THE FABULOUS WORLD OF DAHLIAS May 19, 2019
XXL Sunset Dahlia

It’s that time of the year to plant Dahlias again. So, I thought it would be the perfect time to share some interesting facts about the fabulous world of dahlias.

The dahlia flowers and tubers are edible, but I recommend growing them for their beauty instead.

The Sublime World of Dahlias

Common Name | Dahlia
Botanical Name | Dahlia
Family | Asteraceae
Type | Tuberous perennial
Origin | Central America

The Sublime World of Dahlias
Zone | In 8-11 zones, dahlias can grow and overwinter in your garden. Fortunately for the rest of us in zones 2-7, we can still grow dahlias, but we have to winterize them every year. This means digging up the tubers and keeping them safe until the temperature is appropriate for planting again.

The Sublime World of Dahlias

Points of Interest |

  • There are 42 species of dahlia and thousands of different varieties.
  • The formation of each flower is disc florets inside (stamen) and ray florets outside (petals).
  • One head per stem can have anywhere from 200-300 ray florets.
  • If you cut a dahlia while still in bud form, it will not bloom as a cut flower. It needs to be three-quarters to fully open before cutting.
  • The dahlia flowers and tubers are edible, but I recommend growing them for their beauty instead.

The Sublime World of Dahlias

General Care |

  • Dahlias prefer moist, humus-rich, well-drained soil in full sun.
  • Keep well fed with nitrogen rich fertilizer about once a week until blooms appear, then switch to a potassium rich fertilizer.
  • Water regularly once plants emerge.
  • Deadhead and cut blooms to encourage more.

The Sublime World of Dahlias

Purchasing | Even though the best time of year to purchase dahlias is in the fall for the following spring planting (after the last frost), you can still get them now to plant for this summer. You can typically find them at your local nurse and here are a few websites that I came across that have them in stock currently.

There is much more to learn about the history of the fabulous world of dahlias and their care, but don’t let that stop you from growing your own. They are not as elusive as one might think. The joy dahlias can bring to your garden and as cut flowers will be a wonderful reward for taking the leap.

Share with me below: What is your favorite dahlia to grow?

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XXL Sunset Dahlia. Photographed @ My Cutting Garden.

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