They bloomed!

In early Spring, my great aunt Lona sent me some Dahlia tubers from her beautiful garden in Seattle. I planted them inside and helped them grow until it was time to put them outside. They had grown really tall, but really skinny inside and so when I transported them outside, they basically keeled over and looked dead. I tried supporting them with a metal rod, but after a few days it seemed that all was lost. Then I ignored them. A funny thing happened, slowly they started growing. Before long it was a bushy green plant, however there was no sign of any flowers.
Fast forward to now... October. I have long since let my other flowers die in anticipation of cold weather (and because I am tired of watering them). I am checking the side gate one day and notice something. Could it be? Yes a dahlia, just about to bloom, with another one close by getting ready as well. I watched that flower for days. Finally it bloomed and the reward is beautiful! I guess dahlia's like to be ignored. (I am sure there is some real world analogy that would fit beautifully here, but I am too tired and pregnant to think of one right now)