7 under-rated dahlias for cutting
It’s June and most dahlias around Australia are in or entering dormancy while their owners start thinking about the cultivars they would like to grow when spring rolls around. I thought I would share a list of dahlias that are fantastic for cutting that I have grown the last few years or were new to me in 2022/23 - but that don’t always seem to get a lot of attention and kudos in comparison to the ‘new big thing’ each year. Dahlias that are good for cutting have a few particular characteristics:
Strong stems
Strong head attachment: the flower doesn’t wobble on the stem
Consistent flowers: both in how they look and how much they flower over the course of the season
Fully double and closed centre (pollen = shorter vase life)
Lasts at the very least 5 days in a vase
Flowers ideally tilting upwards - but forward or upward facing flowers are helpful to have too depending on what they are being used for. Definitely no downward facing flowers though!
Some dahlias have nice flowers but just don’t make the grade for cutting. For example Marshmallow is a lovely pink but has a wobbly attachment and the heads sometimes pop off, Tiger Bey is so striking in colour but the flowers often face downwards, and the colour of Black Embers fades easily in the sun and looks ratty.
This list certainly isn’t exhaustive - I have deliberately left off the beloved Coorabells and Brackens as I think it goes without saying that they are all fantastic cuts, especially for subtropical gardeners and growers. Here are seven other dahlias that have exceeded my expectations…
Le Batts Prime
This is a dahlia I had passed over for several years because it didn’t jump out to me as being super exciting - but outperformed my expectations by a mile. Very consistent flowers on a healthy plant that flowers all season long.
Kenora Tonya
I was given Kenora Tonya by a friend and at the time couldn’t see many good pics of it online, so was happy to find out it looks very similar to Brackens with its swept-back petals and is a great cut.
Kotare Buttermilk
Kotare Buttermilk is my go-to wedding flower, it is 10x better than Cafe au Lait in the subtropics and even though it is obviously much whiter, it still has a bit of a creamy shade that wedding florists love. It holds its centre at the end of the season and the strong stems support the big flowers well.
Boundary Snowflake
Poor Boundary Snowflake is always left over in dahlia sales but is an absolute must-have if you grow dahlias for cuts. Ticks all the boxes, don’t think many cut flower farms would be without it.
Glenmarc Connie
A gorgeous mini in an electric pink-purple shade, the petals sweep right back and go the distance when cut. Pics just don’t do it justice - it is really lovely.
Blyton Softer Gleam
This is one sturdy dahlia - if you have to drive on bumpy roads to deliver your flowers, Blyton Softer Gleam won’t fail you. One of the thickest-stemmed dahlias I have grown in a tight ball shape with loads of petals, if I had to whack an intruder with a dahlia I’d choose this one ;)
Devon Image
Please excuse the green centres in this picture - this plant was in a bed that had a nitrogen deficiency so I had a lot of green centres early in the season. Devon Image was new to me this last season - she is a tall grower with great stems and lots of flowers and cute white tips. She probably gets passed over for a lot of other equally fantastic Devons (Devon Salmon and Delta were two of my favourite new-to-me dahlias last season) so thought I should include her here so she gets a bit more kudos.