TAPIOCA

The tuber looked great upon arrival. First order with Swan Island and 3 out of 7 tubers ordered have not performed well (one died, one is so stunted that the growth is only 4", one "wild cultivar" tuber is stunted with weak looking leaves). Tapioca did not sprout growth at all and when I dug it up, it had begun to rot inside. I also ordered dahlia tubers for the first time with a different company and all of them are currently flourishing with abundant flowers and strong plants. I mixed the plantings of all the tubers, so the Swan Island Dahlias are growing in the same plots as the flourishing other company dahlias. Swan Island is replacing one of the 3 tubers next season, so I shall see next year how Tapioca grows. As a note of FYI: the "guarantee" is only up to a certain date to turn in photos of the tubers in question. I only turned in one by that date because I did see some growth on the other two that didn't perform well, but with more time, thinking they would catch up after sprouting, the date to turn in photos had passed. So if you have a colder zone or chilly season with slower growth, you may be out of luck with some of Swan Island's dahlia tubers' warranty. I spent over $80 on this order for the season. I spent a total of less than half that with the other company with 100% abundant success. I may be an anomaly in the statistics of buyers here, but wanted to at least post my experience.

I was surprised at how this beautiful cream colored bloom became my favorite. It pairs well with and adds contrast to warm and cool colors. Great vase life and photographs beautifully as well. Consistent, beautiful blooms!

I may have had a late start last year growing this one. I’m in a 5b/6a growing area. But, I had my first flowers from this dahlia in August before any of my other varieties. After a couple weeks of healthy blooms, my plant started to look like it had powdery mildew, though probably something different as none of my other dahlias had any issues. The tubers survived, and I have a few that look like they may produce another year. This variety has very beautiful white waterlily shaped flowers with the softest yellow-green center, so I’m hoping to get more flowers this year and keep a healthier plant. The pictures here don’t do this one justice. I wish I could attach some photos. It’s a really lovely flower with smaller 3 to 4 inch blooms.

Beautiful soft yellow blooms that pair well with many colors.