The American Dahlia Association (ADA) currently recognizes 42 species of dahlias. Although dahlias grow better in some regions of the United State than in others, the plants are beloved by fervent gardeners and dabblers alike due to their range of forms and colors and long blooming season. Yet, some aspects of dahlias will keep even the most ardent of green-thumbers from embracing them. The Dirt Diaries author, Lynn Hunt, who is also an accredited horticultural judge and consulting rosarian emeritus for the American Rose Society, decided to try her hand at dahlias six years ago when she moved from Maryland to Sapphire, N.C. “I discovered the head-turning beauty of dahlias,” said Hunt, “… what a delicious addition to the landscape they are, with colors in every shade but blue and blooms as small as a pincushion or as big as a dinner plate.” Dahlias fill vases from late spring/early summer …