Dahlias are back in fashion!  In milder areas they are also surviving the winters without the tubers being lifted and stored. The huge blousey blooms in a kaleidoscope of available colours are the stalwarts of village garden shows - and a popular hidey hole of insects, particularly earwigs.  The multi-petalled varieties don't offer pollenn and nectar to pollinators but the open faced varieties are loved by bumblebees right into the autumn.  Any of the 'Bishops of' varieties are brilliant, as are the open faced dwarf varities that are perfect for pots and small spaces