Frances Palmer is a well-known potter, a passionate gardener, and a lover of dahlias. She's also a member of GARDEN DESIGN's design board and when she offered to write about how to grow dahlias, we were so excited to be able to feature her garden and advice. I had a chance to see Palmer speak at a Wave Hill talk, "My Life in a Conneticut Garden," earlier this year, and I was absolutely charmed by Palmer's knowledge and enthusiasm for dahlias.
In this slide show, Palmer shows how to plant dahlias (May is a good time to plant these tubers), her own magnificent dahlia garden in bloom, as well as a few of her own vases with dahlias cut from her gardens. She also suggests her favorite mail-order sources for dahlias. Palmer is happy to answer any questions about growing dahlias, so please feel free to leave your questions in the comments.—Claire Lui
