I've had the hardest time maintaining the freshness of my cut dinnerplate dahlia blooms, especially the ones with the thicker stems. Even the use of hot water hasn't helped much. My last Zorro bloom (only had 2 b/c planted late) this season was knocked down by a violent storm a week ago. It was barely half way open. As I picked it off the ground and walked back in the house, cursing in all 3 languages I know, I remembered a post misslucinda put about using clorox, aspirin/sugar to maintain cut flowers. Also, poochella said something about putting pin pricks on the thicker stems to help the blooms stay fresh longer. I tried that on my last Zorro bloom and it's kept opening this week in the vase. Today is day 6 and it's still looking pretty darn good. Thanks for your great tips! To those of you who've grown dahlias for years, these things may be no big deal to you. To those of us who are still learning, it is a blessing to acquire any new knowledge. Everything learned is something we wish we only knew the year before. So, thankyou for sharing your wisdom and experience!

Tracy