Dahlias are not hardy in this zone. Unfortunately, we have to dig them in the fall.
Be thankful that you don't have to dig and store 2 acres of those beauties...........

flowerfarmer that would be a job. i have about and 1/8th of an acre and i'm not really looking forward to it. :o)But yes you WILL have to dig them up or they will die.

I have always been confused about their hardiness. We planted 6 dahlias the first year we moved into our house 14 years ago, and have never once removed them or protected them and they re-emerge in the spring and flower all summer long. They get bigger and bigger each year.

Lucky you Cliff98. They must be in a protected spot. Hope you didn't just jinx yourself though.

Flowerfarmer I am so sick of dahlia tubers by December, and of being cold and wet, that I wonder why I bother. This time of year I'm like a kid anticipating a birthday gift.
I cannot imagine two acres of digging- hope you have lots of help.

Cliff, you would marvel at the clump of tubers you must have underground by now. Are they by a building, or dryer vent? I have left some in our ground Zone 7 but wet, wet, wet and not uncommon for a freezing spell in the winter. I protect them with plenty of straw/fern fronds, leaves or such and they come back too.

South side of the house about 3 feet from the foundation. Our house is complete brick and it does radiate quite a bit of heat. I have cannas and elephant ears come back each year too. Most people I know in Cincinnati don't dig their cannas up, atleast the ones near their houses.

So that means from all of your comments I can give it a shot for one tuber and see if it comes back for me. If it does then from next year I will try that. Does it sound okay?
Thank you all for your comments.
Cheers 8^)

This dahlia is supposetly hardy for zone 6

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.oldhousegardens.com/bigFlwr.asp?Cat=MrsIDeVerWarner

I leave my dahlias in the ground. I cover the stems with heavy duty foil so rain cannot get in, then mulch them with grass clippings. so far I haven't lost any.After 2 years you should dig them or the clumps get so big I can hardly lift them out of the ground.

Thanks, I will experiment with the foil.

I have one dahlia that I never dug up that comes back every year... My lucky dahlia!

I am wondering how this all worked out!!!

I have 3 kinds of dahlias which are all planted pretty deeply in upstate NY where it can get down to 0F during the coldest part of winter, except these extremes almost always correlate with having a few inches of snow cover. I do mulch them over in the fall, but they seem to come back every single spring with no problems.

I really don't understand why they are rated for zone 8 when they grow up here in zone 6 so easily. I mean they just come back stronger each year with more tubers no matter how harsh the winter is no matter where I plant them.

I always lift and store my dahlias - zone 5b, but accidentally left a couple in my sister's raised bed in downtown Hamilton - zone 6b. Last Winter in Southern Ontario was quite harsh, but both clumps of tubers had lovely new sprouts by June 11. I may leave some in the ground at her place and mine next winter - to see what happens.

I love dahlias but I am lazy. I always plant one tuber at 8-10” and they come back every year! Zone 6.

I dug up my dahlia’s, cleaned them and then store them as recommended, only to find they had shriveled and died off by spring. Need to buy more dahlia’s they are such beauties

I agree what others have said.  Dahlias could be hardy to zone 6, but by nature, they are not.  HOWEVER, I'm in zone 6b, and my neighbors have Cannas on the south side of their house in full sun, and they  come back every year.  Cannas are perennial that are supposed to be annuals in zone 6.  I have the same experience with Lantanas, (another zone 8+ plant), on the south side of my house.  So, if you're lazy and don't want to dig up the tubbers and store them in saw dust each year, you may want to try planting them on the south side of a structure that receives full sun.

Very long drawn out winters here in zone 3, though surprisingly enough had a dahlia manage through next to the foundation.