Rhodophiala bifida has a spathe up. Nearby grows Amaryllis belladonna: its fist sized bulb sticks out of the ground and is rock hard, but there is no sign of activity. Acis (Leucojum) autumnale is blooming in some local gardens, but not yet in mine. And the first colchicums are up. Last year I purchased two potted dahlias being sold as bedding plants. They are representatives of a series named ‘Mystic’ dahlias, and (I’ve since learned – isn’t Google great!) were raised in New Zealand by one Dr. Keith Hammet I’m not a dahlia enthusiast, but these plants are a bit different and caught my eye. They have very dark, finely divided foliage and single flowers. Last year I grew them in pots, but this year they are in the ground. They are about three or four feet tall and the contrast between the bright flowers and the dark foliage is very nice. The one named ‘Mystic Desire’ has intense orange-red flowers and the one named ‘Mystic Illusion’ has yellow flowers with a dark center. I didn’t plant these until the last week of June, and they are just coming into their prime. These are a very handsome addition to the late summer border. Is anyone else growing these? I noticed the there is a seed strain called ‘Bishop’s Children’ which might be somewhat similar to these ‘Mystic’ dahlias. Does anyone know or grow it? Jim McKenney jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, 39.03871º North, 77.09829º West, USDA zone 7 My Virtual Maryland Garden http://www.jimmckenney.com/ BLOG! http://mcwort.blogspot.com/ Webmaster Potomac Valley Chapter, NARGS Editor PVC Bulletin http://www.pvcnargs.org/ Webmaster Potomac Lily Society http://www.potomaclilysociety.org/