My Top Dinnerplate Varieties for Hot Climates
Recently I’ve had multiple requests for variety names of dahlias that like hot humid climates. Honestly, no dahlia really likes that but there are some that do better than others. Dinnerplates were mentioned specifically so I’ve decided to cover those today.
One thing to recognize about dinnerplates grown in a less than ideal climate is that they are more often saladplates. To get a true dinnerplate size, you’d have to do some pretty specific growing- strict fertilizer regime, no pinching, etc. (similar to how show growers do it). Also, I’m interpreting “dinnerplate” loosely. Some of the dahlias I mention here are large varieties but don’t quite have the genetics to reach dinnerplate size but I’m including them because they give a lot of “wow” factor in your garden. Lastly, it’s pretty average for some varieties to only throw 3-5 blooms per season. It takes a lot out of the plant to produce a bloom that size.
Here we go: (in alphabetical order)
AC Ben
Cactus type orange dahlia. This variety is about as prolific as a large dahlia can be in a hot climate (that means I get a minimum of 5 blooms per plant each year). That’s really good for a dinnerplate type. Pictures really don’t do it justice, you need to see it to know how amazing this variety can be!
Cafe Au Lait
The queen herself— she actually does really well in the heat. She can vary in color and I still can’t figure out if it’s temperature related or soil pH. You can even get two different color blooms on the same plant. Her color ranges from cream to blush pink, can even have lilac streaks occasionally.
Hollyhill Black Beauty
Hands down, my favorite burgundy dahlia. Others are more productive but this one is stunning when it’s all the way open. The petals fall so elegantly into rows of ruffles!
Kenora Lisa
Her color will blow your mind. It’s not just bright pink— there’s a whole sunset in there! Also- she has the glitter! Dahlia glitter that is.. some flowers have a natural sparkle to them called Dahlia Glitter. Fairly productive too.
Mary Lou
If you took a sunflower and turned it into an elegant dahlia, you’d have Mary Lou. She’s just the perfect shade of yellow, not too bright, not too garish, just right. Makes good tubers too- they store well. Excellent addition to the garden.
Rip City
Rip City - the two burgundy blooms on the left here. Probably one of the best production burgundies out there. Amazing tuber maker too— you’ll never run out of Rip City tubers.
Roque Starburst
One of my two all time favorite whites. I only grow a few of these for me mostly b/c they are too big for most of my customers. But I love this one- often she has a blush center!
Sierra Glow
The large one in the center here. She changes color as she matures in the vase. Begins as a rusty tone but then turns a smoky mauve. Loads of ruffles! Very tall too- you gotta stake this one!
Winkie Colonel
A Big Bold Red! I stopped growing this one several years ago b/c it wasn’t popular with my florist customers but if you just want something to show off— This is it! Beautiful crimson red, nice and full!
Honorable Mention: This one doesn’t get to be on the list because it’s not the most reliable but it’s so pretty!
Hee Haugh
Unfortunately I have the hardest time getting the tubers to survive on this variety. It’s very on and off, some years I have it in my field, some I don’t. It didn’t make it this year. Maybe you’ll have better luck- it’s so pretty!
The Midsummer Malaise
Have you looked at your dahlia plants this summer and thought: What is going on with my dahlia? It looks awful!
You may be suffering from what I call “The Midsummer Malaise” (TMM). TMM isn’t an official disease or anything like that. But it’s a common issue I see on Dahlias at least once a summer, especially if you live in a hot climate.
Usually it looks a little something like this. Brown crunchy or soggy (if it’s been wet) leaves or perhaps yellow leaves if you catch it early. These are signs of stress. Ideally dahlias love more moderate cooler temps- 60-70’s. Well most places don’t get those until Fall. But in order to have dahlias in the fall, you have to grow them through the summer. So you have to get them through the heat.
So what do you do about it?
1. Clean up the plant. Remove any brown, yellow, crunchy dead leaves— anything that’s not green and luscious.
They should look like the picture below. Some growers actually pre-emptively remove all the foliage on the lower 18” of the plant. But I find that’s a lot of extra labor for 2200 plants. So I remove it where needed.
2. Inspect the plants for any sign of disease- especially powdery mildew. PM looks like a white dusting on your leaves- when it starts, it can occur just in small spots on the leaves. We’ll talk more about how to deal with PM another time. For now just notice if the plants don’t look “normal.” And by normal I mean, they should be solid green - dahlias don’t have any variegation in the leaves. It’s very slight in the photos below but those lighter greenish yellow patches are a tell-tale sign.
If you see sings of yellow mottling, then you are going to want to investigate further. That could be a sign of disease or nutrient deficiency. I tend to treat for nutrient deficiency before assuming disease unless I see any other tell-tale signs of disease.
3. It’s time for a little TLC. Dahlias are pretty hungry and need to be fed regularly to perform well. So it’s time to fertilize.
The type of fertilizer is going to depend on the stage of growth. If your plant is less than about 6 weeks old then a fertilizer that includes a bit of nitrogen is good. Dahlias don’t need loads of nitrogen. Nitrogen promotes green growth. Generally you are looking for a fertilizer that is higher in phosphorus and potassium. This is a good time to know what nutrients your soil contains (hence the reason you always hear gardeners talk about taking a soil test).
***But I know most of us didn’t stop and soil test this spring. (Don’t feel bad, I didn’t test for several years when I started gardening). You can test this fall and you’ll be ready for next year!***
So if you don’t know what nutrients your soil is low in, you do fly a little blind. But since we know that dahlias like phosphorus and potassium, we’ll look for that. Fertilizers that are made for tomatoes or roses are also good for Dahlias. I encourage you to seek out an organic fertilizer. Also I prefer liquid feeds at this point. I use a powdered/granular fertilizer when planting but prefer liquid during the growing process. I just find it easier to apply. (Brands differ from place to place and that’s why I feel it’s more important to tell you what to look for in the fertilizer than an actual name brand.)
Feed your dahlias (according to the instructions on your fertilizer) about every other week from now until about a month before your first frost date.
4. Lastly, make sure your dahlias are getting plenty of water. You can’t do anything about high heat but you can control the moisture. I try not to let my soil completely dry out. You do want to make sure you have good drainage though. Dahlia tubers don’t like sitting in mucky wet soil.
The Midsummer Malaise is bound to get you at some point and some years it is more extreme than others. But it doesn’t have to spell a death sentence for your plants. It just means it’s time for a little garden therapy for you and TLC for your plants!
Dahlia Trial Results 2020
It’s finally time— here are the 2020 dahlia trial results!
Throughout the 2020 season I grew 17 varieties in my trial beds. Some were 2nd year trials, some were 1st. To be a second year trial means I wasn’t sure about it the first year, but it had enough good qualities to give it a second try.
I am evaluating dahlias for cut flower production so bear that in mind as you read. During the trials I test things like vase life, stem strength, and average bloom size. I also evaluate the growth habit of the plants- things like height, does the plant bloom in the leaf canopy or above it, strong stems or floppy, etc. You will see I recommend some varieties as “garden only”. This means it didn’t meet my standards for cut flower production. But note that any variety that meets the cut flower production standards will also work as a garden variety. I’ll have some of these varieties for sale in our tuber sale mid-winter, but it will mostly be the garden only varieties that I won’t be keeping for cut flower production. There is also a chart at the bottom that makes it easy to see all the qualities at once.
I tried a lot of yellow/gold varieties this year hoping to get some winners so let’s start there:
Lucky
This dahlia showed great promise at the beginning of the season. It bloomed a more copper/yellow during the hot temperatures and more golden like you see here in cooler weather. However, it only gets 2 days vase life so it’s a definite no for me. Would make a great garden dahlia though as it is reasonably prolific and the flowers stayed pretty nice looking on the plant for a decent amount of time before they needed to be deadheaded. Blooms were right at the top of the leaf canopy which is also a nice quality for garden dahlias.
Mary Jo
This is a multi- year trial. I started growing it years ago but yellow wasn’t popular then so I phased it out. I decided to bring it back this year. It’s color is great, very warm yellow with no neon qualities to it. It’s fairly large and unfortunately gets a bit top heavy for it’s stem sometimes. The stem strength is really it’s only issue. Good vase life, reasonably prolific for a large dahlia, good strong firm tubers too. To me, it’s almost like sunflower in dahlia form. I’ll keep it for awhile - at least until I find a variety with the same warm color and a stronger stem.
Sunkissed
Aptly named but not a keeper as a cut flower. This waterlily type gets great vase life but has poor form. It doesn’t have enough petals and therefore tends to open and show it’s center. It’s also a more neon yellow in color. Waterlily shapes like this make great garden dahlias so off it goes. Strong tuber maker- firm and prolific.
Moonstruck
Moonstruck is the top dahlia in the picture (Lucky is the copper one on the bottom). Great color- cream with a touch of yellow. It would be nice if it were a bit larger. But I’ll keep it for one more year- kind of a nice accent type dahlia. It threw a nice flush of blooms early in the season but haven’t seen much from it later on in season so I wouldn’t say it’s very prolific.
Gabrielle Marie
I originally grew this dahlia years ago in the search for a good peach bloom. It’s when I first began to realize that a lot of “peach” dahlias turn out orange or yellow in our hot climate. I acquired it this year as a freebie with my Swan Island order so I just decided to try it again. Now that yellow is becoming more popular, it’s a viable option. Definitely keeping it for a second year.
Andrew Charles
I was a bit disappointed when this first bloomed. The pictures I saw indicated a greater color depth with some variegation to it. Mine came out pretty solid gold. But the more I cut it, the more I began to like it. Good long stems, blooms well above the plant canopy and pushed a good number of stems per plant. It’ll get a second trial year for sure.
Karamel Korn
Beautiful variegated copper tones, laminated petals— this dahlia is just fun! Tall plant habit so you have to give it good support. Blooms very regular, best when cut tight like the picture here. Continues to open in the vase, good vase life 5+ days. Definite keeper but I wouldn’t grow loads of it because it’s more of an accent/specialty type- can be a bit of a scene stealer.
Tapioca
Cute name, great flower. Blooms cream in hot temps and more white as it cools. Nice plant habit, not super prolific but I’ll keep it for a second year trial. Nice bloom size that stayed steady throughout the season too.
Silver Years
Second year trial on this one. Only got one bloom last year b/c the plant ended up in an area that was overtaken by weeds. But second year is much better- beautiful blush color, great vase life, nice bloom shape and perfect size for wedding work. I’ll keep this one and probably start propagating it via tuber divisions and cuttings.
Innocence
This is probably one of my favorite finds this year- great color, nice bloom size, strong stem. I hope this one made a lot of tubers. It’s beautiful in the vase too- fades to more white as it ages. Definite keeper!
Chilson’s Pride
Great color and plant habit- not quite sure about the lacinated petals. I usually love those but they aren’t winning me over on this one. I know a lot of southern growers have this so I’ll probably give it a second year but not sold on it yet.
Foxy Lady
I wanted so badly to like this one but it just doesn’t hold up in the vase. It’s color is beautiful as it ages though- goes to a nice mauve. Definitely a garden variety.
Mingus Toni
Mingus Toni- well kinda. Mingus Toni is supposed to be dark pink with darker pink speckles. Instead this beauty bloomed. I quite like it- ages beautifully in the vase with a solid vase life. I won’t be sad if it blooms this way again next year.
Mr Jimmy
This one is more dark purple than the picture shows. Purples/Burgundies/Reds are impossible to photograph well. Second year trial here, still not sure. Good growth habit but vase life trials were a bit inconclusive- sometimes it would get 2 days, sometimes 4-5. I’m looking for some good medium sized purples but not sure if this is it.
Karma Naomi
I originally grew this variety as part of my winter dahlia trials last year. Well I must have missed some tubers when ripping them out. It was actually really interesting to observe it during the summer. Almost a different color- very plum in cold weather, very purple based burgundy in hot weather. Unfortunately it only got 2 days vase life in the summer, was better in cooler weather. Also this variety shows every blemish more than other dark dahlias. There are better dark dahlias out there.
Baron Katie
Second year trial here. Great bloomer, nice vase life but very bold color. Little bolder than I like. I’ll probably sell off these tubers, just not quite what I’m looking for but still a good quality dahlia.
Crazy Legs
Prolific bloomer and nice color but just not enough petals on the flower to have a nice form. Stems can be floppy sometimes too. Vase life is minimum 3 days, sometimes longer. There are lots of dahlias in this color combination so I’ll keep looking.
Mirella
Second year trial that I almost didn’t replant but I had some extra room. I’m glad I did- it’s growing on me. Petal habit can be a bit messy at times but I like the color combo. It’s yellow and orange without being too bold which is hard to find. I’ll keep it around for a while.
So overall who are my favorites? Innocence and Karamel Korn! Those two have the best plant habit, decent number of sellable stems, awesome color. I’ll propagate those via cuttings and tuber divisions this winter to get enough for production. I’ll continue evaluating some other varieties and I’ve got plans for a much larger trial next year.
Here’s the cheat sheet chart:
Dahlia Tuber Pre-Sale going on now- check it out!
Getting the most out of your Dahlias
The weather has finally turned to Fall here in the South. Let’s talk about the queens of Fall— Dahlias!
Miss Amara in the greenhouse
Vase Life
If you’ve ever cut a dahlia and put it in a vase, you know they can be short lived beauties. However they have such a jaw dropping beauty that I don’t mind their lesson in appreciating all beautiful things no matter how fleeting. If you are growing your own, cut early in the morning for best results, late evening if you aren’t an early bird. The sugars in the plant are at their highest in the morning. Never cut in the heat of the day. Place in a cool container of water (make sure your vase is squeaky clean— think “would I drink out of this?”) Then add a bit of flower food. You can buy flower food online from places like Amazon or floral supply sites. Chrysal and Floralife are two popular brands. It comes in liquid or powder form— both work well. You are looking for the one that says “flower food”, not quick dip or holding solution. Maybe that sounds obvious but there are a lot of choices out there.
**After writing this blog post, I got a few questions from other growers and wanted to note that this blog was written for the home grower. Commercial growers have other tools (flower coolers, etc. ) available to them for conditioning. Conditioning dahlias for sale to a wholesaler or florists as a commercial flower grower would be a whole other blog post.
When receiving a bouquet of dahlias, you follow the same procedure. Recut about a 1/2” off the bottom of the stem, place in clean cool water in a clean vase. Dirty vases and dirty water are the enemy of making your flowers last. Change the water every day if you can, at least every other day. Also, recut the stems and add more flower food each time. If your bouquet contains a packet of flower food— you can split it in half if your vase isn’t too big.
Growing Dahlias
A few tips for this time of year if you are growing dahlias. It’s time to stop fertilizing them. You don’t want to generate a lot of new growth. We are mid way through September and from now on out, the plants won’t produce too many new buds. The already formed buds will develop and bloom. You’ll start to see the blooms taper off by mid October. The plant will also be putting a lot of energy into developing tubers. This time of year is when you really want to watch the amount of rain we get. Extreme heavy rains can cause tuber rot and also produce softer tubers that don’t store well. We’ll have a frost by early November most years but as long as your dahlias have been in the ground and growing for at least 120 days, you can dig the tubers before frost. The tubers will be fully formed. So if you don’t relish digging tubers in the cold, you can go for it by late October usually. I’ll post a blog in a few weeks about digging, dividing, and storing tubers.
***If you are a commercial grower, you can do one last fertilization about 6 weeks before your last frost which would be about now in South Carolina. The intense production required by commercially grown plants requires more nutrients than the average backyard dahlia plant.
After the vase
There are a few options for your blooms after you’ve enjoyed them in the vase. You can hang them upside down to dry— the fuller the bloom and brighter the color, the better it dries. Dahlia petals are edible (although I don’t think they taste that great!) But you could style your food for your latest Instagram post with dahlia petal sprinkles. You can also pull the petals off the bloom and make art. I like to deconstruct the flowers and make mandalas, flower quilts or abstract designs. It’s very relaxing!
I hope this helps you to get the most out of your dahlias. If you haven’t gotten a dahlia bouquet from us this year, it’s the perfect time for it. The dahlias will be at their absolute best in the next few weeks. Check out our website for more information.
All the Pretty Dahlias
One of my goals this year was to make sure I got a picture of every dahlia variety I grow. So I’ve been making time for that each week as new varieties come into bloom. I thought I’d share some of them with you. If you want to see more, join me on Instagram live, Monday, Sept 21 at 7pm for a Virtual Tour through the Dahlia Field. Follow me on Instagram @flwrtherapy
Mouse over the image for the variety name.
