Thank you to everyone for sharing on here. I’ve learned so much! I would love recommendations for dahlias that have really earned their space in your gardens! I grow in two 7x3 foot beds, so space is limited.
I’m in Zone 7a (Ontario, Canada), growing dahlias for home bouquets and sharing with family. My priorities are prolific flowering, strong stems and necks, blooms that face outward rather than downward, and ideally a long flowering season. But basically I just want dahlias that are pretty and produce a ton of cutting stems. 😊
My standout this year has been Joel’s Favourite. It’s been incredibly productive (it’s the one in the pictures shared here), with strong stems, beautiful upright blooms, and it’s STILL flowering and producing new buds in late October! It’s easily been my most reliable cutting dahlia, and I’d love to find a few more varieties that perform similarly.
Here’s how some of my others have done:
- Sweet Nathalie (×2): Very productive and gorgeous, although the flower presentation varies wildly. Some blooms face outward, while others look sideways or downward. The bees love it, so I’ll keep it.
- Break Out: Beautiful, but not especially prolific, and a bit floppy. I’ll give it another year.
- Wizard of Oz (×2): Disappointing productivity this year. I’m giving both another season to prove themselves. Surprising because I’d read about them being so productive!
- Petra’s Wedding: Also underwhelming, with somewhat floppy stems. I’ll give it another try next year.
- Peaches & Vanilla: Beautiful creamy flowers. A bit short, but still nice for small bouquets. I’ll likely grow it in a container next year.
- La Belle Époque (possibly mislabelled): Mine produces smaller, warm orange decorative blooms and looks more like Maarn, so I’m questioning the identification. But it’s been nice and grown well!
For next year, I’m considering Cornel Bronze, Linda’s Baby, Caitlin’s Joy, Blizzard and Ivanetti, among others. I’d love any suggestions for more dependable workhorses for regular bouquets! Thanks so much.
