Dahlias need sun and well-drained soil to thrive, but once they get it, they'll reward you with weeks of cutting flowers in nearly every color except blue. Plant these 4-inch starts after our last frost date and watch them bulk up fast.

Stake them early if you're after tall stems for bouquets, or pinch them back for bushier plants with more blooms at eye level. Either way, the more you cut, the more they produce.