| You can grow breathtaking dahlias from seed and enjoy them year after year. This very tall blend of eye-popping colors is especially suited for the back of the garden, and the long, sturdy stems make it great for cut flowers. Blooms appear about 90 days from sowing, so that you can enjoy beautiful blooms come summer. Perennial in USDA zones 7–10; in colder climates, at season's end, tubers can be lifted and stored indoors over winter. Attracts butterflies and other pollinators. Use the edible, mild-flavored petals to garnish salads, desserts, and drinks. (The flower's central disk, while edible, can be bitter.) Dahlia pinnata tubers are edible, with a flavor somewhat similar to raw jicama. The taste of the crisp, juicy tubers is bland to mildly sweet. |