In 2021, I conducted the largest dahlia trial I’ve ever done. 120 new (to me) varieties! I was looking for some very specific things but also trying out some fun stuff too. But before I get started here’s some details on the trial.
What I was looking for:
- I needed some new varieties in peach, blush, lavender, and yellow. So you’ll see a lot of those colors here.
- All the trial varieties were grown inside my unheated hoophouse. This particular hoop house has some of the best soil on the property and also I’ve found that being able to control the water supply enables superior tuber growth over field dahlias. (Hoophouse growing has many other challenges for growing dahlias so it’s not all rosy but that’s a post for another day.)
-Hoophouse growing does produce slightly different coloring in the dahlias because the light intensity is reduced so keep that in mind when looking at these pictures.
- I was looking mainly for cut flower varieties.
- Last but definitely not least—- I knew going into this trial that I would have to be ruthless because there is no way I could keep all 110 varieties. So you’ll see some really good stuff on the cull list. This is not meant to say these varieties suck in any way. It’s just they weren’t what I needed for my operation. If you love something on the cull list— Grow It!!
In this post, I’m going to tell you about my top favorites on the keep list and a few on the cull list (and why). There’s a complete keep/cull list at the bottom and hopefully this winter I’ll have time to write about these more in depth.
To Keep:
My favorite new dahlia has to be a tie between Coralie, Sugartown Sunrise, and Hapet Champagne. They are all fabulous!
Coralie- This dahlia has all the good stuff. Excellent color - mine came off muted because of the lower light intensity but I think it’s actually more beautiful that way. Good tuber maker, great plant habit- strong stems, not overly tall, threw off a nice flush of blooms at once. I was able to get 2 nice flushes off it, could probably get 3 in my climate with an earlier planting date. You’ll be seeing a lot more of this variety around here.
Sugartown Sunrise- Pale muted yellow with the occasional hint of peachy/pink- Yes Please! This dahlia is just adorably cute and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Good tuber maker too— I got 13 off of my one plant! Two flushes of blooms but longer flushes, a bit more of a steady producer instead of all at once. I’m going to field grow this one next year which I’m sure will intensify it’s color some but that’s ok— I don’t think it will hurt, she’s still going to be gorgeous!
Hapet Champagne- I’ve been wanting this one for years and she didn’t disappoint! I love frilly dahlias with lacinated edges. Her color can’t be beat- cream, pinky, peachy- total champagne goodness. Great tuber producer (9 off one plant), not a heavy bloomer but enough to be a keeper. I wouldn’t grow loads of this one b/c I know her style is not for everyone but you will see more of her next year!
Last Dance- I ordered this one on a whim because I was looking for more lavender dahlias. She’s really more of a white with lavender flush. But she’s a good producer- bloom and tuber (13 off one plant). Similar to Meagan Dean but Last Dance has a darker stem and foliage which makes for a beautiful plant/bloom combination. (these things are important if you grow dahlias for their beauty in your garden).
Hollyhill Finlandia- Another ‘on a whim’ purchase. This dahlia is a large dinnerplate size and a cactus type. Those 2 things don’t make for a good combo for my cut flower sales but they do make for great showpieces in your garden. So I allow for a few new big fancy types each year. There’s just nothing like a dinnerplate dahlia. Hollyhill dahlias are always well bred and I know I can count on them to be quality varieties with great blooms and good tubers. Finlandia followed suit with other Hollyhill dahlias I’ve grown.
Good Day- This is the beauty you saw me posting on Instagram— and most of you loved it!! I wouldn’t grow lots of this one because it’s size and coloring are not super popular in my cut flower business. But it lives up to it’s name— you can’t help but have a good day when you see it. It’s also very productive for a dinnerplate dahlia- I lost track of how many blooms I got but at least 8-10. Also it won the award for most tubers off a new variety- 21!!!
Coseytown Bounty- This is a new introduction by LeeAnn Huber of Coseytown Dahlias. Bounty couldn’t be more on trend if LeeAnn was a fortune teller— How did she know Bounty’s coloring would be so popular when she released it?!! It’s perfect in my climate— bronzy in warmer weather and then adds in a bit of rust as the weather cools— which is perfect b/c my wholesale customers ask for rust as the weather cools! Great production bloom wise and tuber wise! Definite keeper!!
Marshmallow- wasn’t looking for a new white but you can never have too much white! Marshmallow is very puffy and fluffy. A bit more of a steady bloomer rather than flushing. Strong stems, a bit taller plant habit than I like but still usable. I’ll definitely be keeping this one for a second year evaluation.
Winholme Diane- I tried this one 2 years ago but unfortunately my tubers rotted. But she’s so beautiful I had to try again. So glad I did! She’s a great muted yellow, sometimes can have a bit of pink. Long stems, decent (but not great) tuber production. Definitely going into my second year test evaluation.
To Cull:
A lot of my test varieties will be kept for a second year. I try to grow something for 3 years before completely chunking it if it’s not working. So a large majority of this year’s varieties will be kept around. However I do have a few that I’ve been testing for a few years now that are getting the boot:
Chilson’s Pride- I really want to like this dahlia but the picture you see above is the only good bloom I’ve ever gotten out of it in 2 years. There are a lot of lt pink/white dahlias so I’m moving on. The plants are floppy, don’t bloom a lot, it’s just not working for me. I know this will be an unpopular opinion because a lot of people really love this one. (So if you have a secret to it- tell me quick!)
Moonstruck- I bought this a few years back in my quest for light yellow dahlias. But first off, it’s always been more cream than pale yellow - not necessarily a bad thing. But it also doesn’t tend to produce consistent bloom size- some will be small, some full size- also plants are floppy for me. Moving on… there are plenty of pale yellows out there.
Creamy- I know I know— You are probably saying— What??? This dahlia has become increasingly popular over the past few years. I was really excited to try it 3 years ago. But each year it has consistently underperformed. I’ve tried field grown and hoophouse- Inconsistent bloomer, weaker stems. Also I’m not a huge fan of smaller dahlias (this one is 1-1.5”) for cut flower production. So I’m letting it go.
Genova- Unfortunately I don’t have a picture of this one— that’s how inconsistent it’s bloom was. I think I’ve regularly gotten 1-2 blooms per plant for the 3 years I’ve grown it. It’s beautiful but that’s far from enough to earn it’s keep around here.
Gabrielle Marie- I actually use to grow a lot of this one because it’s an early bloomer and nice coloring. However, I think there are varieties that have better coloring- a bit more subtly to them. Gabrielle Marie comes off a bit more orange than peach in my hot climate. I’d recommend this more for cool climate growers. (Can’t find any pics of this one either unfortunately)
Karamel Korn- I really kinda hate to let this one go because it has amazing color but it can’t hold it’s form to save it’s life. I get 1-2 decent blooms and then it just starts throwing open centers and it’s not a pretty look for her. If you have a more stable climate that doesn’t go hot/cool/hot during the season or get sudden massive storms or long periods of dry, then it might perform well for you. (Do stable climates exist anywhere nowadays?)
There are a few others that are potentially on the choipping block but I haven’t decided yet:
Andrew Charles- Great dahlia but I don’t sell much of it’s color.
Mystique- Love the color but it had the most elastic floppy bendable stems ever.
Sebastian- Again, beautiful color but puny little plant
Miss Brandy- Great color combo but she’s kinda short. If I sold exclusively at farmer’s markets, I would grow loads of this one because she fits perfectly in a Fall harvest bouquet!
Soulman- beautiful color, one of the few burgundies I tried, threw lots of blooms but the singles don’t seem to form well in our hot climates. May give it a second year though.
So out of the 120 varieties, here’s who is on my definitely keep list (keep in mind that some of these are only first year trials so still could eventually get the boot)— but I feel confident about these for now:
Keep:
Coralie
Hapet Champagne
Sugartown Sunrise
Last Dance
Hollyhill Finlandia
Good Day
Coseytown Bounty
Winholme Diane
Polyventon Supreme
Beatrice
Brown Sugar
Caramel Antique
Diana's Memory
Pink Pearl
Rose Toscano
Sandia Brocade
Second Year evaluation varieties are those that show potential but I’m not sure about yet so they stay in trial mode for another year. Most likely some of these varieties will move to the cull list before spring. I need to narrow this down but I’m still working on it.
2nd Year Evaluation:
Blyton Softer Gleam
Bracken Rose
Bracken Sarah
Brookside Cheri
Dreamcatcher
Fiona
Formby Alpine
Danny Boy
Happy Hour
Hillcrest Jonathan
Hilltop Lost Treasure
Honeydew
Honeymoon
Isabel
Jabberbox
Jasmine Pearl
Just peachy
Lilac Bull
Mary's Jomanda
Mingus Toni
Narrows Brett
Narrows Pam
NTAC Mia Li
Tahoma Curve
Tahoma Surething
Touche
Wizard of Oz
Cull:
Creamy
Chilson’s Pride
Gabrielle Marie
Genova
Karamel Korn
Moonstruck
Cafe Au Lait (Just kidding— just wasn’t sure if anyone was still reading by this point!)
Now— that list obviously doesn’t add up to 120 varieties— there are some I’m still undecided on. Also, there were unfortunately about 40 dahlias that didn’t sprout (as in no live eye on the tuber). This is why it’s important to learn to recognize eyes on your tubers so you know when they arrive if you have a viable tuber or a dud. The unfortunate thing is that when ordering from small growers, you often can’t get a replacement, just a refund. But I’d still rather support small farms with my tuber dollars when I can!
Speaking of small farm tuber sales— You may be wondering if any of these will be available in our New Year’s Day sale. The short answer is Yes! About half of these produced a decent number of tubers so I will sell a few. There will be a limited category in the sale that will feature varieties that we don’t have many of but would still like to share with you. Also the cull varieties will be available. Remember, just because they didn’t work for me, doesn’t mean they don’t work for you. I talk to growers all the time who can’t stand a variety I love. Each growing environment is different and each grower has different ideas/goals so if you like it, try it.
Lastly, if you are local, I will be selling some rooted cuttings at our Spring Plant Sale in April. Rooted cuttings will not be available for shipping, local pick up only. My plan is to have some of the new varieties that I really love as rooted cuttings. I can make more plants this way rather than selling one tuber so more of you will get a chance to try out a fabulous new variety!
I’ll hopefully get to more in depth discussion on some of the other varieties that I’m keeping throughout the winter in 2022. I highly recommend conducting your own trials - home grower or commercial— Doesn’t Matter! It’s a great way to learn about dahlias, find great varieties for your environment and also just a great excuse to buy more!! Saying you’re buying it for your “dahlia trials” sounds better than feeding your addiction ;)