One thing I love about dahlias is that there are so many varieties. They come in a dazzling range of colours, sizes, and forms, with enough variety to satisfy everyone’s taste. I love to select a few new dahlia varieties each year to add to my garden. And maybe you do too! If so, read on. In this post, I share some of my favourites that look good in both your garden as well as the vase. I hope this helps you discover some new dahlia varieties.
It’s spring here in the Netherlands, but it is still really cold. Last week I wrote a blog post about dahlia Sweet Nathalie and as I looked through last year’s photos, I got more and more excited about the new dahlia season. So here are a few more favourite dahlia varieties, I hope to see them in bloom soon. If you can think of another dahlia variety I should definitely grow, please let me know! I am always open to suggestions.
American Dawn
Last year was my first year growing dahlia American Dawn and I loved it! A beautiful colour, though hard to describe. Terracotta maybe? And the petals are purple at the back. Just gorgeous.
American Dawn dahlia is a member of the decorative dahlias. Decorative dahlias have flat, broad petals. The big blooms of American Dawn contrast beautifully with the dark stems and lush green foliage, perfect for the garden. Because of the long, sturdy stems it’s also an excellent cut flower. In addition, it was one of my most productive dahlias last season. I think it’s a must grow!
- Flower type: decorative
- Flower size: 15 cm (6 inch)
- Height: 90 cm (36 inch)
Peaches n’ Cream
Peaches n’ Cream is another favourite variety. Highly productive, it didn’t suffer from the heatwave we had last year as much as the other dahlias, and such a pretty flower. I wrote an entire blog post about this popular variety, in which I called her perfect Peaches n’ Cream. Such pretty colours; orange, peach, pink and white. And wavy petals with a soft shine, just like silk. Another must grow, but tubers are hard to come by. I have had more than one request for Peaches n’ Cream, but it doesn’t produce that many tubers, so I don’t have any to spare!
- Flower type: decorative
- Flower size: 12-15 cm (4 inch)
- Height: 90 cm (36 inch)
Darkarin
This was my first time growing Darkarin and I loved it. Darkarin is a peony dahlia. Peony dahlias have open centred flowers with two or more rows of large and voluptuous petals surrounding a disc. Because of the open centres, they are very attractive to bees and butterflies. The only other peony dahlia I have grown is Classic Poème, another truly beautiful variety. Just like Classic Poème, Darkarin has deep green to dark bronze foliage. Very dramatic!
Darkarin flowered at the beginning of July, suffered from the heat and flowered again in October. I didn’t have many flowers so I can’t fully recommend it. But if you have space, I think it’s worth a try.
- Flower type: peony
- Flower size: 10-12 cm (4 inch)
- Height: 90 cm (36 inch)
Anemone flowered dahlias
I have a weakness for anemone flowered dahlias. I always grow several varieties, you can find Blue Bayou, Mambo, and Rock Star on my blog. Another anemone flowered dahlia is Soulman, a wonderful burgundy red variety with an extra ruffle of petals at its heart. I love the slim stems that are the exact same colour as the flower. Dahlia Totally Tangerine is an old-time favourite. It’s always one of the first dahlias to bloom. Plants are short and flowers don’t last very long in the vase but my dahlia garden wouldn’t be the same without it.
- Flower type: anemone flowered
- Flower size: 10 cm (4 inch)
- Height: Soulman 90 cm (36 inch), Totally Tangerine 60 cm (24 inch)
More dahlia varieties
Preference is a small cactus dahlia in a beautiful salmon pink colour and a trusted favourite. It’s not very spectacular, but very productive and reliable. Because of the relatively small flowers, it’s perfect for flower arrangements.
Wizard of Oz is a cute pompom dahlia. Its pale pink colour and long stems make it a must have for flower arrangers.
Brown Sugar is a very strong, floriferous dahlia with super-strong, straight stems. Beautiful large ball-shaped flowers with unique colouring, the petals are rusty orange and red at the back.
Burlesca is a real gem. The small pompoms and raspberry colour distinguishes it from the rest. But their real unique feature is the perfect symmetrical petal arrangement. Beautiful, useful and highly recommended!
Jowey Frambo was a bit of a disappointment. Nothing wrong with the plant, but the flowers had yellow centres and turned more and more yellow during the season. Won’t grow it again, just like Linda’s Baby. Such a pretty dahlia but not very floriferous. One year I had just one flower. I have a small dahlia garden so I’m ruthless about what goes in from one year to the next, especially as I always want to try new varieties. So it’s Hasta la vista, Linda’s baby!
I am not a professional gardener and only have a small space for growing my dahlias. Obviously, there are so many more dahlia varieties. Floret has a very informative post, especially for my American readers. I hope you found this post helpful and wish you lots of growing success. Until next time!
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