Dahlia

Dahlia

Dahlia selections

Nothing beats a dahlia for summer color. Growing these varied, spiky flowers is like having a box of garden crayons at your disposal. The flowers form on branching, fleshy stems or open in solitary splendor on the bedding-plant types in mid- to late summer. Several different flower categories, from the petite mignonettes to the gigantic dinner-plate dahlias, offer possibilities for any space.

Expert dahlia growers recommend pinching off the first crop of side flower buds to encourage vigorous plant branching and larger flowers in peak season. All dahlias are fodder for brilliant seasonal cut bouquets and are always one of the most popular cut flowers at local farmers' markets. Their blooming season extends into fall and is only halted by the first frost.

Gardeners in climates colder than Zone 8 should cut back the withered foliage after the first frost and dig up tubers to store over winter. For a fast start with dahlia plants before it's safe to plant outdoors, pot the tubers up, water sparingly and grow in a sunny location until sprouts appear, and then transplant outdoors after the last frost.

Light:

Sun

Zones:

8-10

Plant Type:

Bulb

Plant Height:

12 inches-5 feet tall

Plant Width:

To 2 feet wide

Landscape Uses:

Containers, Beds & Borders, Groundcover

Special Features:

Flowers, Attractive Foliage, Cut Flowers, Attracts Hummingbirds, Attracts Butterflies, Drought Tolerant, Easy to Grow

Top Varieties

Arabian Night dahlia

(Dahlia 'Arabian Night') offers deep maroon, almost black, blooms that open several to a stem and grows 3 feet tall. Zones 8-10
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Bishop of Llandaff dahlia

(Dahlia 'Bishop of Llandaff') bears dark fiery-red blooms shaped like small peonies that glow against deep chocolate foliage. This prize-winning dahlia grows to 50 inches tall. Zones 8-10
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Chinese Lantern dahlia

(Dahlia 'Chinese Lantern') bears huge, bittersweet orange blooms that appear abundantly on branching stems from midsummer to fall. It grows 3 to 4 feet tall. Zones 8-10
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Duet dahlia

(Dahlia 'Duet') features medium-sized red blooms tipped in white. It grows 3 feet tall. Zones 8-10
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Envy dahlia

(Dahlia 'Envy') offers large, deep red blooms. It grows 5 feet tall. Zones 8-10
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Jessica dahlia

(Dahlia 'Jessica') is a cactus-type dahlia that unfurls butter yellow petals tipped in flame red. It grows 5 feet tall. Zones 8-10
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Pam Howden dahlia

(Dahlia 'Pam Howden') is an abundantly blooming variety that features 2- to 4-inch-wide water-lily style flowers in an orange-yellow-coral blend. The plant grows 4 feet tall. Zones 8-10
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Penn's Gift dahlia

(Dahlia 'Penn's Gift') is known for its large pink flowers that can reach more than 1 foot across. It grows 5 feet tall. Zones 8-10
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Radar dahlia

(Dahlia 'Radar') is a large, informal decorative-type that features deep plum-purple petals tipped in white. It grows 5 feet tall. Zones 8-10
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SB's Sunny dahlia

(Dahlia 'SB's Sunny') is an award-winning variety that features layers of lemon yellow petals tightly clustered on a round, pom pom flower. It grows 4 feet tall. Zones 8-10
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Sharon Ann dahlia

(Dahlia 'Sharon Ann') is a semi-cactus-type dahlia with spiky light lavender petals unfolding from a creamy white center. It grows 5 feet tall. Zones 8-10
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Star Gazer series dahlia

(Dahlia 'Star Gazer') is a dwarf, cactus-flowered dahlia that produces spiky blooms in nine colors, including golds, yellows, deep reds, fuchsia, lavender, and bicolors with white. The multibranching plants grow 16 inches tall. Zones 8-10
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Suffolk Punch dahlia

(Dahlia 'Suffolk Punch') offers cherry red flowers with an iridescent pink overtone bloom on dark stems. It grows 4 feet tall. Zones 8-10.
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Survivor dahlia

(Dahlia 'Survivor') is a large decorative type that features deep rose-pink blooms that can reach 12 inches across. It grows 5 feet tall. Zones 8-10
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Victory Dwarf dahlia

(Dahlia 'Victory Dwarf') is a small, single-flowered variety that produces gem-like blooms in red, orange, yellow, and white. It grows to 8 inches tall. Zones 8-10.
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