Dahlia Season is Here!

Welcome, Dahlias!

Beautiful and unmistakable, these blooms were thought to be named after Anders Dahl; a Swedish botanist but are native to Mexico and Central America. There are currently about 60,000 named varieties, ranging in size, color, and classification.

Here’s What You Need To Know

Dahlias are full-sun flowers that bloom in the Summer and at the beginning of Autumn. They range in colors like orange, pink, purple, white, yellow and red as well as multicolor! Related to sunflowers, chrysanthemum, zinnias and daisies, these flowers can range from 2-in petites to 15-in "dinner plates!"

Here are a few more facts:

• Their petals are actually called florets.
• You can find dahlias in almost any color except blue.
• Both dahlia flowers and tubers (the parts by the roots) are edible. The tubers taste like a cross between a potato and a radish.
• In the language of flowers, also known as "florography," dahlias represent dignity.
• The dahlia was declared the national flower of Mexico in 1963.
• Dahlias use their vibrant blooms to attract pollinating insects since they don't have strong floral scents.

Oooh, what else is there to know?

The Old Farmer's Almanac states that "The American Dahlia Society recognizes 15 different colors and color combinations. Here are some popular choices:

• ‘Bishop of Llandaff’: small, scarlet, intense flowers with handsome, dark-burgundy foliage
• ‘Miss Rose Fletcher’: an elegant, spiky, pink cactus plant with 6-inch globes of long, quilled, shell-pink petals
• ‘Bonne Esperance’, aka ‘Good Hope’: a foot-tall dwarf that bears 1-½-inch, rosy-pink flowers all summer that are reminiscent of Victorian bedding dahlias (though it debuted in 1948)
• ‘Kidd’s Climax’: the ultimate in irrational beauty with 10-inch “dinner plate” flowers with hundreds of pink petals suffused with gold
• ‘Jersey’s Beauty’: a 7-foot tall pink plant with hand-size flowers that brings great energy to the fall garden.

So Now You Know...

...that you need to run over to your local farmers market or Trader Joe's to get yourself a handful to create your very own bouquet!

 The Hidden Garden