Summer Dahlias: Juicy Sweet Berry Tones
These dahlias scream summer to me because they remind me of all the delicious berries available roaming the countryside! Ok- it’s more like shopping my local farmers market but a girl can dream can’t she?
Jabberbox- Oh she’s so good. The perfect magenta raspberry pink! I would really like to know the story behind her name though. You’d think she’d be something with raspberry or strawberry kiss or something like that! Strong stems, doesn’t mind the heat, steady bloomer.
Sweet Fabienne- she’s the perfect pink and sometimes gets laciniate petals which I love! Prolific and steady bloomer- has the same growth habit of Linda’s Baby.
Lynn Slight- Deep dark berry tones. This one is a good alternate if you don’t like Diva- although I’m not sure if anyone doesn’t like Diva. But she’s similar, a little smaller though. Also blooms a little earlier than Diva- that can be a nice quality.
Doodlebug- Gotta love the name. I like dahlias with fun names! This dahlia can be pinker red in a cooler year or red with some golden highlights if it’s hotter. Either way, it’s a perfect summer berry color!
Like Totally…Totally Tangerine!
Like Totally— go ahead and say it in your best valley girl voice! Totally Tangerine is one dahlia that I’ve never found anyone who didn’t like it!
She doesn’t have the greatest vase life but well worth growing for your own enjoyment. She’s quick to bloom and will give you lots of blooms if you deadhead- multiple buds per stem. Then once all those buds have opened, cut it back by half and it will give you another flush. Great garden dahlia!
My Favorite Autumn Dahlias
I always begin an autumn bouquet with the same few dahlias- never fails. Here are my top 4 autumn favorites:
Miss Amara- Why is she my go to? Because this dahlia goes with everything! Even in her different colorings, she still works with everything. And she blends all the other colors together. Therefore making a seamless color palette for your bouquet. If you struggle to put together color palettes, get Miss Amara- she’ll make everything right!
Valley Rust Bucket- Every time I see this dahlia, I think of mini pumpkins. She’s definitely the accent bloom in a fall bouquet- the one that should sit a bit higher than everyone else so you don’t lose her to some showoff fluffy dinnerplate. She’s small but mighty and too good to not have in your collection!
Small Burgundy- One of these days I’m going to figure out the exact name of this variety. I think most of them are black satin at this point. There were a few others mixed in but I think they have phased out over time. Burgundy is a hard color to find in florals but I feel that burgundy dahlias are one of the truest burgundy flowers out there! Burgundy screams fall and add a bit of drama to any bouquet.
Sylvia- It’s fall, you gotta have some orange. I like Sylvia because she’s orange but not such an in your face color as other oranges- very pleasant. I don’t want orange screaming in my face. It needs to just subtly be there. Sylvia is very heat tolerant too!
Grab a few new additions to your Fall bouquets- these 4 go with just about anything else you have in your garden in Fall!
Orange Globe: Why do they call this orange?
Why do they call this orange? That’s always the first question when people see an Orange Globe dahlia. It’s definitely not what you would think of as orange.
It’s like calling purple flowers blue! Anyways…..
No matter what you call it, Orange Globe is beautiful! I love it because it’s a nice big dahlia- really has some presence to it! The color is perfect for fall- goes with so many other varieties and pretty much anything you would have blooming in your garden August through October! It’s heat tolerant, easy to grow and a must have!
All in the Family Dahlias
I like to call this group- The Sibling Dahlias. Sometimes I even plant them all together just so I can tell people about them when they come to visit the farm. Cornel is the original, bred a long time ago by Cor Geerlings (Geerlings Dahlia) in the Netherlands. The variety often sports so several other dahlias have come from this line. I grow these three on a consistent basis, although I have tried the others.
Cornel is the perfect red, deep and crimson. I don’t grow a lot of red dahlias but I’ll always grow this one.
Cornel Bronze- sometimes it amazes me how popular this dahlia still is after how long it’s been around. But then it blooms and I remember just how great it is- perfect for just about any situation. The best autumnal tone!
Caitlyn’s Joy- This one is a color changer- darker pinky/purple in heat and fades to more of a muted mauve tone when it cools. Perfect for blending colors together.
