Dahlia flowers add bold beauty to gardens and floral arrangements, with standout varieties like a dramatic black dahlia or a colorful dinner plate dahlia.
Dahlia flowers are a spectacular showcase of horticultural diversity and beauty. They offer an array of forms, sizes, and colors that can captivate any gardener. From petite blooms to dinnerplate-sized wonders, dahlias provide a breathtaking display in gardens and bouquets. This curated list of the top 40 must-see dahlia flowers represents the best of these magnificent flowers, each with unique charm.
Dahlia is a tuberous perennial plant prized for its large, colorful blooms and an impressive variety of shapes and sizes. Native to Mexico and Central America, dahlias belong to the Asteraceae family, which includes other popular plants such as daisies, sunflowers, and asters. Dahlias are beloved in gardens for their vibrant colors and diverse flower forms, which range from small pompoms to large, dramatic dinner plate flowers.
Dahlia flowers typically bloom from midsummer until the first frost, providing extended color and beauty in the garden. They come in almost every color except true blue, with popular shades including pink, red, yellow, white, purple, and nearly black. They are popular as garden plants and cut flowers, bringing bold color to floral arrangements.
Dahlias thrive in full sun and well-drained soil and are hardy in USDA zones 8-11. In cooler zones, they are often dug up and stored indoors over winter, as they can’t survive freezing temperatures.
The top 40 dahlias have been selected for their standout qualities: exceptional beauty, varied forms, and vibrant colors. These varieties encompass the breadth of what dahlias can offer, from the delicate elegance of the ‘Bishop of Llandaff‘ to the bold statement of ‘Café au Lait‘. Each has been chosen to showcase the dahlia’s versatility and the potential to transform any garden into a tapestry of color and form.
Here are some great reasons to consider adding these dahlias to your landscape:
Exceptional Beauty: These dahlias come in an array of colors, shapes, and sizes, from soft pastels to vibrant reds and purples. Their large, lush blooms make them standout additions, adding elegance and charm to any garden setting.
Versatility: These dahlia flowers adapt well to different garden designs, with options for borders, containers, and cutting gardens. Dinner plate dahlias, for example, bring dramatic focal points, while smaller varieties add colorful layers to beds and borders along with companion plants.
Long Blooming Season: Dahlias bloom from midsummer through the first frost, offering continuous color when many other plants start to fade. This extended blooming season keeps your garden lively and bright well into autumn.
Attract Pollinators: Dahlias attract bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects, helping to increase biodiversity. Please note that some dahlia flowers are more bee-friendly than others.
Easy Care: Dahlias are relatively low maintenance, thriving in full sun with well-drained soil. They require occasional deadheading to prolong blooming and will reward you with vibrant flowers that return year after year if lifted and stored in cooler climates. Get expert advice on how to grow and care for thriving dahlia flowers.
Acclaimed Varieties: Some of these dahlias have been awarded the prestigious Award of Garden Merit of the Royal Horticultural Society for their noteworthy qualities.
Hardiness |
8 - 11 |
---|---|
Heat Zones |
1 - 11 |
Climate Zones | 1, 1A, 1B, 2, 2A, 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 |
Plant Type | Bulbs, Perennials |
Plant Family | Asteraceae |
Genus | Dahlia |
Exposure | Full Sun |
Season of Interest | Summer (Early, Mid, Late), Fall |
Maintenance | Average |
Water Needs | Average |
Soil Type | Clay, Loam, Sand |
Soil pH | Acid, Alkaline, Neutral |
Soil Drainage | Moist but Well-Drained |
Characteristics | Cut Flowers, Showy |
Attracts | Butterflies |
Landscaping Ideas | Patio And Containers, Beds And Borders |
Garden Styles | City and Courtyard, Cutting Garden, Informal and Cottage |
Hardiness |
8 - 11 |
---|---|
Heat Zones |
1 - 11 |
Climate Zones | 1, 1A, 1B, 2, 2A, 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 |
Plant Type | Bulbs, Perennials |
Plant Family | Asteraceae |
Genus | Dahlia |
Exposure | Full Sun |
Season of Interest | Summer (Early, Mid, Late), Fall |
Maintenance | Average |
Water Needs | Average |
Soil Type | Clay, Loam, Sand |
Soil pH | Acid, Alkaline, Neutral |
Soil Drainage | Moist but Well-Drained |
Characteristics | Cut Flowers, Showy |
Attracts | Butterflies |
Landscaping Ideas | Patio And Containers, Beds And Borders |
Garden Styles | City and Courtyard, Cutting Garden, Informal and Cottage |
Create a membership account to save your garden designs and to view them on any device.
Becoming a contributing member of Gardenia is easy and can be done in just a few minutes. If you provide us with your name, email address and the payment of a modest $25 annual membership fee, you will become a full member, enabling you to design and save up to 25 of your garden design ideas.
Join now and start creating your dream garden!
Create a membership account to save your garden designs and to view them on any device.
Becoming a contributing member of Gardenia is easy and can be done in just a few minutes. If you provide us with your name, email address and the payment of a modest $25 annual membership fee, you will become a full member, enabling you to design and save up to 25 of your garden design ideas.
Join now and start creating your dream garden!