Peach Fuzz- What Dahlias Match the 2024 Pantone Color of the Year?
You’ve seen it all over social media in the past week- the 2024 Pantone Color of the Year: Peach Fuzz.
I gotta’ admit- I love it! It’s a beautiful warm color that makes you feel..well…fuzzy!
About 10 years ago, someone told me peach was coming back as a trendy color- I thought they were crazy and had visions of peach and blue floral fabrics from some of the old 80’s interiors in my head. But the resurgence of peach over the years has been nothing like that. It’s brought about a warm cozy feeling in a world that is wrought with calamity and strife.
Peach flowers make me really happy. I love how there are so many different shades of peach. The color “Peach” incorporates a lot of shades and can often be hard to identify when trying to fill a flower order. “What shade of peach would you like? Coral Peach, Orange Peach, Pink Peach, etc.”
But fortunately dahlias provide many options. So without further rambling, my favorite peach dahlias to get that “Peach Fuzz Feeling.”
Yvonne: All you Dahlia Lovers out there- loved this one! You sold it out fast in our Fall Tuber sale. After the pantone prediction, I’ll definitely be growing more of this one in 2024. Might even add it to my cuttings propagation list. Yvonne is a gorgeous waterlily dahlia with an early blooming habit. We were able to get two flushes out of this one this past summer.
Hapet Champagne: This one fits into the peach pink category. It also changes color a bit with temperature. It has more peach tone when it’s warmer. Then more yellow with a bit of pink outline on the petal edge when the weather cools. The petals are so fluffy and occasionally serrated on the end- I think it lends itself to the ‘Fuzz’ part of the Peach trend.
Peaches N Cream: I know— you might be tired of hearing about this one. But you can’t have a list of Peach Dahlias without it. But let me once again tell you how amazing this dahlia is: She’s productive, early bloomer (meaning you get at least 8 weeks of blooms in our climate), good tuber maker, high demand color. Really what more could you want? If you aren’t growing her yet, why not?
Brookside Cheri: I love this dahlia- she’s warm, fluffy and always has that sun kissed look. However, I’ve had trouble keeping tuber stock over the past 3 years. So that’s why you’ve never heard me sing her praises. I’m going to give her one more year to see if she can prove her worth. She’s so beautiful that I think it’s worth one more try!
NATC Mai Li- This one is a bit of a color changer- it’s definitely in the peach range during the warm part of the season but once the weather cools, it takes on some pinker tones. But I feel like the peach stage works very well in our Peach Fuzz line up. This is a variety we’ve been testing for 3 years. And it’s on the list for propagation into full scale wholesale production!
I feel like for once that the Pantone color will be adopted faster than usual. It seems like it often takes a couple years for the color trend to filter into real life. But I think since Peach has been popular for many years now— this is just going to be fuel on the fire!
Rusty Dahlias
“And something in a rust tone….” This is a request I’ve heard so many times over the past 2 years from my florist customers! Rust has become one of the popular accent colors for fall palettes.
I thought I’d share some dahlia varieties that I use to fulfill this color request. Rust, like peach, is kinda up to interpretation. Do you want rusty red, rusty brown, rusty tan? So I consider it a color family and not really a single color. Thankfully dahlias have a lot of tonality to them so it makes it easy to get the range a florist needs.
All That Jazz
All That Jazz- This one fits under the ‘Rusty Red’ category. Prolific bloomer, began blooming mid September from a mid May planting. Tallish at around 4’+. The color fades into golden tan tips which complement the rust color nicely. Photographs a bit red but really is a rusty color. Great tuber maker too- makes nice fat tubers with an easy to divide habit. Definitely growing more of this one next year!
Cornel Bronze
Cornel Bronze— ‘Rusty Bronze’ You know I had to include this one. It’s in the ‘Rusty Bronze’ category. It’s an easy dahlia to grow, blooms prolifically and has a neat plant habit so it doesn’t turn into a rangy mess. Good tuber maker (although can be a pain to divide).
Brown Sugar
Brown Sugar- ‘Rusty Red Brown’- Dark stemmed so it adds a bit of drama. I like this dahlia although I’ve heard some others in warm climates who don’t think it’s all that. It has always grown well for me. It is a flusher type of dahlia (meaning it’s going to throw most of it’s blooms in a short period). That can be a downside because the color is definitely unique to the fall season. So you’ll want to time it well. Good tuber maker- nice fat ones that store well.
Copper Boy
Copper Boy- ‘Rusty Copper Red’ - This one is a good alternative if you don’t like Brown Sugar. It’s a bit more copper toned red, blooms early— so make sure to plant accordingly. If you have a market for this color early in the season, you can probably get two flushes out of it. Has a plant habit similar to Linda’s Baby- which means you need to cut deep to force long stems. This is my second year growing it and so far I’m a fan.
Valley Rust Bucket
Valley Rust Bucket- ‘Rusty Orange’ This is a two tone dahlia- I love two tones because they always work well with so many palettes. They have an instant ‘blendability.” I wish the blooms were a bit bigger - this is a 2-3”. But it definitely makes up for it the number of blooms. Pretty good tuber maker as well!
Totally Tangerine
Totally Tangerine- ‘Rusty Copper Tan’ I wouldn’t have considered this to be in the rust palette when I first saw it. Early in the season, it’s a warm peach. But as the weather cools, it goes more copper with some tan as it fades. I offered it to a florist who was looking for some really unique blooms for a styled shoot in the rust palette and she loved it. It doesn’t have a great vase life so I’d relegate it more to the garden but if you do design work and you grow your own blooms, it’ll hold for a day or two.
Sierra Glow
Sierra Glow- ‘Rusty Tan- This is a great dahlia if you need a large bloom in the rusty palette. Sierra Glow has always been a good one for my hot climate. Holds well in the vase- it’s hard to find large dahlias that have great vase life in a hot climate but this one works!
Ice Tea
Ice Tea- ‘Rusty Terracotta Brown’ This was my original rust dahlia- the first variety I had in this color palette. I first clued in to this color trend when I couldn’t keep this color in stock a few years back. It’s a good consistent bloomer. Makes good tubers but you need to be very careful when digging them. It creates a tuber with a round bulbous body but a very skinny neck. It’s very easy to break the necks when digging so lift carefully.
Honorable Mention: These 3 dahlias above blend very well into the rust palette so I’m including them. From left to right- Rose Toscano, KA Mocha Katie, and NTAC Mai Li
There you have it- my favorite rust dahlias that work well in a hot climate! If you aren’t growing rust tones- it’s time! Color trends move and change but most of them stay around for a few years so you’ve got time to grow this beautiful tone!
Things You Can Do Now to Prepare for Next Dahlia Season
It’s almost winter time and hopefully you’ve dug your tubers (if you needed to). It’s time to enjoy the pictures and memories of a beautiful dahlia season!
However, if (like me) you’re just not content with sitting around, there are several things you can do now to prepare for an amazing dahlia season next year.
Sonic Bloom
1. Prepare your soil. First off, take your soil test. Fall is the best time for soil testing on a regular basis. And it’s a really good idea to take the test around the same time each year. This way you can compare your progress from year to year. Fall is also a good time because any amendments you need to add take time to incorporate into your soil. The winter gives you time for this incorporation to happen.
After soil testing and adding any amendments you need, think about the texture and drainage of your soil. The handy thing about dahlias is that they tell you what they need in the soil. If your soil doesn’t drain well enough, you’ll see lenticles on your tubers. If the soil lacked food, the plant will grow small and spindly and usually the tubers will be small and not prolific. The visual appearances of the plant and tubers tell you what you need to know.
We are strategically adding compost and shredded leaves in several places this fall. We’ve identified where our drainage was poor and are working to correct it. Keep in mind that soil improvements can take several seasons. (This is why you want to take soil test each year— they help you to know if you are moving in the right direction.)
Muchacha
2. Research. It’s time for one of my favorite parts of growing dahlias— Deciding what varieties to add to my field for the next year. You can do this many ways— just add what’s pretty or decide you need more of a specific color or form. What suits you. Since we are a commercial cut flower farm, we are always looking for great cut flower varieties and varieties that thrive in heat. Those are the main priorities. After that, I usually assess my current collection to see what colors I need to increase. I try to ascertain what the color trends are going to be 2-3 years out because it can take that long to build up enough stock of a particular color.
I like to use Dahlia Addict (www.dahliaaddict.com) to begin my research as this site shows who has what and when it’s for sale. I also save pictures from Instagram all season long. Now if the time to review them. We all know that it’s easy to get dahlia mania and to want them all. But I’ve found that it’s good to have some goals when adding to your collection- this helps keep the dahlia hobby from breaking the bank! (I know you all know what I mean!)
Second, you can also research any problems you had- specific pests, not enough water available or if you had some climate type issues- how to deal with them. It’s beneficial to think through these things when you are not in the stress of the main growing season. There’s often more mental space to solve a problem.
Esli
3. Organize your game plan. One of the best things I did this past year was to stop mid season and get organized in regards to my feeding and pest management. I created a spreadsheet where we could record what we were fertilizing with each week and also what pesticides we used. This year, I’ll be adding a column to track what pests where in the field and when. We would scout each week but didn’t write down exactly what we saw. Lastly, we recorded what we sprayed for fungus issues too.
I know how hard it is to keep up with this stuff during the season so make your game plan now. Buy what you need before the season begins. Also figure out a strategy to ensure your don’t put off feeding and spraying your plants. They really do produce and give back to you when you take care of them. If you are a farmer- delegate this to an employee. That was also one of the best decisions I made. They have less floating around their minds in regard to the farm and can make the job a priority. This delegation ensured it got done on time every week! And our stem production and tuber harvest was better for it!
You can also set a record keeping system for other data in winter: storing pictures, recording bloom dates, stem counts. All those things you wish you had done at the end of the season. Go make a list and then work through setting up the systems you need through the winter.
It’s too busy in the middle of harvesting to invent a system so do it during the winter when it’s slow!
These are three of the best things you can do to ensure a great dahlia season for 2024!!
My Top 5 Cut Flower Dahlias for 2023
I’ve written a lot about cut flower dahlias so this is by no means an exhaustive list. In fact, last year, I released a list of 20+ Great Cut Flower Dahlias. This list is meant to be 5 new varieties that I really felt stood out this year.
Top 5 Cut Flower Varieties:
The first 2 are new to the farm this year but they really stood out. The last 3 we have been growing a few years and they’ve become clear winners for productivity and excellent growth.
All That Jazz:
All That Jazz— and yeah, it definitely is! Mid season prolific bloomer on strong stems, 4’ in height. It’s really hard to capture the color accurately. But it hits the popular rust tone that all my florists customers have been asking for! Later in the season, the bronze tips get a bit more prominent and the rust mellows a bit. Good vase life too- avg 5-6 days.
Cryfield Harmony:
I’m going to preface this with— this one is for the cool climate folks. I wish she was heat tolerant because she bloomed steady from early August until frost in November. But in high heat she shows a big yellow center. But if you are a cool climate grower, I’d recommend this one— strong stems, steady bloomer and the color goes with a lot of other shades. I found I used her a lot in bouquet work. Excellent vase life 6-7+ days regularly.
Caitlyn’s Joy:
This one truly is a joy! Prolific bloomer— although they do come all in a flush over about 4 weeks. Same growth habit as Cornel, Cornel Bronze (all it’s siblings). I love the color change on it— it’s pinky in heat but then gets this gorgeous muddy mauve as it cools down. Good sub for Jowey Winnie since the Jowey’s don’t do well in high heat/humidity.
Copper Boy:
I love the color on this- rusty red with copper tips as she fades! Great sub for Brown Sugar. Not super tall - similar in growth habit to Cornel. Seems to throw a lot of blooms in a flush over a few weeks versus a steady bloomer. Early to mid bloomer- I like to plant a bit late so it begins in mid September through October when this color is really popular.
Tahoma Curve:
This dahlia has just wormed it’s way up into my favorites list over the years. Why? It’s dependable, long lasting, no trouble to grow and it has great vase life! It’s more peachy/gold two toned in high heat and more gold in cooler weather. I’ve noticed that cactus and semi-cactus varieties seem to have better vase life and this one doesn’t disappoint in that department. Definitely here to stay on my farm!
Special Mention: KA Mocha Katie:
I’ve only had this one 2 years and last year it didn’t do great. But this year it did amazing- steady prolific bloomer. The coloring changes- it’s lighter and more yellow in high heat and then darker in cooler weather. I’m going to keep evaluating but I think this one has potential for high heat/humidity growers.
All the above varieties (except KA Mocha Katie) will be available in our tuber sales this year. Some of them might not be available until the New Year’s Day sale though.
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!