For all the flowers I’ve grown in my gardens over the years, dahlias have not been among them. Too frilly, too fussy, I always thought.  Most annuals, in fact, are not my cup of tea. I prefer perennials that grow in the ground and return year after year, with little effort on my part and still lots of reward.

But these beauties I saw last week at my monthly garden club meeting inspired me to reconsider. The dinner plate dahlias were almost six feet high, growing amid sunflowers and tomatoes, similarly leggy types. As I stared up at them I couldn’t help but think they didn’t look fussy at all, only fabulous. So maybe next year, I will have to grow some of my own.