Just because I get so awe-struck every year when this Dahlia, cultivar ‘Contraste’, begins to bloom in my very own garden, I thought I’d share with everyone what this particular Dahlia looks like. I am always glad to see the new little buds pushing up from the ground in Spring, letting me know it made it through the winter.

I admit, I don’t dig up the tubers and divide them and then store them in the Fall like Dahlia aficionados would do. But I’ve never lost one of my Dahlia plants (I’ve got two other varieties) by leaving them in the ground. Maybe it’s because I’m in planting zone 6B and our winters aren’t as brutal as the more northern states.

Click here “planting zone maps” to find your particular zone if you don’t know it.

Purple does happen to be my favorite color, so the deep purpley-maroonish color of this flower certainly helps it inch on up to the top of my “most favorite flowers” list!

The Dahlia in this photo measures 6-inches wide! It brings a smile to my face every time I see it and I marvel at what God can create.