Beautiful, colorful dahlias continue to bloom at my Bedford, New York farm.
Dahlias are among my favorite flowers. They begin to bloom with great profusion just as other plants pass their prime, and they last right up until the first frost. This year, my all-dahlia garden was planted in a large bed behind my greenhouse. We planted the garden in June and through the summer, we all watched its progression. We have flowers ranging from small to giant dinner-plate size in all different colors and shades - many from Swan Island Dahlias in Oregon, and others from Floret in the State of Washington.
Here are more of the gorgeous flowers in bloom right now, enjoy.
The dahlia garden is in this large patch behind my main greenhouse not far from my pussy willow grove and berry bushes. This area has worked well for many other crops. In past seasons, we’ve planted pumpkins and garlic in this bed. This photo was taken in late August after some of the first dahlias opened.
Yesterday, this garden was filled with colorful blooms. I have already cut many flowers to decorate my home, but there are still so many to enjoy.
There are about 42 species of dahlia, with hybrids commonly grown as garden plants. A member of the Asteraceae family of dicotyledonous plants, some of its relatives include the sunflower, daisy, chrysanthemum, and zinnia.
Dahlias are classified according to flower shape and petal arrangement. This is Dahlia ‘Castle Drive’. It has a soft blend of pink and yellow and is great in arrangements and gardens. This plant is also very attractive to bees and butterflies.
Dahlias are borne from tubers and are popularly grown for their long-lasting cut flowers. This is a cactus dahlia with its beautiful ‘spiny’ petals rolled up along more than two-thirds of their length.
This is a single with just one row of petals surrounding the center disc. Dahlias originated as wildflowers in the high mountain regions of Mexico and Guatemala – that’s why they naturally work well and bloom happily in cooler temperatures.
Dahlias were first recorded by Westerners in 1615, and were then called by their original Mexican name acoctli.
This dahlia has one row of slightly cupped petals, and an inner set of petaloids that when fully mature form a collar around the disc.
Dahlias thrive in rich, well-drained soil with a pH level of 6.5 to 7.0 and slightly acidic.
Dahlias produce an abundance of wonderful flowers throughout early summer and again in late summer until the first frost. This large bloom is a beautiful white with a hint of creamy yellow in the center.
Flowers come one head per stem. The blooms can be as small as two-inches in diameter or up to one foot across. This great variety results from dahlias being octoploids, meaning they have eight sets of homologous chromosomes, whereas most plants have only two.
Dahlia ‘Creve Couer’ is a striking red dinner plate flower – one of the biggest dahlias at 13-inches in diameter.
The majority of dahlia species do not produce scented flowers or cultivars, but they are brightly colored to attract pollinating insects.
This dahlia is named ‘Bashful’ with its dark burgundy petals, hot pink tips, and golden stamens in the center of the flower. The three-inch flower blooms on a plant that grows to two-and-a-half feet by the end of the season. This is a great dahlia for bedding, containers, and cut flowers.
The Dahlia is named after the Swedish 18th century botanist Anders Dahl, who originally declared the flower a vegetable, as the tubers are edible.
This dark burgundy variety has white tips whose petals fold back towards the stems.
Dahlias come in almost every color except true blue. This one is a deep red with a dark yellow and black center.
From the side, many dahlia petals grow all around the flower head giving it a very full appearance.
When planting dahlias, choose the location carefully – dahlias grow more blooms where they can have six to eight hours of direct sunlight.
And when cutting, to prevent wilting, cut only in the early morning or late afternoon. And only cut them after they open to mature size – dahlias will not open after cutting. Enjoy your dahlias!