Top Nine Vibrant Dahlia Types for Continuous Summer and Autumn Colors
Dahlias, with their varied forms and vibrant colours, are a garden favourite for good reason. With hundreds of cultivars available, these versatile flowers offer different shapes, petal types, and sizes, making them a popular choice for both amateur and professional gardeners.
In the pursuit of more flowers and longer-lasting blooms, several dahlia varieties stand out. Among them are the Virtuoso® Dayglo Yellow™, Virtuoso® Rad Raz™, and Mystic Illusion from Proven Winners. These varieties are noted for their early and continuous flowering, sturdy stems, and good disease resistance, contributing to extended blooming periods.
Virtuoso® Dayglo Yellow™ and Virtuoso® Rad Raz™ are ideal for producing multiple blooms in cutting gardens or containers, flowering early and continuously. Mystic Illusion, on the other hand, boasts powdery mildew resistance, supporting longer-lasting plant health and bloom duration.
Another popular choice is the 'Sassafrass' dahlia, with its unique flower form and striking colour. Among the productive varieties, these dahlias provide both abundance and lasting visual interest.
Dahlias are short-day plants, meaning they produce the most flowers as daylight shortens, typically in late summer to early fall. This characteristic extends bloom timing if conditions are right.
To maximise bloom output in the growing season, it is recommended to start dahlias from tubers or container plants in spring. Choosing resistant, early, and continuously flowering varieties helps ensure longer-lasting, productive blooms.
Productive Dahlia Varieties to Consider
| Variety | Flower Form | Bloom Length & Notes | |-------------------------|----------------------|-------------------------------------| | Virtuoso® Dayglo Yellow™| Large, double, yellow | Early start, continuous flowering | | Virtuoso® Rad Raz™ | Large, double, pink | Early and abundant blooms | | Mystic Illusion | Single, lemon yellow | Disease resistant, easy care | | Sassafrass | Laciniated, cactus | Large flowers, striking form |
Where to Purchase Online
These productive dahlia varieties can be purchased online directly from Proven Winners or at online garden centers carrying their stock. Dahlia tubers and container-grown plants are generally available for sale in late winter through early summer, depending on the seller.
Other Notable Dahlias
- 'Intrigue' is a beautiful dahlia that exhibits an intriguing colour shift, beginning as a bright watermelon pink and changing to a deeper raspberry or red colour in fall. It grows about four feet tall with a loose ball-shaped flower.
- 'Jomanda' dahlia tubers can be ordered at Free Range Flowers.
- 'Chimacum Night' is similar in colour and shape to 'Cornel', producing slightly lighter red ball-shaped flowers on medium-sized stems up to four feet tall.
- 'Clearview Peachy' is available for order at Mountain Roots Produce.
- 'Cornel' is a reliable and productive dahlia with very strong stems that grow up to four feet tall, producing deep red ball-shaped flowers.
- 'Suncrest' is a yellow dahlia with four-inch ball-shaped blooms that have a peachy blush on the petal tips. It is productive throughout the season and the flowers last particularly long on the plant.
- 'Cornel Brons' is a similar type to 'Cornel' with a peach colour that darkens to bronze in the centre of the flower.
- 'Café au Lait' has a decorative flower shape with a dense cluster of flat, broad petals the colour of milky coffee, growing on five-foot stems and known as dinner plates.
- 'Suncrest' can be found out more about at Floret.
- 'Terracotta' can be ordered from Three Acre Farm.
- 'Terracotta' is a semi-cactus type dahlia with a rich, peach-brown colour. It grows up to five feet tall and produces flowers that can be up to five inches (13cm) across.
- 'Jomanda' is a ball type dahlia with unique rusty orange flowers that bloom for a long time and the flowers last well in cut arrangements. The flowers are about four inches across.
- 'Blue Bayou' is an anemone-type dahlia with light pinkish-lavender outer petals and deeper purple curled central petals. It grows to about three feet (90cm) tall and produces numerous, four-inch flowers.
- 'Blue Bayou' can be ordered at Swan Island Dahlias.
Choosing the types of dahlias you like best can ensure more flowers all season.
Adding more vibrant color and longevity to your home-and-garden lifestyle, consider incorporating dahlia plants into your gardening endeavors. Notable dahlia varieties, such as the Virtuoso® Dayglo Yellow™, Virtuoso® Rad Raz™, Mystic Illusion, 'Sassafrass', and others, provide early and continuous blooming, sturdy stems, good disease resistance, and extended bloom periods. By selecting these productive varieties, you can enhance your lifestyle with a beautiful home-and-garden scene filled with varied and captivating dahlia flowers.
