Dahlias can be started indoors in individual pots with damp peat moss and vermiculite. You must use caution when transplanting them outdoors. Plant dahlias outdoors after all danger of frost has passed. Choose a sunny site with well-drained, sandy soil. Dig a hole a little larger than the 2” you’ll need to plant the Dahlia. Amend soil with peat moss or compost. Replace about half the soil, then place tubers flat and cover with remaining soil. Space tubers 12-36" apart depending on variety. Water after planting and not again until shoots appear. Stake plants. As plants grow increase watering. Fertilize sparingly. Pinch and disbud dahlias for later and larger flowers. Buds tend to grow in threes; two-sided ones should carefully be pinched to develop the central bloom. This is especially important with border or pot plant dahlias. If the plants are not pinched back, they will not retain their low compact size. Dahlias are one of the most amazing flowers on planet earth.

In areas with winter freeze, carefully dig the tubers in fall after the frost kills the foliage. Cut the stalk approximately 6" above the tuber. Dahlias should be dried for only a couple of hours before storing in plastic-lined shallow boxes with a blanket of vermiculite or peat moss. Hardy in Zones 8-10.

Some of our Favorite Dahlias:

Blue Star Dahlia

Perhaps the finest Decorative Dahlia we've ever been able to obtain for export to America. European gardeners treasure the unique flowers of this hybrid - and you will, too! This charming Dahlia produces a parade of exquisite, 4-6" lavender blue blooms. Plant #1 field grown clumps 18-24" apart in full sun to partial shade. After experiencing Blue Star's beauty in your garden and bouquets, you'll see why Breck's has reserved Holland's entire 2005 crop. Grows 2-3' tall. Lift in fall. (buy)

Mexico Sun Dahlia Mixture

Go "south of the border" in your garden next summer with this festive mix of top-quality dahlias. Carefully chosen by our experts in Holland, our coloured-coordinated blend will your borders and bouquets a designer look at a tiny fraction of the cost. Bold, 5-7" blooms of sunny yellow, orange and white appear week after week from summer through fall, just when the garden most needs a lift. Grows 3-4' tall and blooms summer to frost. Plant #1 clumps 2-3' apart. Lift in fall. (buy)

Emperor Colossal Dahlia
	The striking, rich purple blooms of this impressive variety are a full 6" across and are carried on strong stems. These velvety blooms provide a highlight for both borders and bouquets. Space #1 clumps 2-3' apart in full sun to partial shade. Grows 3-4' high. Lift in fall. This is one amazing Dahlia. (buy)

Quick Dahlias Fact:

Dahlia is a genus of bushy, summer- and autumn-flowering, tuberous perennials that are originally from Mexico, where they are the national flower.

In 1872 a box of Dahlia roots were sent from Mexico to the Netherlands. Only one plant survived the trip, but produced spectacular red flowers with pointed petals. Nurserymen bred from this plant, which was named Dahlia juarezii with parents of Dahlias discovered earlier and these are the progenitors of all modern Dahlia hybrids. Ever since, plant breeders have been actively breeding Dahlias to produce hundreds of cultivars, usually chosen for their stunning and brightly coloured flowers.

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Dahlia

Dahlia Defined :

dahlia (däl'y?, dal'–) [for Anders Dahl, 1751–89, Swedish botanist and pupil of Linnaeus], any plant of the genus Dahlia of the family Asteraceae (aster family), tuberous-rooted perennials native to Mexico and Guatemala and widely cultivated in gardens. Most of the several thousand horticultural varieties have been developed from the single species (D. pinnata) of garden dahlia introduced into cultivation in England c.1800, but other species and hybrids, e.g., the cactus dahlia (D. juarezii) are also grown. Dahlias are stout and rather woody plants, some species reaching the stature of small trees, with late-blooming flowers in a wide range of colors and sizes. The tubers of the garden dahlia were one source of fructose, used by diabetics. Dahlias are classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Asterales, family Asteraceae. If you need to learn more about the dahlia or have quesitons about how to grow or plant the dahlia please do not hesitate to ask.

More Dahlia Fact Sheets:

Duet Dahlia, Red Cap Dahlia