Dahlia alternative...?

I don't know if ours are much different. The ones on my order are called, "Unwin Dwarf " and look to be all sorts of brilliant colours. The catalogue is from the Halifax Seed company.

A foot apart. I'll mKe note of that. Thank you!

 

Oh heck no - I won't be planting them any time before then! Mid to late March was what I was thinking.
Thanks for tip re potting on. May try that too, for the ones I'll be putting in a flower bed, but most of mine will be in pots so I can move them around to where I want them if I need to.

 

@DMM @CanadianLori et al

Bit surprised that we have never taken any photos of the Dahlias over the past few years.

Might be interesting to take some this year and compare notes of all our efforts and see who has the most success.

 

Great idea ...... let's do it!!

 

Just ordered some of those little Bambino Dahlia seeds from Mr. Fothergills along with most of our other new year seeds.
Still not found a good alternative to the Dahlias, but ordered some of these Zinnias.
Not a plant we have ever grown but seem very closely related to the Dahlias.
Be interesting to see if they look as good as the picture ...?

 

My Bambino & Figaro seeds arrived yesterday. All ready for March.
Those Zinnia look lovely - hopefully you'll remember to let us know how you get on with them later in the year.

 

I grow Zinnias every year and love then, both the tall and short varieties. I do a mix of starting seeds off under cover and direct sowing some a month later.

They are prone to powdery mildew, so allow room for air circulation and grow in full sunshine.