The blooms are finally starting to open - very exciting! My first bloomers are either Iceberg or Snowbound (I can't seem to find my notes). I have a few questions about the blooming process.

-How long does it take the bloom to fully open? Will I know when it's "done" and suitable for cutting? What happens if I cut before it's opened all the way? Will it continue in a vase? It still looks like there are a good amount of unopened petals in the middle.

-I'm worried the blooms don't have enough space to open. They seem rather crowded by the other stems. Will this prevent them from blooming correctly? And what can I do about it?

Thanks for your help - I'll try and post some photos later tonight.

Here's one that escaped crowding

And my Swan's Olympic Flame opened, too. Yippee!

Short stems can be a problem. I had that problem last year with my Purple Taiheijo (which is sister to Iceberg btw.)

You can disbranch, or if you have buds above the blooming flowers (which you appear to) simply go ahead and remove the bloomed flowers for your vase.

It can take a week or more for a bloom to fully open, especially the AAs. I recently had a 4" bloom that took >2 weeks to open fully.

I don't have a lot of cutting experience for vases, but I cut them when they look nice...who cares if that's 50% open or 100%.

Mine did not continue to open after I cut them. YMMV.

Congrats on growing such beautiful Dahlias!

Cheers,
Russ