DAHLIA: The word dahlia means "plant with tube- like stems”. With a blast of different colors, shapes and sizes, Dahlias bring life and beauty back to your landscape in late summer and into the fall months. The diversity of Dahlias allow you to use them in many different aspects of your landscape design, from low growing border plants to stately background plantings which may reach six feet in height. Dahlias make excellent cut flowers, which typically last about a week in the house. Babette Giant Ball Dahlia: Deep wine-colored, 4-5” ball-shaped flowers These true Ball Dahlias were exhibited fro the first time at the National Dahlia Exhibit in Holland. Its hybridizer, H. A. Van Eeuwijk, developed 12 new cultivars; all of which produce very large, are very uniform in height and flower shape and have strong, when freshly cut. All varieties grow up to 40 inches tall, and due to their strong stems, can handle quite a bit of wind. Originating from Mexico and Guatemala, Dahlias were the flowers of Inca kings and despite their royal origins Dahlias are among the easiest plants to grow in the garden. They are a wonderful source of cut flowers and will provide a veritable cornucopia of colorful blooms for your bouquets from mid summer until the first hard frost in the late fall. Dahlias are hardy in zones 8 -10. Dahlias are susceptible to cold so be careful not to plant them too early and be sure to dig them up and store them in a frost-free place before old Jack Frost comes calling if you are planting them in a cooler zone! Your new Dahlias tubers can be stored in the refrigerator until planting time or get a head start on spring and start them indoors in a sunny window.