That looks like a flower an artist would paint. I put mine that you gave me in a pot and it isn't as tall but it is pretty.

I mistakenly thought that it was Sunny who posted because she has one dahlia that she showed me and gave me the tuber for the beautiful white one above. I wish I had the know how to keep dahlias and caladiums through the winter without rotting. I got one of those boxes of caladiums at Sam's. They are in a galvanized tub and got no care. No bugs ate holes in the leaves and they are as colorful as flowers. Most flowers don't bloom as long as the colorful leaves have been showy.

Helen I kept one out in the open away from the shelter of the foundation for several years by piling straw and leaves over it and then a bushel basket weighted down to keep the straw in place.

I am lucky if I get them in the ground once; no way I could every dig them up in the fall.

The pure white one is a beauty. I may order some more next spring to put next to the south foundation.

Helen, the white one turned out great. My old pink dahlia in the sun perinneal bed has been there for six years. I let the leaves pile up in that bed in the fall (it's mulched all summer). It's over my head on a trellis now and the stem diameter is huge. It must like compost A LOT!

Pile the leaves on your white one (not oak leaves) and it will probably come through. Thanks for the photo.
Sunny

I thought I replied to this post but don't see anything so maybe I never submitted it.
Your Dahlia is a very pretty color Glenda! Looks like the flowers are big also.
I didn't remember to dig or cover my dahlias last year. One of the small-flowered ones returned out of nine. Ace had three packs on clearance for 50 cents so I hadn't invested much but seeing that one return makes me think they might have all come back if I had remembered to mulch them. I planted three that had larger flowers and one of those returned but hasn't bloomed yet - maybe not enough sun.
Helen your white dahlia is pretty too and WOW your caladiums look great. I've only tried once to winter those things over and failed.

Christie good to see you posting. I am sorry you have had illness in your family. Gardens go to weeds quickly. I work in my yard a lot. I decided yesterday that my problem was moving on to other interests and letting gardens I had started years ago grow up in vines. Some parts of my yard would be better if I removed ornamentals and turned them back to "lawn" or at least mowed weeds. I had a daylily bed that became too shaded by a river birch. I started day lilies somewhere else but the original bed is now ugly and I have no interest in it. It is too hot though to work on it. I can only stay out a short time and I get too hot.

Here's a photo of my 6-y/o dahlia that I never dig up in the fall. The open blooms are as large as my hand and the lower stem is three fingers wide.
Sunny