Aw Dahlias! I’ve always wanted to grow them here at Grandma’s house but admittedly I’ve always been quite intimated by non-perennial flowers. Maybe I’m just lazy lol but I never looked forward to the idea of having to dig up all of my flower bulbs every fall and replant them every spring. I figured I’d stick with my peonies and lilies. But dahlias are such a lovely romantic flower maybe I might have to consider purchasing some dahlia bulbs this spring!
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From miniature pom-poms to giant dinner plates, dahlias are loved by gardeners and florists for their vibrant colors and adorable blooms. They bloom from midsummer until frost, bringing fresh beauty to beds, environs, bathtubs and balcony boxes. There are over 57000 cultivars across the world. Amongst so many choices, it becomes difficult to select a certain type of dahlia or fetch the best dahlia tubers for your garden.
Dahlias grow in many different colors and shapes. It is not difficult to breed, and even amateurs can grow beautiful dahlias. The genus Dahlia belongs to the Asteraceae family. The so-called dahlia flower is an inflorescence consisting of many flowers or florets arranged in a unique way. The outer ray florets are all flower-colored, and the male organs have been changed to string-like petals, while the inner disc-like florets are yellow.
Star Dahlias
Star dahlias are easy to bloom. They blossom with little details, and the blooms are small. It consists of two to three rows of near to pointed petals in the shape of a multi-structured flower. The petals are slightly incurved and form a cup surrounding the central disk.
Anemone Flowered Dahlias
Anemone grouped dahlias fall under a group of flowers that have a dense structure in the shape of a dome. It has a central disc of florets in a tubular form surrounded by an outer ring. The outer ring is made of beautiful petals in vibrant colors.
Collarette Dahlias
The flowers from the collarette dahlias usually resemble the singles. However, there is an extra ring of minor petals or the collar, as they say. This additional layer of petals makes it bright and voluminous. The small petals are half the length of the exterior or outer petals. You can easily get dahlia tubers for sale across the world. Night Butterfly is a great citation of a Collarette Dahlia, with deep red outer petals and ruffled inner white and pink petals neighboring a yellow center. 2 to 4-inch flowers on 3-foot tall stems.
Decorative Dahlias
The blooms of decorative dahlias are entirely double. The central disk available in the blooms is not visible till they are aged. The color makes it look elegant, and as the name suggests, the decorative element adds a friendly touch. The petals or collars are broad and flat with a blunt point.
Formal ornamental flowers have evenly spaced petals and a symmetrical capitulum, while informal ornamental flowers have twisted or wavy petals in a further irregular arrangement. ‘Gitz Perfection’, with 10-inch (25.4 cm) pale pink dish-shaped flowers that fade to a creamy white center, is an unofficial ornamental variety.
Cactus Dahlias
Similar to decorative dahlias, cactus dahlias also have entirely double blooms. Petals belonging to this group of dahlias are usually more pointed and narrower, resembling cactus spines and thus the name. At times, the petals of the flowers tend to curve backward and give an extra look to the entire flower. You can buy these flowers online easily and make your garden space happy.
Double Show Fancy Dahlias
The blooms belonging to the group are entirely double. They are covered with little central florets, almost globular in shape. The margins of the double show fancy flower petals are tubular, incurved, and blunt at the opening of the mouth. These flowers are approximately 10 cm in diameter. The circular blend makes it even more beautiful and vibrant.
Ball and Miniature Ball Dahlias
The globular type is completely double-flowered, slightly flattened, and spherical, and the petals are crumpled, curled (curved inward) and arranged in a beautiful spiral. Petal tips may be blunt, flattened, or indented. The miniature ball type has the same flower shape but a smaller size. Ivanetti displays 3 to 4-inch deep purple flowers on 3 to 4-foot long stems. The globular flowers make a breathtaking impact on the field and cut flower arrangements.
Laciniated Dahlias
Laciniated dahlias have quite uniformly designed and arranged florets. These florets radiate from an open center or a disc with revolution and involute edges. There is a lengthwise split at the tips of the florets, and petals, which gives a fringed appearance similar to a carnation.
Mignon Single
Mignon single is an open flower, with a single row of light ray florets slightly overlapping on a flat surface surrounding a central disc, which can be tightly curled or spread into a pincushion. The delicate 4-inch flowers look great planted together in beds and borders and come in a wide range of colors. Compact plants reach heights of 1 to 2 feet.
Orchid
It might sound strange, but orchids are also a form of dahlias that brightens up your garden space easily. The orchid type has open flowers with an original row of even, light-ray florets surrounding a narrow disc-shaped center. The buds are curled over at least two-thirds of their dimension, giving a limited, curled effect.’Honka Pink’ is a lightly scented orchid species with dark pink petals paling to soft pink and white toward the base and enclosing a bright yellow center. Flowers 4 inches wide is light and long. It stands upright on a 3-foot stem.
Orecchiette
The Orchette type is a complex flower, combining the curled petal characteristics of the orchid dahlia with a focal fringe of short petals encompassing a typical collarette-shapedcentral disc. The petals are flat or slightly arched towards the center of the flower.
Peony
Peony species exhibit open flowers with two or more rows appropriate to flat or slightly cupped ray florets enveloping a central disc of open anthers on crisp filaments. Winner of the 1994 RHS Award of Garden Merit, Fascination is a compact peony species with pale pink petals surrounding a dark center. The flowers are 5 to 6 inches in diameter and are carried on sturdy stems that are 3 to 4 feet tall.
Conclusion
Dahlias are bright, vibrant colored flowers that look beautiful in your garden space. There are multiple forms of dahlias available in the entire floret market. However, selecting the best dahlia tuber is a challenge. To guide you to fetch the best dahlia for your garden space, here is a list of the top flowers.
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Such beautiful flowers!
Thank you Alexandra!