This is much appreciated info. Nothing like personal experience to weigh one's decisions for next year.

I concur on Chilson's Pride and Raz Ma Taz- very hearty bloomers. I am suprised on your Cornel which is just a blockbuster here in terms of blooms, stems, and quality. Crossfield Ebony will be started early next year as it was late to the party but I loved the color.

I had excellent results with Cornel. I bought the tuber from Swan Island Dahlia also.

I posted some of my pictures in the galleries. Had excellent results except for Blue Bayou. When I went to dig it up there were no tubers. I had flowers all summer long.

I third the vote for Chilson's. What a bloom machine! I wish my 'Wheels' was half as productive.

Chilsons Pride  early and constant bloom, medium stems, verrrrry productive. Couldn't fill vases fast enough to keep up with it. Lovely too - and I'm sooo not a pink person!

Chilsons Pride is probably the best cut flower of all time. Nearly everybody who sells cut flower dahlias has grown it. In some years, it has been the top selling dahlia at Swan Island Dahlias. There is a very interesting story about how it came to be named Chilson's Pride even though it was bred by Nick Gitts of Swan Island Dahlias. It seems that Carl Chilson(a commercial dahlia grower in Washington State) was visiting Swan Island Dahlias and he spotted a bright pink seedling in the seedling patch. He pointed it out to Nick Gitts and Nick said "if you want that one you can have it, we have plenty of pink dahlias." Thus Mr. Chilson released Chilson's Pride and Swan Island eventually acquired it to sell also. Sort of like the big fish that got away.

I had Blue Bayou two seasons. The first was spectacular and the second was horrible. Flowers but not fully developed and drooping. Weak stems.