Top 5 Favorite Dahlias

You either love dahlias, or you hate them…and I love dahlias! They are a ton of work and always a learning experience but they are definitely a garden workhorse and something I’ll continue to grow.

Dahlias come in a variety of shapes and colors, it’s hard to know what you need or want. One piece of advise I started doing this year, that has helped me identify gaps in my offerings, is to take pictures of each variety, then take pictures of all of your same color dahlias together (meaning - take a picture of all the yellow dahlias you have together so you can see if there is anything missing). This has helped me really see what additional dahlias I need to add to my collection.

There are so many varieties though, and it’s easy to get carried away with wanting to grow all of them. I have found that starting with just a few is the way to go, then expand and add a few varieties each year as you find gaps in what you offer. My mother and I started our collection 4 years ago and quickly learned what we liked vs. didn’t like. Here are my top 5 dahlias that I love, and maybe you’ll love!

Cornel Bronze

This is a great variety for anyone who is just starting out. It’s a great producer, it’ll bloom mid-summer through the first frost and you’ll get a ton of blooms. It’s a fun, bronzy color but it truly blends with any other color of flowers you are pairing it with. You can also get the Cornel variety which is a similar shape but in an awesome red color.

Merlot

Crazy is all I can say…in terms of crazy good! Merlot is one of those dahlias that produces a ton of blooms AND produces a ton of tubers. It’s a deeper red color but the stems are long and thin (but still strong) and the dahlia head is a bit larger so it fills out a bouquet nicely. I use this variety all summer long in my mixed bouquets.

Kelgai Ann

It took me YEARS to get my hands on a tuber…it’s not a very popular variety and difficult (and expensive) to find. But I snagged one tuber a few years ago and now I have quite a few. This variety isn’t traditional and is PERFECT for weddings. Florists love this variety because it’s so different and looks almost like a peony. It is quite fragile, so I don’t recommend it for mixed bouquets. The blooms don’t last very long but it is absolutely beautiful.

Bracken Sara

LOVE this dahlia! It’s a larger yellow but as it ages it has a peachy, orange undertone. This plant produces a good amount of blooms but not crazy like some other varieties. But I find this variety truly amazing and a great yellow to have in your garden.

Coseytown Bounty

This is a newer variety developed by Coseytown, they have a few other dahlia options which are all great but I tend to like Coseytown Bounty the best. It’s a great pinky red color (darker pink) but it has yellow undertones on the back of the petals. I love this variety for the color but also because the heads will start to basically droop downwards as they age. It may seem weird to like a dahlia that droops, but I do love the shape it makes for any sort of whimsical design. It adds a ton of interest with the heads facing downward which I absolutely love. Plus…it produces a TON of blooms!