Dahlia Classification

I am excited to kick off this season with hopefully a very informative first newsletter. Dahlias are firmly back in fashion and are one of my favorite things to grow. Their showy blooms make a statement either in your garden or in a vase. They flower prolifically in a wide range of vibrant colors from summer well into autumn and growing them bring me so much joy! Let's dive into the wonderful world of dahlias. From pompons to dinner-plates, we'll explore all the different classifications available in the world of dahlias.  For easy accessibility my dahlia tubers can be searched by these classifications, in the main menu choose SHOP BY FORM and start shopping for your favorite type.

Formal Decorative Dahlias

A bucket full of White Satin Collection

I think decorative dahlias are the most well known type. Favorites in this group include Boom Boom, Thomas Edison and Snowbound. The large, showy blooms have a more uniform and refined quality than some other types, and they are a stunning addition to large arrangements. Most of the dinner-plates fall into this group. They’re the largest of all the dahlias and flowers can be up to 25cm in diameter.

Informal Decorative Dahlias

Informal decorative dahlias are large irregular dahlias with long, wavy petals. The generous petals of these flowers can get so long that they almost appear twisted or curled towards the pointed tips. I think Café au Lait is probably the most famous dahlia out there.

The famous dahlia Café au Lait 

Semi Cactus Dahlias 

Semi cactus dahlias are a particularly unique type of dahlias with curled cactus-type petals that curve upwards toward the center of the flower. The upwards curl of the petals gives these flowers a fun-loving cheerful appearance. I never used to like these type of dahlias until this season when Tahiti Sunrise stole my heart.

The stunner Tahiti Sunrise

Cactus Dahlias 

Cactus dahlias belong to a specialty-type category with flowers that feature long, skinny petals, resulting in a spiky appearance. These unique flowers are typically large and come in various shades, with tubular petals that are straight and uniform in length.  Preference and MC Fanta O is some of my favorites, but this pink beauty is called Park Princess.

Park Princess is truly a workhorse in my field

Laciniated

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.

Ball Dahlias

Ball dahlias are puffy rounded dahlias with neatly-arranged layers of uniform rounded petals. This near-spherical type is one of the most popular types of dahlias due to their uniform appearance and long vase life as cut flowers. They are also known for being quite easy to grow. The most famous of all the ball dahlias must be Cornel Red, the poster child for the Cornel family.  Copper Boy, Sandra and Snow Cap are also top choices for beginners to grow.

Cornel Red, Ivanetti , Caitlin's Joy and Cornel Bronze

Pompom Dahlias

Pompon dahlias are tiny ball dahlias with a diameter less than 5 cm. They are wonderful displayed all on their own in a vase or used as a filler flower in a larger arrangement. Rocco, Kasasagi and Maaike are my favorite pompons I grow.

A hand full of Rocco blooms

Stellar

The ray florets of a Stellar dahlia are long and narrow along their length with preferably pointed tips like a star.  All the ray florets will recurve toward the stem.

Waterlily Dahlias

Well, I can write a whole newsletter just about waterlily dahlias.  This group of dahlias is the reason I fell in love with dahlias.  There is not a big variety of waterlilies available in South Africa, but I am growing out about 15 new varieties to hopefully share with you next year. These beautiful flowers with saucer-like cupped petals are so gracious.  The gently-rounded petals do have a slight point, but the flowers have a soft and delicate waterlily-like appearance. Apricot Desire is so prolific and at the top of my list, but I also love Nepos, Pink Magic and Peace Pact.

My favorite waterlily Apricot Desire

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.

Anemone Dahlias

The anemone dahlia category is a unique class of dahlias with a fluffy puff-ball center surrounded by flat outer petals. These flowers don’t necessarily look like dahlias and truly do resemble anemone flowers with an added dome-like center. There are some lovely anemone dahlia varieties and Floret is the one who made me aware of how beautiful they rely are.  They are the pollinator favorites in my field.  Sadly I only have two anemone dahlias to share this season, Mambo and Totally Tangerine, but next season I will have a few new ones which I am very excited about.

 

Beautiful Anemone Mambo

Collarette Dahlias

Collarette dahlias are a unique dahlia type with an outer layer of flattened petals and an inner ring of ruffled petaloids around the center. The inner petaloids appear to give the open center a “collar”, that is the reason for calling them collarettes.  I am growing Bumble Rumble this season and I will be able to share this cutie with you next season.

 

Dahlia Bumble Rumble - Photo credit Magnolia

Orchid

The orchid or star 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 curled effect.  Honka Fragile is a lightly scented orchid species with light pink petals paling to soft pink and white toward the base and enclosing a bright yellow center.

Orchette

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-shaped central disc. The petals are flat or slightly arched towards the center of the flower.

Single Dahlia

Single dahlias such as Waltzing Mathilda have a single ring of petals that circle around a central disc. The petals may be rounded or pointed and may overlap. These types of dahlias is very attractive to pollinators but also very beautiful in your garden border.  There are even a few that can be uses as cut flowers.  Be sure to pick them before the pollen show.

Mignon

Mignon dahlias are a delightful subgroup of the dahlia family.  These charming flowers are distinguished by their small size, typical under 5cm in diameter.  They are similar to open centered Single dahlias, but are unique in having round ray floret tips.

I hope this newsletter was helpful to you and that you now have a better understanding of the different types of dahlias available to us.

She who Love Dahlias

Mareli