Kaelis Dahlias (2024)

FAQs

What is the rarest color of dahlias? ›

Of the 20,000 varieties of dahlia flowers, only 10 to 20 kinds are black in color. Now researchers say they've solved the molecular mystery of how these rare flowers get their dark hues. Flower color in dahlias is determined by a mixture of plant metabolites called flavonoids.

Cornel. A timeless classic, Cornel dahlias are a ball-type dahlia with a beautiful deep red color. This reliable bloomer has won many awards and is considered by many growers to be a must-have.

Everyone does seem to agree that dahlias grow best in fertile soil that contains lots of organic matter. Before planting each spring, cover the area with 3-4" of rotted manure or compost and dig it into the top 12". As a general rule, we recommend treating dahlias as you would a tomato plant.

Dahlias are native to the tropical regions of Central America. They thrive in warm, moist soil and don't begin to push out new shoots until the soil is at least 50°F. Because they need warm soil to start growing, they don't come into full flower production until late summer or even early fall in some northern regions.

Introduced in the 1940s, dahlia 'Thomas Edison' still adds splashes of bright purple to modern landscapes. Dahlias can take full sun, although Southern gardeners may need to give them afternoon shade.

Peaches and Cream

This variety is so gorgeous, but probably one of the most expensive dahlia tubers you can grow, ranging from $15-$20 a tuber. That's the price for one tuber not a clump of tubers!

Dahlia 'Que Sera'

A prolific bloomer, its incredibly beautiful flowers, 4-6 in. wide (10-15 cm), look great in the garden and harmonize well with other pastels tints and tones.

Whether you're growing a cut flower garden, or you simply want the most beautiful display in your garden, Dahlias are famous for their blooms. The great news is that cutting Dahlia flowers will actually encourage more flowering!

It may be feeling distinctly autumnal right now, but if you've planted dahlias the good news is they will keep on flowering right through to the first frosts. There's just one catch: to prolong flowering you will need to keep deadheading them, thereby encouraging the plant to produce new buds.

Yes! Dahlias like coffee grounds and the coffee grounds make for a wonderful fertilizer. Since coffee grounds usually contain about 2% nitrogen, a third percent of phosphoric acid, and roughly 1% of potassium, the coffee grounds act as an excellent fertilizer for your dahlia garden.

Is Miracle Grow good for dahlias? ›

Begin feeding dahlias with Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® Blooms Plant Nutrition every seven days after planting (be sure to follow label directions). Designed specifically for flowers, it goes easy on the nitrogen (which encourages lots of leaves) and contains more of the phosphorus needed for beautiful flowers.

Cattails, flag iris, marsh marigolds, and rush reed plants thrive in soils that stay soggy all year long and make poor companions for dahlias. Plants that prefer drier soils or desert climates also are not a great match with dahlia.

The majority of growers recommended fertilizing with phosphorus and potash but go easy on the nitrogen and so that is what I did for probably 20 some years. I would apply possibly 200 – 250 pounds of 6-24-24 or 0-20-20 to about 10,000 – 12,000 square feet during the course of the growing season.

Be careful not to crowd your rows of dahlias, though.

If they are surrounded by perennials, too tight against your home or a fence, or in an area that is a “dead zone” for airflow, they won't be very happy.

The pot roots tend to keep better and make better cuttings (and plants) the following season. These growers use containers and bury the tops at least an inch below soil level. These reasons for using containers tend to be for experienced growers rather than newer ones.

Some of the most popular colors are red, orange, yellow, purple, white and green. The only color dahlias do not come in is blue.

Black dahlias are extremely rare: less than 20 of 200,000 species of dahlia are black.

Delphinidin derivatives are not formed due to the absence of flavonoid 3',5'-hydroxylase in dahlia petals, which provides an explanation for the lack of blue dahlia flowers. Orange, lilac and rose cultivars are characterized by a lower anthocyanin content compared to many red cultivars.

Elusive Blue: The Rarest of Flower Colors.