My first year of *really* growing dahlias in my beds has been a learning experience. From pests to watering to starting them indoors, I've learned a bunch this growing season that I can apply next year. I'm also learning about their bloom-time. I last posted a photo of the Melina Fleur dahlias in our front porch bed two weeks ago - mid-September - when the plants were full of blooms . Fast forward to today, the first of October, and they're (surprisingly...) EVEN MORE FULL TODAY. Below are a few photos showing some of the dahlias (Melina Fleur, Orange Nugget, and something that was billed as Cornell Bronze, but is a purple pompon one) in our front porch bed and sideyard. Before we go to the photos, I have to say...it is pretty fun to have something like these to enjoy on October First. First up is Melina Fleur in front of our porch: Around the southside of our house are more Melina Fleur Dahlias. This plant is NOT staked: Furth...