Justafewdahlias Apologies for commenting on a month old topic (giving growers opportunity to evaluate dahlias as cut flowers) but this is similar to what the ASCFG (association of specialty cut flower growers) does with their trials. They have a bunch of growers grow the plants and report back and publish the results.
https://www.ascfg.org/wp-content/uploads/2021-ASCFG-Perennial-Trial-Report.pdf
It seems many of the newer dahlias seem are bred for social media and the "unicorn" tuber biz. Once the bloom is off the rose, pun intended, and the tubers can no longer fetch $35 we can see that the flower itself isn't that spectacular unless photographed in a particular light during one particular week of the year.
It's all psychological.
I don't want to harsh on specific dahlias but there are a few I just *had to have but couldn't get, $$$ tubers failed, weakly rooted cuttings rotted en route. Now that they are more widely available I see they aren't that amazing after all, the form looks sloppy, people say they are blah growers, they are inconsistent. Now I no longer want them. It was just the rarity and cost that made them attractive to my stupid animal brain. AKA the Veblen Effect.
