's classification index, Shea's Rainbow is BB/IC/V [meaning, Small flowered [4-6"]/Incursive Cactus/Variegated coloring. Checkers [M/FD/BI] comes in a close second. Although, I have discovered this cv. to be less stable in terms of bloom bi-coloration reverting possibly to one the parent colors?

Can this list be updated? Some of the suppliers mentioned no longer sell dahlias.

"Can this list be updated?" What do you have in mind? The structure of this forum is pretty set, but I'm sure if you have questions about a certain vendor, members will pipe up and comment.

As of this writing, www.dahliaaddict.com is by far the best and most comprehensive list out there of dahlia vendors. The owner just recently added a rating system to the vendor names, and folks are starting to comment on their experiences.