Melissa Smith 12/27/22 Melissa Smith 12/27/22

Best Dahlias to Plant for Continuous Bloom in Your Garden

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!!

Melissa Smith 11/16/22 Melissa Smith 11/16/22

My Favorite White Dahlias for Hot Climates

Whenever a new flower farmer asks me what they should grow- I always say- “Grow white.” You can never have too many white flowers. And I must admit, I really like a white dahlia. There’s just something about a pure clean perfect white dahlia- velvet like petals, a bit of sparkly dahlia glitter!

I’ve grown a lot of white varieties over the years to find the ones that really produce here in my hot climate and I’d like to share some with you.

Blizzard- You probably knew I was going to say this one. She’s been gaining in popularity for years now. Highly prolific, strong stems, good tuber maker (easy to divide too)- perfect size for all types of design work. What’s not to like? Aptly named- If you look down a row of Blizzard blooms, it really does look like a bunch of snowballs on sticks!

Ryecroft Jan- the ubiquitous white ball dahlia. You can never go wrong with a white ball dahlia- it’s a perennial favorite among my florist customers. Tallish plant, very strong stems, 3ish inches in diameter (larger in cooler climates I believe) and reasonable tuber maker- they store well.

Karma Maarten De Zwaan- probably the most prolific decorative white dahlia that I know of! I get 3 strong flushes off this one in my climate (which does have a long growing season). The first flush can be a touch shorter than I like but I’ve learned to cut very deep into the plant. Then she’ll re-flush with taller stems. Strong but not thick stems- perfect for design work. Also the side buds will produce a decent sized flower if you miss the harvest window on the first bloom.
Her only downside is she’s a Karma. Karma dahlias were created a while back specifically for cut flower use and were patented. The patent doesn’t expire until 2026. This means you can’t propagate off your stock or resell it. I’ve been buying cuttings for years now - they work great! They are also available as clumps from tuber wholesalers and some re-sellers online.

Bridezilla- I think this beauty was named to soothe bridezillas everywhere. There is nothing diva-ish about her. She’s white with a creamy center. In late season, if you let her really open up- the blooms become fluffy and peony like. She’s gorgeous! Medium height plant, 4-6” bloom, Good for a focal flower in design work.

Beaucon White- She’s my favorite decorative style dahlia. Big enough to draw attention without being over-bearing. Lots of fluffy gorgeous layers to get lost in. Pretty much every brides dream white dahlia. Medium height plant, reasonably prolific for a larger bloom, great vase life!

Roque Starburst- I’ll give an honorable mention to this one. She’s fantastic, sadly I don’t have much need for lots of large dinnerplate sized white dahlias. But if you do- give her a try. She can have a slight blush in the center sometimes. Tall plant with strong stems and good vase life - especially for a dinnerplate.

If you are growing for cut flower production, I recommend growing a lot of the first 3- Blizzard, Ryecroft Jan and Karma Maarten De Zwaan. Those will serve you well. Then add in some Beaucon white and maybe a few Roque Starburst. You’ll have enough fluffy white dahlias to satisfy any bride!

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Melissa Smith 10/27/22 Melissa Smith 10/27/22

Inviting Pollinators into your Dahlia Garden

So I’ll be honest, dahlias aren’t the first flower to come to mind when I think of blooms to attract pollinators. Usually it’s salvias, nicotiana, alyssum, yarrow and wilder looking plants. However there are some types of dahlias that work really well as pollinator attracting plants.

Anemone and collarette types will bring the bees into your garden. For a plant to attract pollinators, having an open center is an easy access method for bees to find pollen. Anemone dahlias have a large fluffy center full of pollen. Collarettes also have an open center that’s easy access.

I’ve been experimenting this year and grew Sandia Brocade (Anemone type) in the middle of all my cut flower dahlias. I haven’t been harvesting it like a cut flower so every bud has been able to open. I’ve been deadheading after I see the bloom has been pollinated. I don’t want seed heads to form because I want it to keep blooming as long as possible so I just keep deadheading.

Sandia Brocade is really the first dahlia like this that I’ve grown. But I have to say - I’m hooked! I love watching the sleepy bees early in the morning. I’m going to start growing more- just for fun! These types don’t always make great cut flowers- their vase life is pretty short. But they are worth it for their pollinator attraction value!

I wanted to find more varieties that worked well in a hot climate so of course I turned to my dahlia sister- Lori of Broad River Blooms. I know she loves these types and has grown a lot of them. Huge thank you to her for sharing some of her favorites! (She sells tubers of these too— sign up for her tuber sale email here.)

Platinum Blonde- Anemone type (Photo by Lori at Broad River Blooms)

Waltzing Matilda- (Photo by Lori at Broad River Blooms) Look at that color!!

Bloomquist Golden (Photo by Lori at Broad River Blooms) Non stop bloomer!

Dad’s Favorite (Photo by Lori at Broad River Blooms) Excellent Butterfly attractor

Claire De Lune (Photo by Lori at Broad River Blooms) I think this one is my favorite and is going on my must have list for next year!

I’m definitely making plans for more of these next year! I can’t wait to see all the beautiful pollinators they attract. I’ll be hitting up Lori’s tuber sale for sure!

Names from left to right: Bloomquist Sweet, Asahi Chohji, Ferncliff Dolly, April Heather, Pooh

Melissa Smith 8/18/22 Melissa Smith 8/18/22

Dahlia Planting Dates for Hot Climates

A few months back I asked for a bit of help from the growers of the Warm Climate Dahlia Growers Group on Facebook. I asked them to share their growing zone, general geographic location and planting dates. I’ve compiled them into a spreadsheet that gives an overview of planting dates for Zones 6b-10b.

You can view the chart below. As always, consider your unique climate and also your last frost dates. If you’d like to contribute to the data, please send me an email via our Contact page.

Melissa Smith 11/11/21 Melissa Smith 11/11/21

Dahlia Parade!

Do you remember the old Fred Astaire movie, Easter Parade? The namesake song where he strolls down the boulevard with all the ladies decked out in finery and flowery hats always reminds me of a garden full of big blousy dahlias.

Let’s have our own Easter Parade. A few weeks back, I asked you to send in pictures of your gorgeous blooms. I got some stunners so without further adieu:

A Dinner Party Centerpiece by Camille Culbertson

Thank you so much for sharing your gorgeous pictures. Have you always wanted to grow dahlias like this? Give it a try for 2022! It’ll be the year of the dahlia. Our Dahlia Lovers Newsletter will teach you everything you need to know. Sign Up Here! Then go grab some tubers in our Pre-Sale going on now or in our Main Sale on New Years Day.