Dazzling Dahlias

Dahlias just amaze me with the dazzling colors and masses of flowers they produce. My first dahlia was a gift from a school colleague, who shared her tuberous roots with me. Year after year it pops up in late May and grows and grows until it starts flowering in late summer. Then the show is on from summer through fall.

This summer, I attended the San Francisco Dahlia Society show in Golden Gate Park and found a whole new world of flowers. The blooms can range from under 2 inches (mignon) to over 10 inches (giant). The American Dahlia Society classifies the plants by flower form such as ray florets. One of the many forms I learned about was the Laciniated Single. Each ray of this bloom curls and splits at the tip giving a fringed appearance. Another unusual form was the Incurved Cactus that rolls downward with pointed tips.

The San Francisco Dahlia Society’s web site, http://www.sfdahlia.org , has five simple steps in growing dahlias in the Bay Area. I will certainly start with their first step by attending their annual sale next year, held the first Saturday in April at the Hall of Flowers in Golden Gate Park. If a friend shares their dahlias, step 2 is planting, done from April to June. Check the website for soil tips, staking, thinning, and pests.

When you pick your flowers do it early in the morning or in the evening. Immediately place cut stems in 2-3 inches of hot water letting them stand in the gradually cooling water for several hours or overnight. The cut flowers will last for several days. You will be very satisfied with the results of these tuberous roots.

Waterlily form. (photos by Karen Norton)

Single form.

Pompon form.

Lacinated form.

Cactus form.

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