Dahlia Daze!

Summer is here and so are the dahlias!

Dahlias were once thought of as solely a garden flower. Over the past decade they have become a huge part of our cut flower world. Breeders and growers have been working together to perfect varieties that are favorable in color, high quality and long vase life. Their origin is from Mexico, where they were found in the wild. At that time they were all single bloom eight petaled flowers in only a few colors. They were used for  ‘medicinal’ purposes for centuries. Eventually in the 18th century dahlias were brought to Europe and hybridized. In present day, dahlias can be categorized in 5 basic groups: Single, pom pon, water lily, cushion and Dinner plate. These describe the shape of the flower.

Single have a single row of petals and are found in a variety of colors, they also tend to be the least popular in cut flowers but are vigorous for the garden. Pom pon are the round shaped dahlias that can also be found in a vast array of colors.  Water lily shaped dahlias are just as you would imagine, long clustered petals multi layered with some space between rows. Pom pon are similar to the water lily only they are a tighter grouping of petals and these have the widest selection of colors. Lastly are the ‘dinner plate’ varieties. The term dinner plate is appropriate because these varieties are bred to be huge, often larger than an actual dinner plate. Possible the most common dinner plate variety is Café Au Lait.

In general, dahlias have to be cut showing more color and in an open stage compared to some other cut flowers. That is the only way to capture the true colors they were bred to produce. This can create some issues when shipping them, especially for the dinner plate varieties. Dahlia growers have been diligently working to have the best possible packing that considers both care of the flower as well as hydration. They have found that shipping dahlias in a procona bucket with the cardboard sleeve in place is the best way to limit damage and maximize hydration.

Pack sizes will vary as the season progresses because the flowers become larger and stems thicker. With wedding season in full swing dahlias will most likely be a bride favorite!

California has some of the best quality and selection in dahlias and some farmers are now in year round production. With their unique shapes and sizes and array of colors dahlias have fast become a staple cut flower throughout the world. There are some examples of what California has to offer below!