The final cactus dahlia bloom, appearing like a ghostly captive in the Korean forsythia as I prepare to cut down the plant and store the tuber overwinter. In the hope that this will not be the very last look of this Japanese ‘messenger of the moon’ – Tsuki-ytori-no-shisha’.
PoetryPix 
All the best with it, Laura.
thank you – fingers crossed
That’s a great shot, Laura ❤
~David
many thanks David – it has a certain pathos that caught my eye
Aren’t you supposed to wait until the first frost blackens dahlias before digging them up and storing the tubers? Not that I am a dahlia expert, and we rarely have frost here.
I like to do it just before the frosts – these are potted so first I cut them two thirds down and wait for the bite! We had temps of 2C last week so ground frosts are not far off here
I have some dwarf ones, also in pots, which are just beginning to blacken. I’m not sure whether to bother keeping the tubers this winter as they barely flowered this year.
I’ve heard others complain of the lack of dahlia flowering – overall my ‘yearlings’ did better in the ground than in pots. Right weather and watering is half the battle especially for potted ones. If the tubers look healthy and a good size it might be worth keeping and storing for next year.