Melissa Smith 11/9/23 Melissa Smith 11/9/23

My Top 5 Garden Dahlias in 2023

I love to trial new varieties- in fact it’s hard to keep up with so many varieties most of the time! But in doing so, I always find some gems. I’m mostly on the hunt for good cut flowers varieties that give lots of blooms in my Southern heat. But occasionally I find some that make great Garden Dahlias.

What makes a Garden Dahlia versus a Cut Flower variety? Most dahlias are good cut flowers but there are definitely some that are better than others. And you can grow most dahlias in a landscape style garden setting too! But when I say “this is a garden dahlia” - What I mean is - This variety stands up well on it’s own or with very little support (they are usually shorter varieties) and they also give a steady supply of blooms. Some dahlias throw all their blooms at once and then you don’t see another bloom for 6 a month. Steady color is an important aspect of a garden dahlia.

My Top 5 Favorite Garden Dahlias for 2023:

Muchacha:

You gotta love this one for the name alone— say it multiple times, you’ll love it! This dahlia is around 3’, beautiful darker foliage and strong stems. The blooms are darker, more purple toned in warm weather and then the colors begin to soften and merge into one another more as it cools. It also occasionally throws an off color like the mainly white pictured above. (I think blooms like that are fun in the garden because they are a nice surprise!) This one has a growth habit that produces stems long enough for cutting so it works as a cut and a garden dahlia. It’s a mid season bloomer and then keeps going until frost. It’s color allows it to blend easily with other tones in a bouquet or your garden.

Totally Tangerine:

Totally Tangerine- What a great anemone dahlia! Beautiful color and so many blooms! This dahlia began early August for me and bloomed her head off for a month. Then I cut it back by half and within about 3 weeks she was blooming again! This is a variety that benefits from deadheading a bit more regularly than other garden dahlias because it produces so many blooms. Doesn’t hold up well in a vase- I could really only get 2 days, occasionally 3. But it you want a dahlia to attract pollinators to your garden, this is the one. It’s also not super tall 2.5-3’ Needs little support- you could plant it between other plants and it would be just fine. Good tuber maker too so you can multiple your own stock!

Esli:

Esli was brand new for us this year! And I’ll have to admit I was a bit disappointed at first— she was short! Such a pretty bloom but barely long enough to cut. But then I began to watch her and boy, did she pump out the blooms! She only grew to about 2.5’ in my field - she put all the energy into bloom production. This dahlia would be fantastic in a border. And she’s does make a good cut flower- just not really a production cut flower (stems just aren’t quite long enough). Her bloom begins med pink with a darker center and then fades to a nice pinky salmon as it sits in the vase. It’s a beautiful progression to watch.

Valley Rust Bucket:

This one is definitely a good cut flower but I’m putting her on the garden list because I think she makes a really good garden variety too! (She pairs well with Brown Sugar as shown in the group picture above. Valley Rust Bucket is the smaller bloom) I like the 2 tone reverse coloring but I wish the bloom was a bit bigger. But she’s prolific, has a nice upright growth habit with strong stems that make it ideally suited for a garden. It also begins blooming early which means you are going to get a nice long season of blooms!

Mystique:

I know there are going to be some people who disagree with me on this one. That’s ok! I absolutely love the color on Mystique — which is why I’ve grown it for 4 years, hoping it would make the grade as a cut! But it just doesn’t have it— as soon as I cut this variety, the stems get floppy. I’ve grown it in different conditions every year. But this year, I stopped cutting it after about 2 weeks and just let it bloom. And— I noticed it’s a great dahlia- for the garden. This one is taller than most “garden dahlias” but it has a nice upright habit and would look great at the back of the border. It definitely deserves a spot in your garden but not the production field.

Now, I know that’s 5 but I’m going to throw in an honorable mention for one of the 2022 varieties: Yvonne! I grew this one again for the first time in a few years. I gotta admit, I love it! It’s petals can be a little delicate but I think it’s worth a bit of extra special care. The blooms are so beautiful!

If you’d like to see the 2022 list, click here, enter your email and it will be emailed to you!

All the above dahlias will be available in our upcoming dahlia tuber sale. Sale begins November 17. Make sure you are on the Dahlia Lovers Newsletter for all the details!

Melissa Smith 9/28/23 Melissa Smith 9/28/23

Who Gets the Boot?

It’s that time of year- time to make the calls. Who gets to stay and who goes. I’m still undecided on a few and won’t make decisions on those until this winter. But I have identified a few that won’t be back in 2024.

***Disclaimer: I’m a cut flower grower so I’m looking for productivity, good tuber makers, certain colors, certain growth habits, etc. None of the following dahlias are “bad”. I wouldn’t put any of them on a ‘absolutely do not grow list’— they just aren’t right for my field.

Here we go:

Cryfield Harmony: I really hate to cut this one because it’s productive and an early bloomer. But in our heat, the center doesn’t ever close completely and is a big yellow blob in high temps. Now— if I was a cool climate grower- I’d give this one a try. It’s color is amazing (and was what I was looking for). It also has better than average vase life. (You may recognize this one from the vase life trials blog)

Mystique: I’ve grown this one for 3 years because I really wanted it to work. The color is to die for and not easily found in the dahlia world. But she’s just a bobble head. She does make a great productive dahlia for your home garden though. She’s an early bloomer too so you can enjoy her for several months of the season. Dark stems and dark foliage make a stunning combo.

Muchacha: It’s a shame to cut a dahlia with such a great name! Gonna miss saying that. This one is really a great dahlia but just not what I’m looking for. She’s a bit small and her coloring is dark purple with some golden yellow. The original pictures I saw online looked burgundy and pink mix- which was what I was expecting but once again- temps and amount of light is playing havoc with the colors. I would highly recommend this one as a great addition to the home garden though- prolific and very sturdy plants that don’t require much support!

Crazy 4 Wylie Quinn: Once again- well bred dahlia but wrong color. The picture on the website showed a coral orange ball type. I got a florescent two tone orange- Big Nope! I forgot to take a picture but trust me- big no.

Beatrice: I want to like this one because it’s a great color, shape, and early bloomer but that big yellow center is just a killer! I think this one would be an excellent choice for a cool season grower.

Hapet Perfekt: This one was lovely last year but this year, it’s forming very oddly and blowing it’s center very quickly. It’s a bit much for me color wise honestly. I think there are other better large dahlias so with limited space to dedicate to large dahlias, I’ll move on.

Polyventon Supreme: Yes- this was on last year’s cut list and I added it back at the last minute. I wish it’s color was a bit more muted. It’s just a tad too neon. But it’s a great tuber maker, sturdy stems, prolific. So if you like bright yellow- give it a go. It’s definitely going this time.

That’s the list so far. It will grow between now and next May! I need to cut 30-40 varieties minimum. I’ve trialed so many over the past years that now it’s time to settle on the good ones and grow lots of those!

So who’s on your cut list?

Melissa Smith 9/14/23 Melissa Smith 9/14/23

Dahlia Vase Life Trials: The Boiling Water Method

I’ve written a lot on getting the best vase life for your dahlias— But my best recommendation is always to use a flower cooler. However, the backyard dahlia grower doesn’t often have access to a professional flower cooler. So today I’d like to share results of another method of getting great vase life from your dahlias.

The Boiling Water Method is often mentioned as being a way to extend the vase life of your dahlias. But what does that mean exactly?

To use this method: You boil water (an electric kettle works great!), give your dahlia a fresh snip at the bottom of the stem (about 1/4”), then dip and hold it in the boiling water for about 30 seconds. Then place it immediately in your vase for display.

I remember using this method the first year I grew dahlias. I didn’t have access to any professional methods of cooling my flowers. But I couldn’t really remember if it worked or not. So I decided to run my own trial.

I chose 6 stems of the same dahlia harvested at the same time/day. This is Cryfield Harmony. (Note: the yellow center is not a result of cutting too late, just a heat response, this trial was conducted in August in the South)

Here’s how I conducted the trial: Stems were harvested early in the morning into a bucket with just water. Then they were allowed to rest in a 65-70 degree room for a few hours. After a few hours, I divided them up. Jar #1- I recut the stems and placed them in a vase with just water. Jar #2- I recut the stems and placed them in a jar with water and the appropriate amount of flower food. Jar #3- I recut the stems, dipped into boiling water for 30 seconds and then placed them into a jar with water and flower food.

**I always use flower food in my vase water with dahlias because I know for a fact that it increases vase life. My goal here was to see if the boiling water actually gave any boost to the vase life in addition to the flower food. **

The blooms looked great for several days with no sign of decay. Stems were held in my living room which stays around 70 degrees. I did not change the water or recut the stems from day one to the end of the trial.

On day 6, I began to see signs of browning and fading on the dahlia in Jar 1 (just water).

On Day 7, I saw signs of fading/browning on the dahlias in Jar 2 and 3.

Jars 2 and 3 began to fade at the same time but I noticed that Jar 2 definitely faded faster whereas Jar 3 was only beginning to turn brown on some petals.

So what does all this tell me: Well obviously to get really accurate results, you’d need to repeat the experiment and also try it out with multiple varieties of dahlias. But generally speaking, boiling water doesn’t add any vase life over water with flower food.

My suggestion for increasing your vase life (for a backyard dahlia grower) remains to use flower food in your water. It’s just much easier and faster. If you don’t have flower food or don’t want to use it, then give the boiling water method a try- I think it would increase your vase life over straight water with no prior processing of the stem.

Notes:
What kind of flower food am I referring to: I use either Chrysal Professional #3 Vase Solution or Floralife Flower Food 300 - either works, whatever you can find. This is the white powdery stuff in the packets you get when you buy a bouquet. You can buy small pails of it on Amazon and other online market places.
Previous blog on increasing vase life in your dahlias- Click here.

Disclaimer: I know some people who swear by the boiling water method and if it’s working for you- then continue it! Keep in mind that health of plant, hydration and growing climate play a big role in the vase life of your dahlia. Most importantly— make sure you are enjoying them!!

Melissa Smith 8/31/23 Melissa Smith 8/31/23

New (To Me) Dahlia Varieties - August 2023

Dahlias have been in bloom for a full month here on our farm in Travelers Rest. I’m already seeing some new varieties that have potential as keepers.

I love dahlias that bloom in August! Why? Because early bloomers have so much potential- you can usually get two flushes off early varieties in our long growing season. So much more beauty potential!

I want to share some of them with you today. Caveat— These are my first impressions. I grow a dahlia for at least 2 years, usually 3 before I choose to add it to my collection.

Lark’s Ebbe: I don’t think I really have to say much about this one- What a gorgeous color! Perfect size, I mean what’s not to like. Early bloomer, not too tall. So far it’s got a lot going for it.

Yvonne: I grew this one a few years ago but ended up getting rid of it. But from time to time I would think about this dahlia so I decided to bring it back. It’s a great combination dahlia— by that I mean that it’s good for a cut flower but also as a garden dahlia. It’s not super tall so will stand on it’s own with minimal support (or you could plant it admist other things to support it some). Early bloomer and gives lots of blooms. The petals are a bit susceptible to bruising (which was the original reason I cut it) but if you can handle it well— It’s really gorgeous!

KA’s Keltie Rose: 2nd year growing but in the crapshoot that was the 2022 season, I only got one bloom. This was grown from a cutting so it could be a bit later from a tuber. But the color on this— the photo doesn’t do it justice. It’s a dusty smoky rose color! I’m hoping it will pump out some blooms because I see a lot of potential for this color- I need a prolific bloomer in this tone. It’s a pretty plant too— slightly darker green foliage and the plant blooms above the leaf canopy.

Robinhood: This is another one that I used to grow but lost the tubers back in the days when I didn’t know how to store properly (takes a few years to learn). I love it’s coloring- kinda raspberry with peachy undertones. Early bloomer and threw a flush of several stems at once.

Gerrie Hoek: I’m loving the color and form of this one. It changes color with temperature too— blushier in heat and pinker in cool. It does have some growth habit issues— does a bit better with some disbudding so we’ll see if I feel like keeping up with that. But the main thing I love about this dahlia is that it makes me smile every time I walk past it. It’s the happiest flower!

All That Jazz: This one was offered to me as a trade from another grower. I loved it’s coloring in photos I saw. I’ve been eagerly awaiting it to bloom and it finally did this week. The photo doesn’t do it justice - it has a tan/peach reverse with some purple tips and almost a light sangria color to the front. I’m going to have to pull out my nice camera because the phone camera isn’t cutting it!

So just a few I’m excited about. Still need to see if they are good tuber producers, resistant to powdery mildew, prolific and then to see how they do through different growing conditions - which takes a few years!

Melissa Smith 11/10/22 Melissa Smith 11/10/22

2022 Trial Results- Part 2: Good But Not For Me

Today we are continuing on with the 2022 trial results. I’ve grown so many varieties in the past 2 years that I’ve had to make some hard choices on what to keep. So today’s post is all about dahlias that are good but just aren’t for me- for various reasons as you will see!

****Remember you may love a lot of these dahlias and it’s not that I don’t like them — it’s just I can’t keep them all so I thought it might be interesting to some to see what I don’t like and why I’m not keeping it. Everybody has different goals with their dahlia growing. We are 95% a cut flower production farm with a side of dahlias that I keep in my “personal collection.”

Blyton Softer Gleam: I know this one is well loved by a lot of people but I just can’t get into her. She doesn’t often look like this picture. A lot of her blooms seem to show a hard yellow center and she’s not as productive as I like. Plus there are a lot of other dahlias that have a similar look so off to find one that’s more productive for me.

Bracken Sarah: If she always looked like this, I’d keep her. But in my hot climate, she only has this look the last week or two of the season. She’s usually way more yellow than shown. Also she’s been a mid to late season bloomer the past two years. She might get a spot in my personal collection. But I think she’s more of a cool climate dahlia.

Hillcrest Suffusion: Once again- another variety that just doesn’t quite cut it for a hot climate. Unfortunately I don’t take a lot of pictures when the dahlias don’t look their best. But often, I get a hard yellow center on this one until the weather cools. There are also a lot of other coral dahlias so off to cooler climates she goes!

Maarn: This is a good dahlia and I didn’t have any plans of cutting this one until I was shipped a mislabel by my wholesaler this spring. I ordered Pink Sylvia but was shipped Sylvia and by the time I realized it, Pink Sylvia was unavailable. Well I live in the land of lots of orange dahlias needed for sporting events so I decided to plant Sylvia anyways. And what do you know— I like it better than Maarn. Sylvia is a bit earlier, a little taller too. Productivity is about the same and if you put them side by side- you can’t tell much difference on the blooms. But I think I’ll give Sylvia a go for a few years.

Chilson’s Pride: I want to like this dahlia because she’s a good producer but she’s just so gosh darn it— Barbie Pink! She’s just too sugary sweet looking for me. Can’t get into her. It’s purely a taste thing on her- just not my thing. But if you like the look of her- go for it because she’s a great dahlia!

Golden Scepter: I know this one is popular with a lot of people- that’s one reason I tried it. I’ve been trying to love it for 4 years now but it’s just not happening! It’s usually kinda’ messy looking and you have to cut it early to get a decent shape out of it. It’s also kinda’ small- If I could have it bigger and same color-that would be perfect! I also think it does better in a cooler climate. If you have recommendations for the same color but larger bloom, send them my way.

Hapet Perfekt- Being a cut flower production farm means we don’t grow a lot of the dinnerplate size dahlias. So to keep one, it’s has to be amazing. This one is reasonably productive and definitely has wow factor. But to be honest, I just wasn’t digging the yellow and pink tip look. Just didn’t overwhelm me.

Pink Pearl- Ok- I’m gonna say it: “I can’t stand this dahlia!” She annoyed me all season. Short growth habit and showed an open center for all but one week of the season. There was one week in the middle of September that she looked great but that was it. I think this one is definitely a cool climate beauty. I see pictures from farms north of here and she looks great. There are better options for blush dahlias in the South.

Polyventon Supreme: I’ve grown this dahlia on and off for years. I want to like her but she’s just a little too bright. I can’t sell the color. I need a softer yellow. But other than color- she’s great. Prolific, sturdy, makes great tubers, good size, good vase life. Kind of a shame but if you can sell that shade of yellow- go for it!

Wyn’s Ghostie: I chose this one to try for a new larger white dahlia but I think once again, it’s not a great hot climate dahlia. The center wouldn’t close up well for me. Maybe if it were harvested later but we tend to cut large dahlias on the tighter side because they get a better vase life that way. So if you live in a cooler climate and grow dahlias just for fun- this might be a keeper for you.

So there you have it- 10 varieties that didn’t make the cut. There will probably be more. I’ve got to whittle the collection further. Who didn’t make your cut this year? Let me know here!

Dahlia Tuber Sale happening soon— Make sure you are signed up for the Dahlia Lovers Newsletter for all the details!