Dahlias offer an endless variety of colors with their beautiful flowers. We have summarized the most beautiful and popular varieties for you.
dahlias (dahlias) are among the ornamental plants with the most unusual flower shapes and colors in this country. They are valued by hobby gardeners due to their particularly long flowering period, as the plants often flower well into autumn. But which is actually the right type of dahlia for my garden? We answer these and many other questions on the subject of variety diversity below.
Buying dahlias: as tubers or in pots?
As with many other flowering plants in the garden, the first question that arises here is: should one prefer to buy tubers and plant them or save yourself the work and go directly to a plant in a pot acquire? First of all, it can be said that buying tubers is both cheaper and quicker, as they can be purchased at any garden center or hardware store. Planting your own tubers generally requires little effort. A decisive advantage of the purchased plant, on the other hand, is that the dahlia blooms earlier due to the advance in time. However, if you prefer bulbs in early spring (March), you can shorten the time until the start of flowering by a few weeks in this way too.
Dahlia as a tuber: Don't forget to dig up in the fall
When cultivating outdoors, the following applies: For Overwintering Dahlias the tubers have to be dug up every year in autumn to protect them from frost during the cold season. With dahlias in a pot, you can skip this step - however, the pot with the bulb must also be placed in a frost-free place.
Dahlia Varieties: Discover Infinite Diversity
To give you an overview of the variety of dahlia varieties, we present the most important ones here. Dahlias fall into a variety of categories based on flower shape:
- Anemone Flowering Dahlias: Unusual appearance with tubular petals in the center and flat on the edge; often bicolored; Popular varieties: 'Honey' (red-yellow), 'Siemen Doorenbosch' (pink-yellow)
- Ball Dahlias: Round and small flowers; characteristic spherical shape; slightly curled petals; Popular varieties: 'Peter' (pink), 'Marble Ball' (red-white)
- Single flowering dahlias: Simple flowers with few petals; very original appearance; also includes the popular small mignon dahlias; ideal for pot culture; Popular Varieties: 'Mount Noddy' (purple), 'Sneezy' (white)
- Ruff Dahlias: Flat flowers of large and smaller, spreading petals; collar-like appearance; Popular Varieties: 'Night Butterfly' (dark red), 'Don Lorenzo' (red and cream)
- Deer Antler Dahlias: Fringed-forked and protruding petals; Popular varieties: 'Galaxy' (purple), 'Alauna Clair-Obscur' (dark purple-white)
- Cactus Dahlias: Round flower heads with pointed petals; "spiky" look and great variety of colors; Popular varieties: 'Cheerio' (red-white), 'Joker' (light yellow-pink), 'City of Rotterdam' (orange-red, perfect for keeping in tubs)
- Pompom Dahlias: Round flower with fully curled petals; very decorative; Popular varieties: 'Rocco' (purple), 'Tip Top Wien' (light pink-dark red)
- Orchid Flowering Dahlias: Pointed petals pointing outwards; both simple and double varieties; Popular varieties: 'Pink Giraffe' (pink), 'Honka Red' (red)
- Ornamental Dahlias/Decorative Dahlias: Includes many different stuffed varieties; closely standing petals; very decorative; Popular variety: ‘Arabian Night’ (dark red)
- Waterlily Dahlias: Flat flower with petals leading outwards; similar to a water lily; Popular varieties: 'Paso Doble' (red-yellow), 'Creme de Cassis' (pink-violet)
- Semi-cactus dahlias: Similar to cactus dahlias but wider and more open petals; Popular varieties: 'Dutch Explosion' (white-pink), 'Aramis' (dark red)
To ensure that your dahlias bloom beautifully, you will find our best tips here flowering and healthy dahlias.