Members of the dahlia society here generally use a 7 or 8 foot length of
rebar - some kinds are painted green. They don't need to be set until the
sprouting tubers go into the ground, and if you want to be a little daring,
you can even wait until the sprouts are above the ground, and hope not to
spear the tuber with the end of the rebar. Of course, the rebar needs to be
pounded strongly into the ground. Well-grown dahlias have "trunks" not
stems, and they carry a tremendous amount of water weight - besides the
weight of the blooms when they finally come.
"Vox Humana" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
oups.com...
We just removed some huge trees from our front yard, which now makes it
the biggest, sunniest spot on our small suburban property. I've always
wanted to grow an assortment of dahlias, and now I have the room.
However, I know that dahlias need to be supported, and I'm afraid the
supports (tomato cages or bailing wire supports, for example) would be
too unsightly for a front yard in suburbia. Any advice on how to grow
dahlias in the front yard and not annoy the neighbors?

-Fleemo


Issues of the neighbors aside, I can tell you from experience that tomato
cages are inadequate for supporting dahlias. This year I got metal fence
posts from the farm supply (you can get them at HD or Lowe's) and used
them.
They come painted green with a white top. I sprayed the top green and
they
blended into the landscape fairly well. You need something that is strong
and about 6 feet high for dahlias. Here are some pictures:
http://groups.msn.com/laurelridgegar...to&PhotoID=713

http://groups.msn.com/laurelridgegar...to&PhotoID=717