For me it is important to get salable dahlias starting in mid-May to supply the demand for June weddings. There are many varieties that are well-formed later in theSummer but do not have fully-double blooms in mid-May (without supplemental lighting). Any form of dahlia is susceptible to poor form early in the season but, anecdotally, I have always had a problem getting well-formed Ball dahlias early in the year. In the old days, Kenora Fireball was one of my favorite dahlias but, because of relatively short daylength at my latitude (San Diego), I could only get salable blooms for about 2 months in late Summer (a time when blooms are less in demand). For some reason, I don't have the same problem with Miniature Balls.
Clearview Peachy is my latest Ball to show this trait. It doesn't have fully-double blooms in early June but at this stage they are still salable (nice stems, vase life, and preferred color). I predict this variety will have great form in about a month:
