Celebrating Dahlias at The End of The Gardening Season
and dreaming about next year's garden
It’s been a long autumn here in Wisconsin. Flowers lingered later than usual (look at the flowers I cut earlier this month). But although I can still pop out to the garden to harvest kale, walking onions and herbs (and a few flowers), I can’t deny that the gardening season is finished for the year.
We had our first snow this week.
But before it arrived I was finally able to dig my dahlia tubers.
I washed them, divided them and packed them to overwinter in the basement. (If this process baffles you, I’d highly recommend the Floret Fall Mini Course. Erin’s book Discovering Dahlias is also wonderful!).
Dahlias are some of my favorite flowers. I’ve written about them on my blog here and here and they’ve shown up in almost every post on Substack.
They show up in my art over and over again.
And most years they make it onto the pages of my calendars. (Have you gotten your 2025 calendar yet?).
You can see them in my classes and on YouTube, too.
Why do I love dahlias so much?
They’re beautiful flowers and I’m amazed by the vast array of colors, shapes and sizes to choose from. I love that they bloom for a LONG time — this year for me from July through November.
I enjoy watching the butterflies, hummingbirds and bees visit their flowers and I especially love discovering bumblebees sleeping among their petals.
With so many varieties to choose from, I like to try at least one each year that’s new to me while continuing to grow my favorites.
Honeymoon is one of those favorites.
Daddy’s Girl was one of the new ones this year.
I was fascinated by how the flowers’ color developed as they opened.
Growing dahlias from seed is fun, too. You never know just what you’ll get.
Bishop’s Children Dahlia seeds always produce lovely plants that are easy to grow. The bees adore them.
My friend Dana gave me some of the Bee’s Choice Dahlia seeds she purchased from Floret this year. One of the plants I grew from the seeds enchanted me throughout the season:
I dug its tubers and hope to grow it again next year.
That reminds me of something else I love about dahlias: their abundance. Yes, they produce an abundance of flowers throughout the growing season.
Enough for ample arrangements while leaving plenty for the garden and wildlife.
But what’s even more exciting is that a single tuber planted in the spring will multiply to produce an abundance of tubers by the end of the season. As long as they survive winter storage, I’ll have even more plants to grow (and share!) next year.
For the past couple of years, I’ve started my tubers in pots under grow lights. This allows me to make sure they’re viable and growing well before planting them in the garden, giving them a head start for a longer period of bloom.
With the gardening season finished for the year, I’m beginning to dream of everything I want to grow next year. Should I order some new-to-me dahlia varieties?
It’s always hard for me to narrow down my choices!
When I’m trying to make up my mind about which dahlia(s) to try, I read reviews (always with a grain of salt) and pay attention to descriptions of the size of the plant, bloom time (I try to choose varieties that bloom early) and suitability as a cut flower.
For the past few years, I’ve purchased my tubers from Swan Island Dahlias. They have a huge selection and their customer service and quality have been great. If you’re looking for more options, Floret has compiled a list of recommended growers, including both US and International sources.
What about you?
Do you grow dahlias? Do you have a favorite variety? Is there one you’d like to try next year? I’d love to hear about them!
Just gorgeous Anne. I hope you pick a few new varieties to grow next year. xoxo
I love the photos of your garden. Dahlias remind me of my mom, she has so many in her garden.