“Dahlias have a life force of their own. They are the gift that keeps on giving.”
William Li
Grow what you love and your garden will flourish. There is no single garden that is right for everyone, but I have always loved flowers. They bring me so much joy. I love planting them and filling my house with bouquet after bouquet. This is how I fell in love with dahlias. I started with a few tubers that I picked up from Home Depot, but now I find myself growing more each year.
Dahlias are less fussy than roses and perfect for small gardens. I love them because they defy the small garden dilemma- should pick and share the flowers or leave them in the garden? Dahlias allow you to do both. They create a three month bonanza of summer blooms and their abundance only increases as you cut them. So I don’t feel bad about picking my flowers. Their dazzling petals and outrageous colors make gorgeous arrangements.
My summer flower garden plans begin in late December and January as I begin to order my dahlia tubers for the coming year. I love looking at all the different possibilities as I narrow down my selections for the coming year. Reading through the catalogs and online listings is like being a kid with the big Christmas toy catalog. It’s fun to scroll through Instagram posts of other gardener’s favorites, because I have yet to find another flower with such an enthusiastic fan base.
When I am outside gardening in the summer people often stop to ask about my flowers which makes me happy. I love talking to other gardeners. Dahlias do indeed have a certain “life force” about them. Because their beauty causes us to stop for a moment and ponder the wonder of nature.
Like any gardener I have perennial favorites that I grow every year, but I always like to try out a few new varieties too. As I am writing this post it is a frosty 9 degrees outside, however the thought of summer dahlia season warms my heart.
Here are a few of my all time favorite dahlias that made my ordering list:
Milena Fleur
These salmon pink beauties are the sturdiest and most abundant bloomers that I have ever grown. They have medium sized flowers with strong stems. I love their slightly shorter growth habit. It makes them the perfect variety to layer in front of other larger dinner plate dahlias. Their compact size would also work well in a large pot or container.
American Beauty
The name says it all. This dahlia has the most beautiful deep coral color with fuchsia tipped petals and dark purple stems. Their color and abundant blooms make them the star of any floral arrangement. They are a more compact variety so I love to plant them in front of larger dinner plate dahlias like Le Barons or Thomas Edisons.
Le Baron
Le Baron Dahlias were one of the first dinner plate varieties that I tried and I have planted them every year since. Their huge magenta blooms and bright green foliage pair well with the coral color of the American Beauties.
Thomas Edison
These flowers have large purple blooms with deep purple stems. They are an older American variety that are well loved because they tend to be sturdier than other larger dinner plate varieties. They love full sun and are a more heat tolerant variety.
Lilac Time
These English heirlooms dahlias have blueish lavender color with deep purple stems. Their large blooms and ruffled edges make these dahlias stunning. Their big blooms need some some support or staking, but they are well worth the effort because they are outstanding bloomers.
Lavender Perfection
This vintage dinner plate dahlia has a soft pinkish purple color with long elegant petals. Its large flowers are so spectacular that just one lavender perfection in a vase makes a beautiful arrangement. Their large blooms require a careful staking or a garden hoop support system. However, they have a lovely cottage garden feel to them.
Tips for Growing Dahlias
- First know your garden zone. Most dahlias do not like extreme humidity and heat so if you live in a tropical zone you may need to protect them from too much rain and grow more heat tolerant varieties.
- Second, if you want more flowers and sturdier stems then you need to pinch back the center stalk as the plant begins to grow. You can do this when your plant is a foot or so tall and has at least four sets of leaves on the center stalk. You want to cut the center bud off leaving 3 to 4 sets of leaves on the bottom. This will encourage the plant to send out twice as many branches and give you more flowers into the fall.
- Third, large decorative dahlias need support, so the plants don’t break in the wind or from the weight of the blooms. I have found that garden hoops work well if you have a small planting area. If you have a lot of plants, you can stake the perimeter area and use soft garden twine to create a support structure. The key is to not damage the roots with the stakes and allow for some supported movement of the plant.
- Fourth, you want to protect dahlias from Japanese beetles. These beetles are the nemesis of any dahlia gardener. They can devourer dahlia flowers at an astonishingly fast pace, but there is a simple solution. Spray the plants with Japanese beetle spray. It is better for the flowers if you spray them early in the morning or in the evening when it is cooler.
- Finally, now is the time to order dahlia tubers for spring shipment. Most bulb and seed companies open dahlia sales in December and the most popular varieties can sell out quickly. So plan now for a gorgeous summer garden!
If you are a dahlia enthusiast too then I highly recommend reading Floret Farm’s Discovering Dahlias by Erin Benzakein. It is an excellent resource with great pictures and in depth explanations. This book covers everything you need on how to grow and even cultivate your own varieties of dahlias.
Dahlias are a gift to the garden because they produce an abundance of beautiful flowers. There are so many colors and varieties to love. Once you grow them it’s hard to imagine a summer garden without them.
