Dahlia season!
It’s dahlia season! Here in zone 5A, when the dahlias are blooming, it typically means growing season is slowly coming to a close. But while they are here, they’re definitely a favourite for many florists and gardeners! Dahlias are one of the flowers that are on my bucket list to grow, but I might not get around to it because of how intimidating they are to me. They grow from tubers rather than seeds, and that is a whole different ballgame. Maybe one day I’ll give growing dahlias a try, but until then I’ll stick to admiring them every chance I can get!
The origin of the name dahlia is unclear, but most believe it was named after the Swedish botanist Anders Dahl. There is record that the Aztecs used dahlias for both food and medicine, and today it is the national flower of Mexico. Dahlias are a perennial, and in zone 5A they typically bloom from late summer all the way until the first frost. Covering them with a frost cloth at night can help preserve them in cooler temperatures!
Dahlias are known to be associated with beauty, kindness, commitment and in some cultures, new adventures. They come in a wide variety of colours, and like many flowers, different coloured dahlias tend to have different meanings behind them. Just like zinnias, I am drawn to the peachy-pink or rust coloured blooms. It is extremely hard to pick a favourite breed as I’ve never seen a dahlia I didn’t like!
From a florist’s perspective, I find dahlias can be a little more challenging to work with in hand-tied bouquets. Dahlias can grow to be quite tall, but some of the stems we work with are usually on the shorter side. The head of the flower can also be very large and mostly front facing. It’s doable in bouquets, but I much prefer to use them in vase arrangements!
As growing season slowly comes to a close, this concludes my feature flower blog posts for the year. I’m already looking so forward to next year’s gardening season, and featuring even more wildflowers as well as my attempts to grow different varieties of flowers!
Edit 10/09/2024: Here are some photos of dahlias that I took while visiting Nathalie at Farmview Gardens! I took these right before the first frost came. Some of Nathalie’s dahlias will be used in centrepieces at our wedding next week🥰
