A few weeks ago a reader asked “What dahlias can I plant so I can have continuous bloom in my garden throughout the whole dahlia season?”
What a fantastic question! And to be honest, I thought it would be a quick to answer type of question, but then I really got to thinking about it and realized it was going to take a bit of calculation. So I turned to my trusty spreadsheets and began pulling data.
I kept careful records of what weeks I planted certain varieties this year. Then I took pictures when the first bloom opened. So I was able to pull the days to bloom from that information. (And it took awhile for 100+ varieties)
So here’s what I would plant for a continuous bloom in your dahlia cutting garden.
(Fine print: I’m zone 7b, South Carolina. Hot and humid climate, heavy clay soil- best dahlia blooms come from Sept to mid October. All the days to bloom have been rounded to the nearest 5. I don’t record the exact planting date or the exact first bloom date. From years of experience I’ve learned that days to bloom (DTB) varies each year due to varying growing conditions. But if you get the week you planted and the week it bloomed, you can get an average that you can use.)
Early Bloomers (60-80 DTB) : Peaches N Cream, Creighton Honey, Linda’s Baby, Mingus Toni, Mystique, Blizzard, Cornel Bronze, Brown Sugar
(pictured l to r)
Avg 60 DTB = Mingus Toni, Mystique
AVG 70 DTB = Creighton Honey, Peaches N Cream
AVG 80 DTB= Linda’s Baby, Blizzard, Cornel Bronze, Brown Sugar
Mid Season Bloomers (85-110 DTB): Bridezilla, Miss Amara, Hapet Champagne, Sonic Bloom, Wine Eyed Jill, Brookside Cheri, Cafe Au Lait, Hollyhill Black Beauty (pictured l to r)
AVG 90 DTB = Bridezilla
AVG 95 DTB = Miss Amara
AVG 100 DTB = Hapet Champagne, Sonic Bloom, Wine Eyed Jill, Hollyhill Black Beauty
AVG 105 DTB = Brookside Cheri
AVG 110 DTB = Cafe Au Lait
Late Season Bloomers (115+ DTB): Southern Belle, Renato Tozio, Hamilton Lillian, Fiona, Marionberry Milkshake, Hapet Perfekt, Dreamcatcher, Bubbling Over (Pictured l to r)
AVG 115 DTB = Renato Tozio
AVG 120 DTB = Bubbling Over, Dreamcatcher, Hamilton Lillian
AVG 130 DTB = Southern Belle, Fiona, Marionberry Milkshake, Hapet Perfekt
I do want to add a caveat here: It was a very hot dry summer which definitely had an effect on days to bloom. I know this because we succession planted a few varieties and saw some significant variation in their bloom times and it correlates to the weather patterns when they were planted and establishing. Also some of the above varieties were first timers in my garden— I like to have a variety for 3 years before I say definitively what it’s characteristics are. But I included some of the first timers here for added variety.
Please keep all these things in mind. Your climate will play a crucial role in the actual days to bloom. Also if a variety is new to you and you don’t know how long it’s gonna take to bloom- assume this: Most likely it will be a mid season bloomer because this is where most dahlias fall - in the 90-110 DTB range. Also the larger the bloom, the more time it takes (as a general rule).
I hope this helps you plan your dahlia garden for next year! Planning what new varieties I’m going to grow is one of my favorite parts about winter!!