36-40" tall. 'Thomas Edison' Dinnerplate Dahlia has huge 8" diameter deep purple flowers and starts blooming in mid-summer when planted in late spring. Dahlias love lots of heat and sun and enjoy a compost-enriched, well-drained garden loam for best performance. Easy-to-grow, Dahlias are a non-stop source of summer cut flowers. Protect them in windy areas by staking. Cold hardy in zones 8-10; in colder zones lift the bulbs in fall and store in a cool place over the winter. Hybridized from plants native to Central and South America.