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March 7th 2022

Dahlia Breeding Update

Written by
Floret

When I started growing dahlias I had no idea that you could grow them from seed. It was actually a good 10 years into my journey with them that I learned that there was a difference between growing dahlias from tubers or cuttings, which is how you clone a variety, and growing them from seed, which is how you create or breed a brand new variety.

Once I dipped a toe into growing dahlias from seed (i.e. breeding), I got completely swept up in the process and it has since become a huge part of my life. It’s funny how my little side weekend projects inevitably become the next big thing we’re working on. And dahlia breeding certainly falls into that camp.

Erin Benzakein tending dahlias in a Floret greenhouseThe first year I learned about how to breed new varieties, I collected some seed pods from my favorite varieties in the field and the hoop houses (‘Café au Lait’, ‘Appleblossom’, ‘Peaches N’ Cream’, and ‘Waltzing Mathilda’) and saved them aside to grow out the following season. 

Field of dahlias at Floret Flower FarmMy first dahlia seedling patch consisted of a single bed (a few hundred plants) tucked in my backyard, and of all the things I grew that season that one little row was by far the most exciting.

Waiting for each new flower to open to see what emerged became addicting and I just couldn’t get enough. 

Erin Benzakein holds up a dahlia seedling ready to plantTrays of Floret breeding dahlia seedlings Planting rows of dahlia breeding seedlings at Floret Flower FarmThat season I collected as many seeds as I possibly could, and the following season we had enough to plant out a patch of 13,000 seedlings—an entire field block. It is probably one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever grown! 

If you want to learn how to collect seeds off of your dahlias and breed new varieties, we dedicated an entire chapter to the subject in Discovering Dahlias, starting on page 88. 

Erin Benzakein flagging favorite breeding dahlia varieties to observe in the fieldShelves of cut breeding dahlias on display in the Floret studioShelves of cut breeding dahlias on display in the Floret studioOut of those 13,000 seedlings I ended up with about 500 promising varieties that I flagged, dug, divided, and saved to observe the following year. 

Erin Benzakein digging up dahlia tubers in the Floret breeding patchFloret team digging up dahlia tubers in the breeding patchI approach dahlia breeding like one giant treasure hunt. No matter how much you try to guide them in a direction (hand crossing, isolating breeding pairs, bagging individual blooms) in the end you don’t really know what you’re going to get. Most of the dahlia breeders I’ve talked to only save one out of every hundred seedlings they grow, often even less.

Simply put, it’s a numbers game. 

Overhead of Floret breeding dahliasErin Benzakein photographs a handful of breeding dahlias in the fieldOver the last few years, as I’ve gotten deeper into the process, I’ve really tried to focus my efforts. I’m looking for varieties that have unusual colors and forms, making them ideal for flower arranging and design work. To me, color is the most important quality and then form or shape is the second.

Good stem length is also very important along with vigorous growth and good plant health. 

A handful of Floret dahliasFloret breeding dahlia growing in the fieldFinding all of these qualities in one single variety is nearly impossible so tens of thousands of seedlings have ended up in the compost pile because they don’t meet all of my criteria.

I know that sounds harsh, but if I kept every variety (and they all are beautiful in their own way), there’s just no way that we could ever manage that volume of work, so I find that it’s important to be very selective and try and stay as true as possible to my breeding goals each season. 

Buggy filled with Floret breeding dahlias Overhead of buckets of Floret breeding dahliasTraditionally, dahlia breeders have mainly focused their breeding efforts on varieties that will rank high in competition, with the exception of Kristine Albrecht at Santa Cruz Dahlias who has bred some incredible varieties perfect for arranging.

If you don’t already have Kristine’s wonderful book, Dahlia Breeding for the Farmer-Florist and the Home Gardener, it’s a must-add to your library if you’re interested in dahlia breeding. She also shares wonderful short video tutorials over on Instagram and has a great website.

Erin Benzakein arranging a handful of dahlias in the Floret field A handful of Floret breeding dahlias in the fieldWhen it comes to variety selection, I’ve found that I’m drawn to the oddballs with muted coloring, unusual forms, and stems that sway in the breeze.

None of the varieties that are in my breeding patch will likely ever win a blue ribbon at a dahlia show, but I think flower arrangers, farmers, and gardeners will love them, and that is who these magical varieties are intended for. 

Rows of breeding dahlias in the Floret field A row of breeding dahlias in the Floret fieldThis past season it became really clear that the dahlia breeding project had ballooned to the point that it was in serious need of some focused attention and thoughtful organization. We hunkered down and mapped everything out with a ton of detail. Each row was numbered, every variety labeled at eye level and then detailed maps were drawn up.

Up until that point, I had been working on the project in the fringe hours mostly by myself, but with close to 500 varieties to manage, I needed to call in reinforcements.

Erin Benzakein lifts a handful of dahlias in the Floret field A handful of Floret breeding dahliasSo Jill, Nina, Chris, and I spent the season organizing, observing, documenting, photographing, and cataloging all of the varieties in this project.

It was a massive organizational feat, but I’m so happy we gave these varieties the focused attention that they deserve.

Erin Benzakein, Jill Jorgensen, and Nina in the Floret dahlia breeding field Erin Benzakein sets up an overhead breeding dahlia shotTwice a week from mid-July to early October we walked the rows, observed the plants, selected which varieties would move forward, harvested flowers from the varieties that made the cut, measured blooms, wrote descriptions in our big breeding binders, and brought them into the barn to have their portrait taken.

Here is a little sampling of the flower portraits: Collage of red Floret breeding dahlias Collage of raspberry Floret breeding dahlias Collage of orange Floret breeding dahlias Collage of peach Floret breeding dahlias Collage of blush Floret breeding dahlias Collage of yellow Floret breeding dahlias Collage of white Floret breeding dahlias Collage of pink and purple Floret breeding dahliasThere are so many beautiful little treasures emerging from this project and looking at them all leaves me a bit overwhelmed, in the best possible way.

Three top favorites are:Closeup and overhead of breeding dahlia 'Floret'C33/Floret is one of the sweetest varieties I’ve ever grown. The large glowing pink outer petals encircle a smaller row of lighter pink inner petals that are layered and twisted. As flowers age, the golden centers grow fluffy and outer petals fade to soft apricot.

This was her third year growing and the tuber count is now 154.

Closeup and overhead of breeding dahlia 'Little Miss Sunshine'C171/Little Miss Sunshine looks exactly like a kids’ illustration of a sun. Flowers are a glowing clean lemon yellow with domed puffy centers. Plants have a branching habit and each stem has a ton of flowers. I’ve never seen anything like it!

This was her second season on the farm and she already produced 72 tubers.

Closeup and overhead of breeding dahlia 'Firefly'C144/Firefly has pointed slightly incurved petals that are soft buttercream brushed with raspberry-red. They have long wiry stems and the plants are covered in flowers all season long. Pollinators love this variety and it also has surprisingly good tuber production.

This was its second year and we already have 51 tubers. 

Jill, Nina, and Erin divide dahlias in the Floret greenhouse Bins of Floret breeding dahliasA few weeks ago we finished the massive project of dividing all of the breeding tubers and I’m still in shock over just how well they did.

In all, we ended up with 9,953 tubers from 215 different varieties!

Erin Benzakein holds a bunch of Floret breeding dahlias Erin Benzakein photographs a bunch of Floret breeding dahliasI’ve been asked by so many people that if we’re no longer offering dahlia tubers for sale, why have I invested so much energy and so many years into breeding new varieties? I always feel a little nervous answering this question since this project is still unfolding.

I know I want these special varieties to find their way out into the world someday (when they’re ready), but I’m not sure how that will happen just yet—whether we take on the task of producing and shipping the tubers ourselves or we work with other growers to bring them to market. 

Shelves of Floret breeding dahliasCloseup of Floret breeding dahliasBut the real (and probably most important) reason that I’m doing this is that it brings me so much freaking joy.

I’m so incredibly grateful for the opportunity to get to discover all of these little flower beings, help bring them into the world, and just be along for their ride, wherever it may go.   

Overhead of Floret dahlia breeding binder Closeup of Floret dahlia breeding binderThis next season I want to devote more time to working with these varieties and continue refining the collection and our record-keeping process.

I want to measure each variety’s vase life, photograph them in the field, and see which varieties are the most suitable for arranging and which ones are better in the garden. 

Erin Benzakein in the Floret dahlia breeding fieldFirefly Floret breeding dahlia growing in the fieldI’m also planning on growing another big seedling patch to see what new treasures I can discover. While I’d love to fill another entire field block, I don’t know if I’ll have the time to observe as many so I’m capping the seedling patch at 7,000 seedlings, which is still plenty. 

When I started this little side project I had no idea that it would turn into what it is today. And what’s so funny is that I feel like this is just the tip of the iceberg and I can’t believe how many varieties I’ve discovered in a relatively short amount of time. 

Overhead of Floret breeding dahlia seed heads Overhead of Floret breeding dahlia blooms If you’ve never grown dahlias from seed before, then I encourage you to give it a try. If you can’t get your hands on any seeds this season then be sure to leave a few blooms on your dahlia plants and let them go to seed so you can collect them in the fall for planting next spring. See our Recommended Dahlia Sources post for a list of our favorite tuber suppliers.

Growing dahlias from seed really is the ultimate treasure hunt! You never know, you may discover the next ‘Café au Lait’ blooming in your backyard.

Overhead of Discovering Dahlias books and Floret breeding dahlia bloomsSince this week marks the one-year anniversary of Discovering Dahlias being published, I thought it would be fun to give away five breeding-inspired goody boxes. Each box will include a signed copy of Discovering Dahlias, five packets of dahlia seed from my breeding patch, and a copy of Kristine Albrecht’s wonderful book Dahlia Breeding for the Farmer-Florist and the Home Gardener

To enter to win, please tell us what your dream dahlia would look like. What would you be thrilled to find in your seedling patch? The five winners will be announced here on Tuesday, March 15. 

Update: A big congratulations to our winners Melissa, Megan Fischer, Laura Flournoy, Michelle and Janet.

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3,610 Comments

  1. Karen Womack on

    I thought I always loved the giant pastel colored dahlias I’ve seen before in the shops but after looking at all the varieties you grow, its overwhelming, so much now that I have many favorites. I would be thrilled with any of them growing in my garden!

    Reply
  2. Irene on

    Wow so many beautiful dahlias! For record keeping of lots of new breeds and their various characteristics, MySQL database immediately came to mind. It might make things easier to keep track of

    Reply
  3. Misty on

    When will these be available for purchase?

    Reply
  4. Louise Belzile on

    Bonjour,

    Je viens de m’inscrire à votre infolettre. Comment pouvons-nous commander des racines de Dalhia?
    Mon intérêt est pour la C11 et C33.

    Je demeure à Québec, zone 4. Est-ce trop froid ou courte saison pour ces variétés?

    Merci et j’attends avec enthousiasme votre réponse.

    Reply
  5. Elisia on

    I know the giveaway is done, but my favorite would be a 3-4” ball dahlia that varies from mulberry to plum shades and makes thick, elongated tubers that are easy to divide and store!

    Reply
  6. Colleen Eschner on

    My first year growing seed and to be honest it was seeing your IG acct and FB and falling down the rabbit hole that is Floret. Growing dahlias from seed has blown my mind and then to see the squee little tubers forming. What?! Small still and fighting heatwaves and record temps in Vancouver BC. But Bees Choice all sprouted. Red Queen Lime Zinnias, Apricotta Cosmos and bronze calendula. I’ve add some blues and black scabios and sunflowers. Its all small still but I can see it. Joy filled. Thank you.

    Reply
  7. Kirsten Ann Larsen on

    My ideal dahlia would be a form similar to Firefly seen above, but a bright fuchsia color with purple streaks. That color combo reminds me of my 12 year old boy. He’s obsessed with dahlias and keeps lobbying me to give up growing veggies to get more dahlia space. He’s a firecracker, and those colors are his favorites.

    Reply
  8. Sharon Jensen on

    I suppose I’ve been growing dahlias since I was 10 years old when I stopped to ask a gardener planting dahlias at a nearby church what she was planting. She gave me a tuber which hooked my mother on dahlias and at 89, she still grows over 50 varieties. Now that I have my own garden, dahlias are one of my passions. I love the dinner plate dahlias which bring so much dazzle to the garden and I’m drawn to colors, especially those which blend peach, yellow, pink into laciniated form. Discovering Dahlias is an amazing read, thanks for the inspiration!

    Reply
  9. elizabeth W szamreta on

    This is my first year growing dahlia from Floret seed and I am ecstatic to watch them grow. I’d be thrilled if one was two tones in the shrimp colors. Honestly, any beautiful flower that comes from my garden makes me smile. I’m not hard to please. I admire all the precise steps you follow to make your gardens so productive and outstanding. Thank you to Floret for all your labor.

    Reply
  10. Nicole Montesano on

    I’m a sucker for the big, fluffy blooms; Rip City was one of my favorites, and I’m so sad that I lost mine, and haven’t been able to find it since. A couple of years ago, I started dahlias from seed and saved the tubers; they were gorgeous! Dark reds in single or just barely double blooms, with dark purple foliage, and the bees loved them. Even hummingbirds visited them, although I was never sure if they were actually getting nectar. This spring, chipmunks got in the greenhouse and ate the sprouts — and in some cases the tubers! just as they were getting started. #%#!*&&@#@! :(
    So I’m starting more seeds this year, really hoping to find those again. Really hoping the couple of tubers that survived, but are unlabeled for some reason, are those favorites. And trying to figure out how to chipmunk-proof gallon pots for next year…
    A dream dahlia — perhaps a big, puffy bloom in shades of apricot and copper, that shift and deepen almost to red as the bloom opens fully, or maybe the petals are backed with red — so a vase of them looks like a spectacular sunset.

    Reply
  11. Brooke Adler on

    Dahlia’s were my initial fascination as a started my journey into flower gardening. While I am still a newbie, I have loved improving my growing techniques and producing some lovely dahlias. This year, I am growing many from seed and hope to discover some treasures. I would love to find a blueish, lavender variety. I know they don’t exist, but I have high hopes that one day they will (even if it’s more of an illusion). Thank you for the continued inspiration, Floret!

    Reply
  12. Beth on

    I love the C33 pink dahlia, she is so sweet. I’m a new flower farmer and I couldn’t afford tubers this year so I’m growing everything from seed in an effort to save money and still have dahlias I’m growing two rows of dahlias from seeds purchased from floret and I’m so excited to see what grows. Thank you Erin and the floret team for all your work with the breeding projects I can’t wait to see what we find!

    Reply
  13. Melanie on

    Blue! The hunt is still on for a blue dahlia!

    Reply
  14. Kathleen on

    I fell in love the first time you posted C33 on your Instagram. That’s my perfect dahlia. Open-centered for the pollinators, slightly kooky, twisty petals, and that gorgeous, changeable pink.

    Reply
  15. Kelly on

    I love any pink Dahlia. C33 Floret is so beautiful!

    Reply
  16. AMY DENDY on

    My dream patch would be shades of pink,peach, coral,and purple dahlias. There would be many varieties to choose from and sway in the wind.

    Reply
  17. AMY DENDY on

    My dream patch would be shades of pink,peach,coral,and purple dahlias. There would be many varieties to choose from and sway in the wind.

    Reply
  18. CJ on

    pointed and the colors of a sunrise

    Reply
  19. Brandi Bigalke on

    This is my first year growing seedlings – honestly I will be so freaking happy if I get just ONE blossom! I love Apple Blossom and have been trying to get my hands on that one for a while.
    This is year three into my dahlia journey and it has grown to a passion that has allowed me to bond with my mother, and that alone is the most beautiful gift! Calling and texting about every step in the process and laughing – sometimes wanting to cry – about different things that happened on our dahlia journey. This flower will forever remind me of her and our bond over this crazy passion!

    Reply
  20. Stephanie on

    The shape of C144 with a deep raspberry color throughout. This is my first year growing Dahlias on my farm. I have 50 tubers but started 150 seeds. I had read that the germination rate can be quite low. So I hoped for 20-50 seedlings to emerge. I have 146 seedlings! I’m so excited. I can wait to see what comes of them. I plan to start Dahlias from seed every year. The joy and excitement those little seedlings have brought me is just wonderful.

    “I’m doing this is that it brings me so much freaking joy.” Loved this! For all that you have shared with us, you deserve so much freaking joy!

    Reply
  21. Amber on

    I would love to find a peach/apricot version of ‘apple blossom’! Can’t wait to see all the varieties you’ve discovered!

    Reply
  22. Jonatan on

    I would be very interested in purchasing seeds from your Dahlia breeding project. I fully realize germination rate and resulting plants may be all over the place. If they were categorized by type and color as a starting point with pictures of mothe rplants it would just as much an exciting surprise on my end.

    Reply
  23. Joseph Daoang on

    My dream dahlia would be bright and vibrant pink, with medium and ball shaped flowers that have petals of multiple shades. The flower would have a long-lasting bloom season and thrive in my tropical climate. I’d love to see this beautiful flower gracing my garden soon and to give away to friends and family.

    Reply
  24. Patricia E on

    Looking forward to the day you write a book about breeding and show many photos of the awesome varieties you’ve created and have withstood 3+ years and are still all keepers. I wish I could have that variety that is photographed second below the one of you taking a photo of pink dahlias.

    Reply
  25. Alicia Tompkins on

    I LOVE the muted tones and the brown tones of cafe aulait (never thought I would say I love brown flowers). I also love peaches and oranges in the fall when the dahlia patch starts to bloom. My customers love my purple dahlias with frills (not sure on name) even though it’s September in MN before I see their pretty blooms. I tend to enjoy the dahlias that look straight up and are smaller in bouquets but all are fun to have and grow.

    Reply
  26. Melissa on

    Wow!!!!! Just wow… I’m obsessed with dahlias and I can’t wait to try saving some seeds this year to see what I can grow! It’s amazing how one plant can produce such different flowers. I’d love to see more pictures, and what you got from each parent plant.. my idea of heaven would be walking through your amazing dahlia patch.

    Reply
  27. Tanja Smith on

    I’m growing some dandy collarettes from seed. Is that the same thing?

    Reply
  28. Lauren Blanchard on

    C162 is what my dreams are made of! Puffy cotton candy hippie creamsicle!

    Reply
  29. Caroline on

    This is fascinating. I’ve wondered why you made the shift but after reading your blog I can totally see it. The science of it, the anticipation and delight, and all the opportunities that come with starting something new must be exciting. I’m just getting started with growing tubers but would love to experiment with hybridizing in future years! Thank you for sharing and looking forward to following this journey.

    Reply
  30. Rachel Below on

    Glad to see lots of muted, more antiqued shades. Palest pink, dusted brown and rich raspberry would be my choice. Hapet Pearl, Genova, Wizard of Oz and April Heather are some of my favorites in. Floret, Little Miss Sunshine and Firefly are all lovely

    Reply
  31. Jill Armstrong on

    Beautiful write up and seeing all the pictures gets us excited for planting season. My dream Dahlia would be earwig free😁 and the color of a pink sunset or close to your precious metal variety.
    I would be excited to see iceland poppies poke thru!
    Thankyou
    Looking forward to all thing Floretfarm!

    Reply
  32. Stacie on

    Thank you for sharing your beautiful story! I loved watching your docu-series on Discovery+…or shall I say, it “discovered me” during a critical time in my family’s life. It helped me to remember who I am & to not let our hardship destroy the most beautiful parts of me. I could especially relate to the endless work hours & days when you couldnt afford heat or diapers & felt so small & insignificant. You inspired me to dream again & most importantly, to believe that “the future can be better than the present & I have the power to make it so” (quote by D. Brooks).

    Sincerely, Thank You.
    Peace, love & the best of health to you & yours, always.
    Ms. Stacie Banks & Family

    Reply
  33. Johnna King on

    Love this blog post and giveaway. I love your story and to be honest, as a Mom of 8 little kiddos and pregnant, my dream dahlia would simply be one I grew myself. It would be a dream to use our land for flowers and more gardening – but much of my day is with my children and I’m slowly doing more with our land. I would love to see a beautiful flower that we planted together from seed come up as a celebration of our season of life – that we can do it together at the right time

    Reply
  34. Lisa on

    Since my space is SO limited (I’ll try to squeeze in 50 plants but I really should only be growing 10!) I have to carefully analyze every seed I choose. I would love if other breeders started photographing their seeds that they end up growing. Obviously if would only work on a small scale but if enough of us did this, maybe we could discover a pattern. There are so many differences in the seeds, shapes, size, color and texture. Some have lines, some have color variations. And actually, the shapes are similar to various petal shapes, making me wonder if that’s a hint. Wouldn’t in be cool if we could get some indication what seeds will produce what forms at least? Then we wouldn’t have to grow 100 seedlings in hopes of getting one keeper.

    Reply
  35. Danielle on

    Congratulations ladies!!! So exciting !! Pure JOY

    Reply
  36. Andrea Walsh on

    Not sure if I’m too late for the competition, but this year will be my first year growing dahlias from seed in Northern Ontario, Canada. A dahlia that I would love to see in my patch would be a deeper ‘Merlot’ colour, with large, soft-looking petals that beg to be touched. It would have a long, strong stem for arranging. Thank you to everyone at Floret for your inspiration and guidance!

    Reply
  37. Michelle Renshaw on

    WOOOOHOOOO!

    I am one of the lucky winners! To say I am over the moon is an understatement! I can assure you all…I will pay it forward

    Reply
  38. Bekah Yohn on

    Congrats, Melissa, Megan Fischer, Laura Flournoy, Michelle and Janet!!! <3 <3

    Reply
  39. CHERE TOURNET on

    How much joy I had last year, when I planted and grew your Dahlia seeds! I didn’t know what would pop open from the promising buds – and this was SO much fun! Like you, it is the anticipation that thrills me. Just to think of what could emerge from that tiny seed!
    Also, the tubers each plant developed were phenomenal – I never imagined that a large tuber could grow in such a short span of time. I really don’t have a favorite Dahlia but I love dusty purple tones, so: my dream dahlia would have a dusty orange center with dusty purple, fringed petals. It would be simple in design but tantalizing in color.
    Thank you for this opportunity and for all of the inspiration you seed into our lives.

    Reply
  40. Danielle Farmer on

    First off ErIn and the team y’all are AMAZING!! And thank you for bringing so much JOY into my life and the world!

    Dream dahlia would be nude and different shades of white, variety of sizes! I would be thrilled to find nude, whites, and variety of pink dahlias, surprise me with an assortment as I am new to the gardening world and have always had a passion for flowers! I had surgery in February and my mom and aunt got me the most beautiful assortment of yellows, whites and nudes. I thought wow! How much pure JOY these flowers are bringing me!! I want to be able to spread the love and joy at our local farmers markets, give back to our community! I don’t want to go into detail in the surgery but this has changed my life! Laying in the bed unable to move watching Floret and thinking WOW ERIN is an amazing inspiration! I have started brain storming and finding inspiration from her books and show! Last name is Farmer, so Farmers Floral has begun!

    Reply
  41. Nancy Foerster on

    Nancy. March 15th 2022… My Dream Dahlia would be the darkest of purple (center and all) almost an inky black except when it’s shown in the daylight. Its bloom would be as big as a head of cabbage and the peddles would tightly woven into each other almost creating a birds nest. The leaves and stem would be…something in the Kelly green family or maybe chartreuse and would cradle its bloom. The stem would be designed to suck up as much water and glycerin as possible so that it could be preserved for a very long time. This wonderful Dahlia could stand on its own or be strong enough to create a topiary of purple wonder! I’ve been gardening flowers and vegetables for the past 30 years. After taking a few years off I plan to get back to putting my spade, shovel and hands into dark rich soil again. Thank you for your inspiration and teaching all of us about nature, flora and fauna.

    Reply
  42. Leianne on

    My dream dahlia would be one that has a subtle, variegated shade of purple, darker towards the center, slowly fading away towards a light purplish-white, but then having a soft pink tips at the very end. I’m partial to the more decorative dahlias, so I think it would be the best display of the coloring, however, I wouldn’t be opposed to any dahlia with that kind of coloring. If I could borrow my neighbor’s yard, which is nothing but sun (unlike mine), I would fill it with all sorts of flowers, but mostly dahlias.

    Reply
  43. Monica Judd on

    I haven’t even ventured into dahlia planting yet but have your book. I’m especially drawn to the creamy colored blooms and also love shades of pink. For size, I’d say a moderate to large size bloom to serve as the statement in bouquets. Thank you for being a faithful student and for sharing all your knowledge.

    Reply
  44. Barb Moore on

    My Dream Dahlia would be various shades of purple, starting with a darker periwinkle purple on the inside and fading to the lighter shades at the ends. I haven’t had the joy of growing my own dahlia’s yet, perhaps this year will be my first time!

    Reply
  45. Jeanine on

    My dream dahlia would be the exact color of the pink clouds just after the sun sets. Thanks for all the beautiful work that you do! It is my first year growing dahlias from tubers and I can’t wait for them to arrive in April. So excited to be on this journey of growing my own flowers.

    Reply
  46. Karen on

    My dream dahlia would be a dinnerplate with subtle color variations within each bloom and so full you would wonder how all those petals could possibly fit and in on flower and the petals would be textured (either ruffles or spikey) on the edges, either a bold dark purple-black or a soft salmon/peach color.

    Reply
  47. Jill Cullen on

    My dream dahlia is purple with a orange with a yellow center, like a beautiful sunset.

    Reply
  48. Tali Hurst on

    My dream dahlia would be a beautiful dusty rose color with a hint of orange warmth in the center in a formal decorative form. A color palate and shape that so naturally draws me in to it’s beauty. Can’t wait to see what this growing season brings!

    Reply
  49. Charlene Ng on

    My dream dahlia would be to find a white dahlia over time it will be chartreuse-y color. (Maybe it exists? I’m not sure.) I’m just starting my adventures in the dahlia world but waiting for it to open, getting them before the earwigs do are all part of the process. Happy gardening!

    Reply
  50. sue costello on

    My dream dahlia would be the discovery of the first blue dahlia… a Forget-me-not shade of blue in a single-petaled dahlia.

    Reply
  51. Katie Crowe on

    It is hard to pin point what my dream dahlia would be. The first thing that comes to my mind is a large full petal bloom that has a vibrant center color and fades out to some softer colors. Almost inspired by a sunset that makes you stop and take in all of the beauty it has to offer and provides a sense of peace and calming. That’s what gardening is to me. It’s my escape from the busy and the peace that my soul needs.

    Reply
  52. Charlotte on

    I dream of a dahlia that is twice as big as the big dinner plates dahlias and that is the perfect light coral color, that looks like it is almost glowing.

    Reply
  53. Gabby Boisen on

    The dahlia of my dreams is a terrific hot pink color with a bloom as wide as my head!

    Reply
  54. Erin Whitemarsh on

    My dream dahlia would be a coral to white version of firefly!

    Reply
  55. Laurie on

    My dream dahlia might be similar to the new Floret – I love soft colors with a more “wild” dahlia look with fewer petals and a nice yellow center, kind of like Appleblossom.

    Reply
  56. Grace on

    I too love the creams, peaches and soft glowing colors. I definitely prefer heights below 3 ft, my composted horse manure sometimes creates monsters in height. If it says 3-4 ft in the description then I might as well count on 5-6 ft! I love sturdy stems as opposed to wimpy ones that don’t hold up! I love all shapes from Poms to singles but must say that your firefly really caught my eye. I love reading your blog, I’ve been gardening for over 40 yr now but continue to learn and grow every season. Thank you for all your hard work.

    Reply
  57. Julia Y on

    Oh my, how to pick one?? I love blush colored flowers and the larger the better! It would be a show stopper. It would be amazing to win some seeds to plant at my new home! I’ll be starting from scratch there.

    Reply
  58. Mary Bass on

    My dream dahlia would be in my garden, not a flower field. The plant would be about 24” tall and about 18” wide. The flowers would rise 6-10” above the foliage with three levels of flat petals ranging in shades of pink and salmon, and variations of those shades. The flatness, similar to single varieties, would allow easy access for pollinators. Many of the inner level of petals would twist & turn for interest. The interior would be darker shades of the same pink, salmon, and bits of yellow, making for beautiful macro photographs. They would have great vase life and tolerate overwintering in the soil in my zone 7a garden, with the help of an extra layer of leaves.

    Reply
  59. Lisa Murphy on

    I love ALL the dahlias! But I think I would like another St. Nicholas. (I think that’s his name). I grew one last year and he was large, red and beautiful. The tuber was from a friend, but I’m not sure if it survived overwintering. (Long story) Anyhow, Dahlia’s are definitely my favorite flower to grow, thanks to my botanist neighbor. He, along with my dahlia’s have been a great big beautiful asset to my new garden <3

    Reply
  60. Cassie Melton on

    A compact pom flower. Lemon yellow petals, with orange tips.

    Reply
  61. Jennifer D Heath on

    My dream dahlia would somehow combine purple and lime green either in the petals or the leaves. My Mamaw June really liked purple and my Mamaw Pauline was born on St Patrick’s day. I miss them both so much. They both instilled a love of flowers and gardening into me. I have flowers from both of their yards in my yard now that remind me of them when they bloom. I would call this dahlia the Memory of Mamaw dahlia.

    Reply
  62. Elisheva on

    My dream dahlia is round and either lilac or apricot in hue, with a lot of petals.

    Reply
  63. Jackie on

    I would LOVE anything purple and white and bigger than a dinner plate too!

    Reply
  64. Laura Doty on

    My dream dahlia would be similar to your C33 Floret variety but a paler pink that is a bit darker at the tips and light yellow center. If I planted some seeds. I’d be thrilled to find a big, beautiful Cafe au lait popping up :)

    Reply
  65. Cindy R Thompson on

    I love all the soft muted peachy pink shades that have lots of petals. Would love to have a bunch growing in my garden..(Thanks for being you!)

    Reply
  66. Emery Adona on

    My dream dahlia is a variety called Gitts Crazy! Orange petals with wine colored edges. So pretty!

    Reply
  67. Lexa on

    I am quickly falling in love with apple blossom and scabiosa-type dahlias. These blooms are so unexpected and bring me endless joy. I would love to grow something in this form with some delicious tequila-sunrise coloring, or maybe a peachy-yellow that reminds me of candy. I want my customers to marvel and say “what is that flower?!” and surprise them with the answer.

    Reply
  68. Kim McDonald on

    I would love to have big pink blush coloured dahlias as well as baby yellow ones to plant all around my house I am redoing It an odd looking house but will be beautiful once my flower garden is done . We still have about 4 feet of snow here in eastern Quebec. Can’t wait to see flowers

    Reply
  69. Karen on

    I got my love of flowers from my grandmother and now that we own 2 acres I want to grow my own flower patch. I love pale orange and dark pink, dark red and orangish yellow combinations.

    Reply
  70. Kelly R. on

    If I were to imagine a new dream dahlia it would be a white center fading out to a muted pink and then ending in a dark pink with slightly incurved petals. But honestly, all dahlias are so beautiful, each color and variety has something unique to offer.

    Reply
  71. Gretta Lattal on

    I first fell in love with Dahlias studying abroad in London many years ago. My favorite florist displayed the beauties one stem each, in milk bottles seated on an old church bench outside her shop. Glorious! But honestly, my heart stopped just a few years ago when I found “Dinner Plate” Dahlias at a garden center nearby. They were a solid, deep purple color.
    If I could design my own dream Dahlia it would be a full traditional head , deep purple in color primarily, with a touch of white contrasting petals around the outermost edges and some variegated petals of purple and white in between.

    Reply
  72. Ana Teixeira on

    I really like pom pom dahlias and absolutely love the ones with a fringe of colour… would like a salmon pom pom dahlia with a raspberry fringe on the petals!

    Reply
  73. Becky on

    There are already so many amazing dahlias, but if I were to image a new dream dahlia it would be a muted peachy pink with a light center and darker borders around the edges. That is of course, until nature creates something even more magical than I can imagine!

    Reply
  74. Shaleen Dodson on

    My dream would be shaped like Cafe Au Lait starting in hue on the outer rim muted magenta getting darker towards the center. I’m just starting my first flowers from seeds this year but I am so excited that I have been having dreams of dahlias and zinnias!

    Reply
  75. Veronica on

    Well as long as I get to fantasize…. My dream dahlia would be hardy to zone 6! Or an anemone that has the size of a dinner plate with the colors of a cloud just starting to pick up the light of a setting sun.

    Reply
  76. Meghan Murphy on

    Yay to lots more fluttery imperfect open faced dahlias!

    Reply
  77. Elena Rose on

    Cheers to one year! My dream dahlia would be a small lily shaped bloom, a deep berry magenta with a hint of fluorescence in the right light. One that’s a little difficult to capture in a photograph and described as “you just have to see this one in person”. I would call it Double Take, because that’s what you’d do when you walked by one :) Crossing my fingers!

    Reply
  78. Bronwyn Bonnar on

    I would love to discover a rich deep purple Pom Pom style dahlia.
    I love the beautiful mesmerising form the Pom Pom takes on.

    Reply
  79. Hailey on

    My dream Dahlia would be mostly pink with a little bit a purple, of the dinnerplate variety with strong stems

    Reply
  80. Lea on

    I’d love to discover a Dahlia that was “soft iridescent” in nature. Can you imagine how beautiful she would be?

    Reply
  81. Briana on

    My dream dahlias would be “highlighter” colors! Just the brightest of neons! 💕

    Reply
  82. Mallory Troyer on

    My dream dahlia would be a large, softball sized version of a pom pom dahlia (I love the petal form) and range in hues from muted rose to blush pink. Thanks for all you do Erin and team!

    Reply
  83. Jama Keaffaber on

    My heart skips a beat when the evening sun hits my “Manor Jubilee” and “Hollyhill Black Beauty” dahlias. Their petals look as if they were cut from iridescent deep dark Cabernet colored velvet.

    I would love to see the colors of a “Thomas Edison” crossed with a “ Karma Choc” or “Hollyhill Black Beauty”. Only In the form of a Stellar. Call it “Enchanted Evening”- THAT hybrid would absolutely knock my socks off!!

    Reply
  84. Nicholas Waters on

    My dream dahlia would be a easy to grow variety, creamy- apricot tones, and an extended season of blooms.

    Reply
  85. Kim Moens on

    I am in awe over the geometry of dahlias! Combine that with my favorite flower colors of corally pink with a touch of green and that sounds drool -worthy!

    Reply
  86. Pam R Ward on

    My favorite flower and a dream to grow myself, and white and pink my favorite!

    Reply
  87. Sophie on

    I think my dream dahlia look like a white and burgundy pompon, the dahlia is the most satisfying in flower culture.

    Reply
  88. Cheryl Davis on

    To honor my mother who’s favorite flower was dalhias, I’d choose a peachy coral color that deepens into a slightly darker coral, with wide feathery petals. She’d never fail to ask every fall if I’d dug my jewels up!

    Reply
  89. Tammy Hardee on

    My dream dahlia would be full and ruffley and varing shades of pink. However – every dahlia is my dream because they are my favorite flower!!

    Reply
  90. Sam malleis on

    My ideal dahlias would be a ombré pink version.

    Reply
  91. Katie Bell on

    Dream Dahlia would be…peachy, muted, and medium sized!

    Reply
  92. Amy Collett on

    I would love a mid-size dahlia that starts as pink but as it matures becomes a darker pink. Realistically, I have only grown dahlias one time successfully (out of trying for 2 years). I’m going to keep trying though – they are beautiful!!

    Reply
  93. Eileen on

    Just planted my first dahlia seeds from Green Witch Seeds.
    They have germinated and are starting to grow. It will be fun watching them grow and bloom.
    Long stemmed deep raspberry blooms with butter cream edges.. So many colours, shapes and endless possibilities.

    Reply
  94. Sarah Johnson on

    I would love for a dahlia to be a mix of purple and pink – starting with a deep purple middle and fading out to a rich pink color. So many pretty flowers and so Many possibilities!

    Reply
  95. Angela Cronin on

    My Dream Dahlia would be like one of our Aussie’s iconic Lime Splits. Creamy White with Lime Centre. Big and blousy with so much vibrancy and flavour.

    Reply
  96. Ashley Bryers on

    My dream surprise would be a pointy petal of raspberry red, licked with creamy, buttery cream and a puffy dark red center. Long stems so that a vase full would bounce in the soft New Zealand summer breeze.

    Reply
  97. Angel Joyce on

    Am in love with penhill watermelon, and Cafe latte, first dinner plates I have ever grown this year…
    Not disappointed…

    Also love collerett dahlia

    Love hot colour’s, would love more dinner plates , or collerett please

    Reply
  98. Zsuzsa Berenyi on

    My dream colors are deep dark brown, which will be peach towards the wind.

    Reply
  99. Marcey Keefer Hutchison on

    Dahlias are simply divine, simply beautiful. The ultimate dahlia is one that draws the eye into its petals with its iridescence. The color is undefinable and therefore perfect. The sanguine curl of the perfect dahlia petal delights and is not defined by a type but rather by the joy it brings. That is my dream dahlia.

    Reply
  100. Joyce Fowler on

    Would like a pale orange with pink centers and pink feathering like a beautiful sunset.

    Reply
  101. Christina on

    My two favorites right now are Copperboy and Polka – I’m feeling a little weary of blushing beauties – and both of these seem to glow in their own unique ways.

    Reply
  102. Heather on

    Lovely article and project! Good luck with “treasure hunting” the fields. I would love to see more color changing varieties to expand use in one variety for space saving vs use in one arrangement. A peach to blush to white?

    Reply
  103. Erica on

    This post is amazing! I feel myself slipping down the slide here. How much room, could I dedicate to seedlings… The results are incredible!!! Your top three are so great – I almost think the little miss sunshine is the most exciting. So whimsical. The perfect name. Please share some day. :)

    If I could imagine any new dahlia, it would be trying for any version of blue. I have a tuber coming this season that in theory is one of the most “blue” purples out there. I wonder what could be created over time. Could it get bluer? Or would the blue-ish color look more blue with other colors on the same stem? It would be sooooo cool.

    Reply
  104. Brooke on

    I would LOVE a smokey coral, with a deeper backing to the petals in a coral/rose shade 💕
    This is my first year growing Dahlias and I am totally addicted!

    Reply
  105. Kellie Wiedman on

    I’d love a huge bloom that’s full of petals almost fuffy like. Beautiful peaches and cream. Maybe lighter to darker with dark tips. Really I love everything big.

    Reply
  106. Amy on

    My dream dahlia would be a huge informal dinnerplate with muted hues of apricot and peach. Extra points if it had dark foliage and stems.

    Reply
  107. Lisa on

    Ideal: A nice big romantic flouncy thing that evokes a heritage rose, tones from creamy pink to peach and ivory.

    Reply
  108. Sherry Mejico-Hochenedel on

    I’m new to gardening and I LOVE DAHLIAS! My dream dahlia would be a combination of red and orange.

    Reply
  109. Michelle G. on

    My dream beauty would be an ombré sunset colored dinner plate dahlia. Something reminiscent of coastal sunsets over the ocean.

    Reply
  110. Chelley Brenner on

    A muted salmon and cream two toned dahlia 4-5” with long vase life, strong stems and disease resistant.

    Reply
  111. Kirby Chamblin on

    A creamy white informal dinnerplate with a peach center 😍 I love them all though

    Reply
  112. Colleen Donahue on

    Greetings from Bellevue, WA. I just love the joy of growing flowers you bring to the world. I’ve been growing for 25 years and like to mix things up from year to year. I’ve searched for the unicorn I have concluded simply doesn’t exist. My dream Dahlia would look much like Labyrinth with those curvy, luscious two toned petals but in a much more manageable size, please! Small 4-5″ blooms are much easier to manage in the garden and in vases, so that’s what’s I’d love to one day discovery in my seed growing efforts. This spring I’m growing 100+ plants for display at the Bellevue Demonstration Garden and can’t wait to get started!!

    Reply
  113. Michelle on

    My dream dahlia would be a dark purple with yellow somewhere in the mix. I would also love to find a C144/Firefly in my garden!

    Reply
  114. J on

    I would be delighted with a chartreuse mini ball dahlia!

    Reply
  115. Emily on

    I would love a dahlia that reminded me of a sunset – coral colored bloom bleeding into peach and light yellow. Beautiful!

    Reply
  116. Robert on

    Café au lait is my favorite but I love whites and mauve colored ones too.

    Reply
  117. Greta Wallace on

    I have been growing dahlias for years and enjoying your website for just as many years. I have several of your books! As an artist and graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago I am painfully visual! I work obsessively, trying to discover the right combination of flowers and grasses, but not in a floral bouquet. My love is in garden design. I don’t grow dahlias in rows, but amongst other flowers, so I make life hard for myself! I also don’t use chemicals, so I’ve got bugs that love to nibble on the petals. And I’m single so I do this all by myself on 4 acres. Also on disability so I can’t do everything I dream of. I have not had very much success with seedlings. But I think the trick is that I need to figure out how to start them sooner indoors without grow lights and to start all of them. 13,000 or 130,000 would be an insane amount for me. I wish we could just start them in the ground but I live in Iowa where they don’t even have a Dahlia club! Mine often turn out single. I have been told that if you grow singles and collarettes, like POOH , you’ll end up with mostly singles, even from your dinnerplate dahlias. I had the most flouncy beautiful white single dahlia with a dark hot pink edge, but I lost it over the winter in storage. I love anemones with the big puffy center. It is hard to decide which would be my favorite! I love unusual shapes and colors, rather than the large dinner plate decorative dahlias. I wish I had that one Dahlia seedling back–the flouncy, care free, giant sized single, with the hot pink edges!

    Reply
  118. Judy Tingley on

    I love so many colors , but I think I would love a bright apricot with tones of pink and yellow throughout. I would love having a variety of colors to plant out in my garden. Thank you for bringing so much beauty into our lives!

    Reply
  119. Amanda Pratt on

    I love rich, dark purples (almost black) and magentas. I’d love to find a dinnerplate variety with that color.

    Reply
  120. Krin Warr on

    I am just starting my research to figure out what dahlias might grow well in Houston TX. Hoping to find some varieties to have success with. I love the color purple so a plum purple, soft but not necessarily pastel would be lovely, maybe a purple version of your c33/floret . I do love the beautiful peachy-coral-pink-yellow ones though. I am fairly new to following floret flowers and appreciate all the information and pictures that you have spent time putting together and then share.

    Reply
  121. Stephanie on

    I favor anything with fine outlining on the edge of the petals – much like your ‘firefly.’ White trim on dark colors or complimentary dark trim on pastels. Looks like you and your team have a great eye for finding the truly special! Best of luck!

    Reply
  122. Ashley Jones on

    I love all the dahlias! I really love the dinner plate sized one and the big puff balls, particularky the muted color range! Such an elegant, beautiful bloom!

    Reply
  123. Regina on

    My dream dahlia would be a collarette series that has strong stems and the vase life of a ball. Any colors, but I do tend to gravitate towards the blush, pink, lav/purple beauties.

    Reply
  124. Laura on

    My dream Dahlia would be almost dinner plate size with wrap around petals, and would partially close at dusk. Coral peachy orange in color with iridescence that glittered in the sun. I grew this Dahlia once, it’s color only due to something in my soil! I dream of this dahlia!

    Reply
  125. Kathy on

    I have admired Dahlias from a far for years. The first time that I saw these beauty’s was in a nursing home that my Dad was in, they were in vases on the front desk. A nurse that worked there grew them in her Garden. What Joy she brought to people with her beautiful blooms. I want to try growing them in my flower Garden this season! My favorite colors are Coral and Peach.
    Thank you for all of your wonderful information about your journey, it’s so inspiring.

    Reply
  126. Nadja on

    As large and fluffy as possible, soft pink with darker pink outlines on the petals! This bring me so much joy too. Will start a breeding project in my tiny garden this year. We’ll see what’s possible. Thanks for the inspiration.

    Reply
  127. Connie Ferguson on

    I’m such a softie – I would love whatever miracle grows! Just the feeling that a living, beautiful thing is there because of my efforts is enough for me. I talk to them – greet them every morning, “good morning, Little Sisters!” Love to watch the ladybugs and birds enjoy them. Love to watch my dogs sit in their shade. Love to hear my wind chimes and water bubble in the bird bath – and hold back my tears. I love whatever grows in my garden.

    Reply
  128. Maddison P on

    I’d love to see more bicolored dahlias!!

    Reply
  129. Alana Anderson on

    My dream dahlia would be dinner plate size and have a peachy/pink ombre pattern! These would be so pretty in my garden as well as in my home!

    Reply
  130. Mary on

    I love to dream, so my ‘dream dahlia’ would have a bright fuchsia fluffy center with pointy burgundy outside petals. They would also be quite large!

    Reply
  131. Amanda on

    My dream dahlia would be a large fluffy dahlia with multiple petals. Pale pink with veins of deep pink.

    Reply
  132. Jackie on

    I tried dahlias last year for the first time! I’d love to find some big cream and peachy salmon blooms growing in the backyard.

    Reply
  133. Sarah Rattaseri on

    My dream dahlia would be dinner plate sized, and a color I would call tea stained— light browns and pinks as if you spilled hibiscus tea on a white linen napkin. Seedlings of dinner plate varieties would be my dream. The dinner plates are like bright, beaming faces staring back at me.

    Reply
  134. Katie Lampen on

    I would absolutely love to get a formal decorative shape that has a peachy orange base with pops or coral throughout and dusted with that beautiful shimmer sparkle I’ve found in only a couple varieties 💕🔥😍

    Reply
  135. Rachel Williams on

    I usually love dinner plates, but I’d love to grow a peachy, salmon ball type.

    Reply
  136. Stephanie on

    I would love a muted purple, fluffy dahlia with lots of petals. A variety that bees would love! I am a dahlia newbie and I’m so excited to get my first flower bed growing this summer

    Reply
  137. Swagata on

    Mine would be a watermelon coloured collarette with bursts of yellow!

    Reply
  138. Lindsey on

    I am a school garden coordinator and we were given one of your books by our local garden club. We are hoping to experiment with dahlias this year and I am really interested to know that we can try to grow them from seed. I tend toward more yellows and oranges, and love the larger dahlias that seem to have such organized centers with petals that get fluffier on the outside.

    Reply
  139. Theresa on

    I’m so excited that dahlias are back in the spotlight. My dream dahlia would have to be slightly incurved petals of pale cream with strokes of yellow and bronze apricot. It would of course be called ‘Spotlight’.

    Reply
  140. Anita Chowdhary on

    My dahlia will be a pale pink with deep dark pink centers, shaped like a Pom Pom, on long stems

    Reply
  141. Naomi on

    There’s too many to dream of only one but I would love to see one similar to a Seniors Hope but the colour of Sylvia on the front and the dark burgundy on the back petals. I would love to find something close to an Appleblossom in my seedling patch!!

    Reply
  142. Alicia on

    I love the dahlias with a loose form that change from bright and vibrant in the center to muted/dusted edges. The taller plant and longer stem length the better!

    Reply
  143. Laura Belding on

    Mine would be a big messy white dahlia with a hint of color in the center , a heathery pink shade, that reached out a bit. I don’t think I’ve seen that before.

    Reply
  144. Sally on

    My dream dahlia would look like a desert sunset with rich shades of gold, burnt orange, and dusty rose 😍

    Reply
  145. Nicole on

    My dream dahlia would be a dinner plate dahlia in the deep almost black purple color. I found a cut your own farm 2 summers ago during the height of the pandemic and found so much joy in the dahlias that filled my home after walking through the fields being enamored by the colors and happiness they bring. I went back time and time again to enjoy the flowers and bring them home until the first frost. I am so excited to attend my first grow your own dahlia class this spring with a local grower! I can’t wait to share the beauty in my own yard this summer!

    Reply
  146. Karen Osier on

    I love deep rich colors and in the open old fashion type. Most seem obsessed with pastels but that has never been my favorite. I find it amazing how nature can have so many rich beautiful colors.

    Reply
  147. Brooke Allen on

    My dream dahlia. Oh geez. Well I’d say my current mood is going for more peachy/pink colors, but fading to a muted apricot. I liked a fair number of my seedlings last year, but
    I’m a sucker for a cheery, happy collarette!

    Reply
  148. Ammi Bai Chung on

    My dream dahlia; black purple with yellow stripes I’d be thrilled with cafe au lait though anything from Floret would be amazing!

    Reply
  149. Annika McIntosh on

    I’m always thrilled with the open, single varieties but like you mentioned, there is more to a perfect flower than it’s pretty face!. There was a beautifully nuanced watermelon colored one I had this year but it didn’t have a strong neck/head. So the ideal dahlia would be a workhorse across the board with some color magic that lets it blend well with others in a vase…

    Reply
  150. Jenna Townsend on

    My dream dahlia would be a beautiful, soft, ruffled bloom with many layers and a light purple-pink hue! I would be thrilled to win and ecstatic to get a Cafe Au Lait in my seedling patch!

    Reply
  151. Mary Ann Rodts on

    The uniqueness and beauty of dahlias bring me so much wonder, amazement, and joy. I feel so drawn to the funky fun ones, like how does that happen, such as Little Miss Sunshine! I love her form, a bit bigger with soft raspberry, watermelon colored petals and a soft peachy colored center. Could work in a bright or warm color palette theme!
    Thank you for inspiration and make your dahlia journey bring you all the joy!

    Reply
  152. Shana Hackworth on

    I have only 6 dahlia seedlings growing this year, but I hope to have one that is a collarette variety with a peachy apricot-ish coloring. I think the simple ones are the most dainty and sweet!

    Reply
  153. Mackenzie on

    This will be my first year growing Dahlias and I cant wait to see what beauty grows in my flower farm this year. My dream dahlia would be a soft ruffly sunrise looking beauty. Love them all!

    Reply
  154. Felicia Ruzilo on

    My dream dahlia would have round edge petals with a cream purple with a slight pink colours in it with a dewey glow like when the sun rise kisses the morning sky.

    Reply
  155. Cynthia Moses on

    I just love the large full Dahlias like your B11 and C216– the blush tinges on light colored petals. I love to surround the flower with my hand and just feel all the petals and all the beauty and enjoy the smell and feel of the beautiful flowers.

    Reply
  156. Rochelle Duff on

    I am all about colour more than size. Apricot/Peach coloured with a darker coral interior. Fluttery petals (I now it is not a real word, but I can see it in my mind). Thank you for your inspiration.

    Reply
  157. Lyn on

    The one you have labeled B13 above – that’s pretty close! A creamy, yellowish, pinkish orange with personality! I’m growing dahlias for the first time this year and I can’t wait to watch them grow.

    Reply
  158. Nichole on

    My DREAM dahlia would be a cafe au lait the size of an Irish D Porter! Absolutely perfect for arrangements. I’d be so thrilled to find anything that looks related to Appleblossom – like some of the gorgeous varieties you’ve bred, Erin! Bravo!

    Reply
  159. Chris on

    I would love a medium sized flower with long petals in a bright pink color .

    Reply
  160. Amanda on

    Beautiful!! I’m currently really interested in the water lily varieties, so I’d love one in a soft bubblegum pink that has the streaky “water colored” effect on the petals! If I grew from seed, it would be fun to discover a Cafe Au Lait style dahlia, but in a soft lavender/periwinkle shade!

    Reply
  161. Anne-Marie on

    Beautiful post! I would love to see a dahlia that would be cream with subtle touches of light green, and slightly swirly petals.

    Reply
  162. Morgan Yarger on

    I love them all but ball and laciniated varieties grab my attention slightly more. The pinks, corals and peaches tend to be my favorites but I also love how striking white and yellow can be.

    Reply
  163. Shantelle Brown on

    I really want to find a cream/blush ponpom with faint lavender undertones (similar to café au lait but with more all around consistency. Especially with form and longer, stronger stems)

    Reply
  164. Debbie on

    I’m thinking I’d love to find a dahlia with a deep coral hue on the petals with lighter highlights of coral on the edges and emerald green centers. Or, a sky blue petal with a navy center would be fun the find in my garden!

    Reply
  165. Jessica Loschke on

    My dream dahlia would be a dark emerald green color with little tidbits of white and gold streaked throughout. It would have short petals with pointed tips. 🤎

    Reply
  166. Lindsey on

    My dream dahlia would be a creamy lemon petals with bright pink coloring in the center. Fun and summery! I started my seeds a couple of weeks ago and would love to discover a creamy yellow informal decorative in my patch which would be a new color for my farm!

    Reply
  167. Leslie Candes on

    My dream dahlia would consist of a vibrant coral-raspberry color combination that would have a tight cluster of petals in the center but branch out into flared pink tinted creamy petals. I am really drawn to the flowers that are bright in the center, but that fade like a tie die in the outer edges of the petals. Its so dreamy just to think about all of the options!

    Reply
  168. Chiara on

    My dream dahlia would be tie dye! I’m thinking hot pink, purple, white, and a little blue. I would be happy with anything white, purple, pink, or red in my packet. I don’t think there’s a single dahlia that I don’t like.

    Reply
  169. Susan Florman on

    My dream/fantasy dahlia would be a beautiful blue that would carry my blue garden into the fall. I could go from pansies to irises to delphiniums and morning glories to fabulous blue dahlias. Sigh. . .

    Reply
  170. Kim Lundeen on

    My dream dahlia would be pale blush pink with a deep purple almost blue center double ball. I’m sowing my first batch of seedlings this year and am so excited to see who they are. I’m really hoping for a lot of doubles and would be thrilled to find another dark purple. This year I have been taking cuttings and will have a cutting patch along with my seedling patch. I just finished the workshop and can’t believe the amount of wonderful information you shared. Thank you!

    Reply
  171. Elizabeth Schraeder on

    I’m not sure what my dream Dahlia would look like I guess I’m going to start with I have never grown one so my dream would be for it to grow from either a seed or tuber into a mature flowering Dahlia color wouldn’t matter at first – just the thrill of actually growing one! Please keep up all of your lovely blog posts I enjoy each of them.

    Reply
  172. Deb Kenneda on

    My cat Zephyr died recently and I would memorialize him with a free flowing tawny cactus dahlia with toasted edges, streaky cream stripes, and a pale pink center tongue

    Reply
  173. Heidi on

    Choosing only one is like asking a parent which of their children is their favorite…can’t be done! They are ALL different, surprising, beautiful and bring joy!

    Reply
  174. Arianna on

    I’m a sucker for dreamy pastel oranges and peaches like a prairie winter sunset– I’d love to see a blend of those colors darkening towards the edges of the petals. But, I’ve never tried breeding dahlias and growing them from seed, so anything would be a thrill.

    Reply
  175. Mitzi Dason on

    Hi,
    Love everything Floret!! My favorite Dahlia would be sunny yellow star shape with pinkish purple she’s on the petals! The little star shaped ones gel so joyful and I believe that color combination would b amazing!

    Reply
  176. Hannah Coy on

    Thank you for all your inspiration! I would love an Informal Decorative… Sunset Hot Pink & Burnt Orange with Purple tips!

    Reply
  177. Stacy Riley on

    I would love a solid color dahlia with another color outlining the petals, one with a big and full looking head. Maybe white petals with red outline.

    Reply
  178. McKenzie on

    I love following your journey and all of the beautiful dahlias that come to life! I would love to see a peaches n cream type dahlia but with some darker edging on the petals!

    Reply
  179. elaine lloyd on

    My dream dahlia would be a multi colored pink pom – bordering on neon!

    Reply
  180. Ruthanne on

    Open to pollinators but still that dense petal looks in a soft shade of pink or white

    Reply
  181. Olivia Sanchez on

    I think you’ve grown my dream dahlia…Firefly! I adore the curved petals with the edges lined with that maroonish red. Those single petals with distinct 2-tones colors are beautiful.
    You’re such an inspiration…so glad I took your course!

    Reply
  182. Melissa on

    I would love a mint colored dinner plate that is bold in color!

    Reply
  183. Lauren G on

    My dream dahlia would be a pale pink or peachy pompom! I bought my first home along a lake last summer and discovered when transplanting zinnias my neighbor offered to me that I love gardening. While I have several inches of snow covering my beds currently, I’m dreaming of my first ever cut flower garden this spring with the zinnia seeds I saved and dahlias, all against a blue backdrop of sky and water.

    Reply
  184. lisa on

    I want to find an ombré pink cream yellow-y one with the puffiest bright yellow ball of a center! Thank you Erin for continuing to share your heart. I snapped so many screenshots of these beautiful ‘treasures’. It’s the perfect word 💕

    Reply
  185. Jessica Harrison-Poteet on

    My dream dahlia is one that I grow on my own flower farm 💗..still dreaming and planning and preparing, but I’ll get there.

    Reply
  186. Meredith Kinney on

    I’d love a yellow and lavender pompom, or a yellow and peach dinner plate!

    Reply
  187. Jennifer Unruh on

    A dream dahlia would be more than the sum of its parts in an arrangement. It would go from beautiful in its own right, to exquisite and elevating combined with other elements.

    Reply
  188. Emily Johnson on

    I am 100% new to dahlias, and cut-flower growing in general. I never knew dahlias were such a big deal until I started watching the show, then reading books. I never knew “a flower” with the same name could look so drastically different from one variety to another! My dream dahlia is a healthy one that grows on my farm!

    Reply
  189. Annie Domenici on

    I would love to find a dahlia that is the lightest of lavender in color and is a dinner plate size like the cafe au late. I get excited every time I plant seeds taken from flowers I’ve grown. I see them grow and the anticipation of waiting for them to bloom to see what unique beauty that was created….. gets me every time.

    Reply
  190. Renda Jones Boomer on

    Daisies are my favorite and now I have the love 💕 for Dahlias’s if I could only find one with a bright yellow center and soft with petals… I would have the best of both world’s

    Reply
  191. Christina L. on

    I am planting my first ever dahlia tubers and seeds this spring. My dream dahlia is a ball type with light caramel petals outlined in a daring copper color. Onward!

    Reply
  192. Grace Margrave on

    My dream dahlia would contain as many different shades of pink as possible and be a ball shapped one! Thank you for all the inspiration you have given us first time flower growers! Honestly discovering your story has helped give myself permission to move big dreams to action plans! I am growing my first dahlias this year! I cannot wait for it to warm up just a little more here in Virginia!

    Reply
  193. Michelle Fritz on

    A creamy buttery yellow with maybe a little purple coloring thrown in. My mom loved flowers and yellow was her favorite. I lost her in 2019 and everytime I paint yellow flowers I think of her. The purple is a reminder of the beautiful lilacs she planted outside my bedroom window when I was little. Waking up to the smell was heavenly.

    Reply
  194. Michelle Good on

    My dream Dahlia would be a dusty pink that blended into white tips – similar to peaches n cream but not so orange. Honestly, I would be thrilled to just be surprised with what comes from my seedling patch! My dream is to have hundreds of dahlias someday when I have the room for it & make floral bouquets for all my loved ones weddings.

    Reply
  195. Jan on

    A friend just introduced me to this website and I am so so inspired, especially as I sit watching the snow falling yet dreaming of the flowers of summer. I have always loved dahlias but have never planted by seed and am so curious to learn more and try. I am drawn to the fuller, double petal peony type look with a bit longer petals While I love the deeper reds (like C78) am more recently drawn to the lighter/softer coral or peach color (B64) that I don’t find as much in other flowers. A seed packet with variety of reds, oranges, peach colors to surprise me with a variety of different flower colors would be marvelous.

    Reply
  196. Joanne Dubrow on

    I am new to Dahlia growing and have been inspired by your blog. I love the “Golden Hour” in the garden and I think finding a Dahlia that reflects that warm honey color would be amazing. Hopefully the seeds I sew this season might just reveal such a treasure!

    Reply
  197. Hannah on

    I had a dark purple with hot pink tips this year but I would love to have a similar one with a fluffy yellow center!

    Reply
  198. Robin R Lines on

    Since I am new to Dahlias it is hard to choose my dream one, but I guess it would be cream with purple veining. I love all of them so much. You have inspired me to enlarge my flower beds to include as many as I can squeeze in. Thank you for so much inspiration.

    Reply
  199. Jennifer Wingard Hershey on

    My husband and I just bought our first property with close to two acres. I’m already dreaming of all the cut flowers (and veg.) Having started some dahlia seeds for the first time, my dream dahlia would be a soft creamy pink with lots of pompom type petals.

    Reply
  200. Lauren on

    Something with whimsical petals, a strong stem and a fluffy centre, in a brown sugar fade to peach, or a peach to red colour to remind me of my children.

    Reply
  201. Natalie on

    Creamy coral with hints of pink, long stem and long vase life. But really I love them all!

    Reply
  202. JENNIFER G on

    My dream is for a seedling to produce a big burgundy cafè au lait type dahlia. I lost my dog Jersey of 14 years last summer. She was a black lab mix so I want a dark dahlia to remember her. She was always outside in the garden with me and it was so hard not having her there last summer. I tried to cross pollinate my cafè with a Hollyhill Black Beauty. We had an unexpected rain that ruined the seeds that were forming from this cross. I am determined to try again this year.

    Reply
  203. Linda on

    I would love to see a huge pink flower with a hint of green in the center. That would be heavenly.

    Reply
  204. Ginger on

    I’d love all varieties that would recreate the loveliness of spring in my summer garden🌸💐🌼!

    Reply
  205. Megan on

    My dream dahlia would be a creamy coral with a fluffy center and streaks of raspberry, with strong stems.

    Reply
  206. Rima on

    Shades of peach and pink with dense petals that softly fall away from center 😍

    Reply
  207. Ella H. on

    My dream dahlia is big, pink and fluffy!

    Reply
  208. Karlie Roland on

    My dream Dahlia are the orange, rusty ones or really any variety of pink. My fiancé and I just purchased our first home on 3 acres. We have big dreams to have a garden this year, and I’d love to have a large flower garden to add to our wedding bouquets. A touch of our first home, and grown with love— ads the perfect flare to our wedding.

    Reply
  209. Riannan H on

    Light pink and beige are so beautiful! They would make a very lovely bouquet put together!

    Reply
  210. Adrienne on

    My dream would be a black kelgai ann.

    Reply
  211. Helen Millard on

    My dream dahlia would be deep burgundy almost black. It wouldn’t have to have huge blossom’s, maybe 4 to 6 inches.
    I found you when I was given a bunch of tubers and had no idea what to do with them. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

    Reply
  212. Jackie Otts on

    My dream dahlia would be ball shaped red that fades to a creamy center. I’m new to growing Dahlias so I am really excited to get my beds setup with both seedlings and tubers.

    Reply
  213. Candace Adler on

    My dream dahlia would be a deep coral that fades to a creamy coral. I’d be thrilled to find a mix of dahlias in my seed packet if I were to win as dahlias are absolutely magnificent flowers and I really want to start growing them in my yard!

    Reply
  214. Jenny Garcia on

    My love for Dahlia’s started when I was a little girl in my country Honduras 🇭🇳 I saw my mother how she loves them, to the point that she even talk to her plants.
    I didn’t imagine that one day that person will be me.
    My perfect dahlia is the one I can get to enjoy and share with my mother and now with my daughter,, about color 🤔 so difficult to choose one or two, I guess I love them all, shapes, colors etc. I’m just a beginner at gardening and hungry to learn more! I really enjoy see your pictures and appreciate your share of knowledge!
    Congratulations for your results and more to come 🌷

    Reply
  215. Jolene Fredrickson on

    My dream dahlia would be a soft yellow with a pink tips – I love all dahlias but are especially drawn to the ones with dual tones that fade into each other. Of course it would have nice stems and produce loads of tubers. Thank you so much for sharing all your beautiful flowers and growing techniques as you have been very inspirational and have encouraged me to try growing more dahlias and flowers- which has brought me tremendous amount of joy!

    Reply
  216. Samantha H. on

    My dream dahlia…. it would have very vigorous growth; could withstand the heat; have long stems; sport large, structured blooms; and the cut flowers would have a long vase life. I delight in very full and layered dahlia flowers. I would choose blended tones of apricot, pink and orange! Oh, and it would smell lovely!

    Thank you for hosting this giveaway. Your books and website are so beautiful and inspirational!

    Reply
  217. Alison Landis on

    A dream dahlia is soft coral and hints of raspberry pink with lots of fluffy petals.

    Reply
  218. Kaitlin on

    I love the ones with fluffy dome centers almost like a zinderella zinnia in shape. I would love to see one with a baby pink in the center and petals that were a bit more creamier! Cant wait to collect my own seeds this season!

    Reply
  219. Kaitlin on

    I love the ones with fluffy dome centers almost like a zinderella zinnia in shape. I would love to see one with a baby pink in the center and petals that were a bit more creamier!

    Reply
  220. Angelique on

    My dream dahlia would be pink of course, like a heavenly ethereal cloud similar to the pink cotton candy ones…with large white “wings” flat lay petals surrounding an open center and I would name her Angel. ~🤍~ P.S. I also dream of ‘Floret’ in my garden one day! 💕

    Reply
  221. Avery Pronschinske on

    My dream dahlia would be a lavender version of apple blossom or floret, with the cute collarette flower form. Starting with lavender petals at its tips and fading to a creamy pale center!

    Reply
  222. Heidi on

    My dream dahlia is a ball shape with petals that are raspberry colored with creamy white tips.

    Reply
  223. Ethan R. on

    Something on the more whimsical side that shows structure yet portrays feelings of freedom. Colored with shades of purples getting lighter as it extends from the head.

    Reply
  224. Amber Slam on

    A dahlia as BIG as my head that is turquoise with lime green at the tips. ♥️♥️♥️

    Reply
  225. Erin K. Smith on

    I would like to see dahlias in beautiful shades of green as the dominant color, with maybe hints of cream, pinks, corals, yellows and reds. But definitely green as the primary color.

    Reply
  226. Melissa Ait Belaid on

    My dream dahlia would appear puffy from afar, but up close would have a blend of colors on many many petals, each with a contrast of colors.

    Reply
  227. Angie Rumer on

    My dream dahlia would be anything pastel colored. Anything in that tone is so beautiful! I’m growing some dahlias from seed this year and can’t wait to see what I get!

    Reply
  228. Cassidy Johnson on

    My dream dahlia would be an anemone form with cafe au lait coloring for the petals and a light cream center. My favorites are all light pinks / peaches!

    Reply
  229. Jenn on

    I love all colours dusky… dusky rosy gets me every time and I love a deep reverse colour. Love pointy tips, full petal count and steep petal recurved 💕

    Reply
  230. Karie Murray on

    My dream dahlia would be the perfect blend of orange meets pink…. kinda like the sunset. It would be a big full bloom with lots of petals.

    Reply
  231. Anne Oiler on

    I would love a tall variety that doesn’t need a ton of support. Color doesn’t matter – they are all so gorgeous.

    Reply
  232. Jana on

    My dream dahlia is a dusty rose color, with lots of pedals. I think I have a Cafe Au Lait coming this season, it is near perfection. ❤️

    Reply
  233. Jana on

    Can’t wait to try to grow some from seed! What a great idea!

    Reply
  234. Jen Kandel on

    My dream dahlia would be a pale pink one with a vivid center. I think dahlias are so lovely- seeing all of the different varieties have inspired me to try my hand at a flower garden in addition to planting vegetables. Thank you for sharing your lovely work!

    Reply
  235. Karen Shweiky on

    I will be thrilled with any dahlias that grow in my garden since I am just beginning!

    Reply
  236. Lisa Clow on

    I have some seeds; getting ready to sow!

    Reply
  237. Wanda Brown on

    My dream dahlia would be a single for the pollinators. I would love a patterned color combo of apricot and lavender.

    Reply
  238. Karrinne on

    My dream dahlia has purple or maroon outer petals then turns lighter and lighter pink to white as you move into the center with a deep orange color. It is about 4 to 5 inches across. I would be thrilled to find intense colors in my seedling patslch, as I love a striking dahlia. I love your passion and it has really reminded me if the floweres my grandma grew as a child. I now grow them to remind me of her.

    Reply
  239. Julianna Fano on

    My dream dahlia would be traditional ball with
    pastel color and a vibrant center .Dahlias are so beautiful I truly love them all . In the seedling patch
    something unique that stands out and says here I am .

    Reply
  240. Devan Butler on

    My dream dahlia is multi colored and textured. It’s so hard to envision just one. I picture a whole patch of bright colors of multi toned beauties.

    Reply
  241. Sarah Taylor on

    All of the muted colors please! Color is 100% the most important to me too. After that, something between a honeycomb and a fluffy one, structured petals on the outside with a fluffy center, all of this with a dusty rose pink would be perfection!

    Reply
  242. Brandy Hunsaker on

    The soft pastel pink dahlias get me every time. A dahlia you posted last summer for name suggestions is one of my favorites. I can hope for a field full of these beauties. The fluffy center ball with an outer edge of long petals was so unique and something I had not seen. I am thrilled I found you when I did and amazed how different dahlias can be.

    Reply
  243. Alexa Tucker on

    My dahlia dream would be…
    It’s a beautiful warm Saturday morning and I’ve just finished watering the rest of my garden, but I come over to the dirt patch that I cultivated these dahlias in while drinking a milk and honey coffee as my grandpa who lives in the wild mountains of West Virginia taught me to. Not only do I get to sip to the memories of sitting on his porch swing with family that flew in from all over the world to indulge in his sarcasm and wit, I get to sip to accomplishment. Just last year I dreamed of mastering the temperament of dahlias and now, my first dahlia has bloomed.

    Reply
  244. Jonni McKelvey on

    My dream dahlia would be a muted cool spectrum color with a blue-purple hue. It would be large enough to be a focal point in an aggangement, but small enough to still see around the arrangement on a dinner table. I would also need it to have strong stems and to be heat tolerant so that I could grow it in this crazy west Texas weather!

    For the seedling patch, I would be thrilled to find an array of heat tolerant varieties that coordinate well enough to create an amazing dahlia arrangement, yet varied enough to be able to have an array of colors for smaller stand-alone arrangements.

    What yall are doing is incredibly inspiring and one day, I hope to have half the green thumb y’all display! Thank you for for showing the good, the bad, and the ugly of what you do and being authentic in who you are. It has inspired me to want to try growing my own super-mini dahlia patch this year and I can’t wait!

    Reply
  245. Cathy Aguiar on

    My dream Dahlia would be an ID with white outlined petals followed by a rainbow of colors.

    Or a blue ball 😅

    Reply
  246. Jenise Powell on

    My dream dahlia would be a soft peachy color that is beautifully rounded and fluffy, and it speaks to you saying take me and put me in a vase.

    Reply
  247. Wendy Foster on

    My dream dahlia would love the super hot southern summers and would be insect resistant 😆 It would be a blushy-pink dinner plate flower.

    Reply
  248. Kimberly Reiss on

    I dream of a creamy beige to yellow big and gorgeous petals.

    Reply
  249. Mocca on

    My dream Dahlia would be a “ball” in Powder Blue with Pink Blush at the center! Something that would look perfect at a Unicorn themed party! Oh that would be sooo gorgeous! This is my first year planting dahlias, I’m excited and nervous at the same time! May the force be with me!

    Reply
  250. Rebecca Goff on

    I have not yet grown any dahlias but I plan to this summer and this article makes breading sound like so much fun that I can’t wait to try it for myself! I love the shape of Appleblossom and think a giant flower shaped like that with shades of orange and pink would look magnificent.

    Reply
  251. Calli on

    Wow, so many incredible blooms! I’m envisioning a pale pink petal edged in white with a puffy peach centre. Sorbet in flower form!

    Reading about the treasure hunt of dahlias grown from seeds gives me the same rush as hitting up a thrift store. I’m definitely going to have to carve out some space for seedlings, the call of the hunt is too real!

    Reply
  252. Kimiyo on

    My dream dahlia would be lush and bursting and the color of dole whip. Or maybe even pokey and the color of wild salmon that fades the cream. My mouth is watering just thinking about them….

    Reply
  253. Hayden on

    My dream dahlia would be a combination of yellow mustard and white. Yellow mustard and white are our favorite colors, we were both burned in two separate incidents. However we overcame obstacles to realize we were sole mates. As we have both been burned, it shows that no matter how bad times get, you can overcome anything together.

    Reply
  254. Rachel on

    My dream dahlia would be bright pink and orange with a whimsical form. Something my two little girls would be immediately drawn to. A flower for fairy crowns and tea parties. A flower for impromptu bouquets for grandma. A flower to inspire a love for nature and damp earth between their small fingers. A flower that brings us together. Is that too much to ask?

    Reply
  255. Sue Johnson on

    Reading this article was like eating a delicious fruit salad, full of exotic flavors, smells, and colors. So satisfying and inspiring. My dream dahlia would be shades of butterscotch and beets and would taste delicious. Are we sure they’re not edible?

    Reply
  256. Brittney on

    Dream would be a flower with a bright intense pink on the tips that fades to peachy and cream towards the center (like a sunrise) with a shape like C33.

    I’d love to see actual flowers in my garden this year. I’ve never grown dahlias, and I haven’t tried hardly anything from seed so anything that blooms this year will be a huge win!

    Reply
  257. Dianna LeVesseur on

    This is my 1st year growing anything from seed and I’ve already sown a tray of Dahlias, I just can’t wait to see what they will look like. My dream Dahlia would likely be shades of pink, and peach with the edges of the petals being darker. I love all dahlias.

    Reply
  258. Jordan B on

    Hi Erin, Team and Timmy!
    Last year was my first year growing dahlias and I was instantly in love with them. I couldn’t believe how unique and beautiful every single bloom that opened was. My daughter and I would go out every morning to check and see what new beauties were waiting for us. As you said, It really did feel like a treasure hunt! My dream dahlia would have a ton of ruffly layered petals with shades of peach, cream and light pink.

    Thank you for all the hard work that you have put into creating more beauty in this world and for taking the time to share it with this community. It is so exciting and inspiring to watch this part of your story unfold.

    Reply
  259. Hannah on

    What a dreamy article! I think my dreamy dahlia would be a dinner plate dahlia, with purple/blue hues 😍

    Reply
  260. Amy Taylor on

    It’s so hard to pick just one!
    My dream dahlia is something like your B42, creamy, looking like a cloud with soft line and gentle flare. Not too big and flashy with beigy- peach tones.

    Reply
  261. Lily on

    I’m really looking forward to having dahlias in my garden again after a long drought

    Reply
  262. Min on

    I am always attracted to pastel colors and if I am to imagine about your dream dahlia, it would look something like C33 but the outer most petals would be light lime green which then gradually change into light pale yellow towards the center. The inner secondary petals will be slightly more crowded compared to C33 but the color of the petals will almost have the same kind of color variation. I haven’t seen such kind of color combinations yet (and it may even looked like one of your discoveries!) and it will be very exciting to discover something like that one day, hopefully.

    I think the most thrilling part of discovering a brand new variety of dahlia for me would be to find something I have never thought I would find out in my seedling patch and be amazed by it every time. I am just a home gardener and what you are doing is lightyears away from my abilities and I can’t even imagine doing all of this but you truly inspired me to try growing dahlias from seeds (as I mainly grow dahlias from tubers). I think we all should try to do that for our own thriller from dahlias and we will always be super excited to discover our own new dahlia varieties!

    Reply
  263. Brooke on

    My dream dahlia looks like a slowly melting creamsicle on a hot summer day with muted orange, cream and a touch of pink. I planted my first tuber last year and can’t wait to expand my home garden this year.

    Reply
  264. Rachel Klassen on

    C33 is pretty much the dahlia of my dreams. I love the color streaking of the petals and the statement the contrast of the center makes.
    I’d love my seedling patch to have mostly dahlias, with peonies, ranunculus, and sweet peas sprinkled in. All the heart eyes just imagining it!

    Reply
  265. Kasey Hochmuht on

    I would be ecstatic to see a firey orange center surrounded muted peach petals. Just the thought of sipping coffee while watching my lady bees scramble through a field of these beauties fills my heart with joy💜💜💜

    Reply
  266. Melissa Selby on

    Before reading this post I probably would have said some kind of dinner plate huge frilly type (or I LOVE them all!), but post reading this post, C144 may be it for me. Beautiful, can’t wait to see more!

    Reply
  267. Haley Moore on

    My dream dahlia would be a soft pale yellow that blends out in to a beautiful lavender.

    Reply
  268. CK on

    A splotchy brown with a creamy yellow center.

    Reply
  269. Debbie on

    My dream dahlia would be the colors of a sunset, free form. I had one like that from a seedling but it didn’t hold up very well but the colors were stunning. It’s actually hard to say because when I see one I think it is the most beautiful until the next one appears and sometimes my heart just can’t handle it!!

    Reply
  270. Olivia on

    My dream dahlia would have dusty rose colored outer petals, and the center would be burnt maroon, almost orange/brown toned color. Rich & gracefully aged like a vintage silk scarf.

    Reply
  271. Sydnie Florence on

    I love the really full flowers with rounded petals. My deam dahlia would also have an ombre coloring. Both of those features just make my heart so happy!

    Reply
  272. Linda on

    Dahlias are Delightful and exude Happiness❤️! It is difficult to single out one beauty…they are all a beautiful creation made by God. My “dream” bouquet would be light pale colors, the color of rainbow sherbet. Light pinks, peaches, greens, purplish. Thank you for publishing your beautiful flower books. I always look forward to your educational emails as well. Happy Gardening!🌷💐🌺🌼

    Reply
  273. Linda Smith on

    Dahlias are Delightful and exude Happiness❤️! It is difficult to single out one beauty…they are all a beautiful creation made by God. My “dream” bouquet would be light pale colors, the color of rainbow sherbet. Light pinks, peaches, greens, purplish. Thank you for publishing your beautiful flower books. I always look forward to your educational emails as well. Happy Gardening!🌷💐🌺🌼

    Reply
  274. Ida on

    My dream dahlia would be one with different shades of pink , dark to light on the inside. With a yellow middle.

    Reply
  275. Katie on

    I have only recently begun to understand the breadth of dahlia varieties – honestly, it started by watching “Growing Floret” and then following your journey (initially through Instagram). They are stunning flowers, so it’s hard to say what my favorite would be given all of the potential combinations, but I’ve narrowed it to a single or semi/double that is a combination of apricot and purple (similar to how Waltzing Mathilda blends colors).

    Reply
  276. Rebecca Menough on

    My dream dahlia isn’t hard to find. Petite and vibrant! Thanks up for all your inspiration! ☺️

    Reply
  277. Christi Baker on

    I am a big fan of Dahlias, I love the diverse range of colors and magnificent shapes. My dream Dahlia would have the colors of a beautiful sunset with a bit of yellow, orange, pink and blue and lovely large petals. My ‘Sunset Dahlia’ would have a long beautiful stem which would be ideal for flower arranging. Thank you for sharing your experience with growing the beautiful Dahlias.

    Reply
  278. Steffanie on

    Thank you for sharing your adventures with flowers. It’s such a nice escape to read your stories at the end of a long week, especially during the cold winter months when dreaming of gardens is what gets us through. I don’t think I could pick one favorite of any flower variety because they’re all beautiful in their own way, but I think it would be fun to see a variety with soft petals that are a deep purplish on the outer edge and a crisp lime green on the inside, this surrounding a bright puffball yellow center. 💜💚💛

    Reply
  279. Christine on

    I would love a purple with green in the center. ❤️

    Reply
  280. Sonja Shipley on

    I am pretty new to the whole concept of flower farming but when I stumbled onto your show on Magnolia Network I watched every episode in one sitting! I have since watched them all AGAIN and also found other farmers that I adore learning from. It makes my heart skip a beat when I see what beauty can come from a tiny seed (or tuber) and the earth. It encompasses all that is pure and good in the world. I find that they are all exceptionally beautiful in their own special way but my dream dahlia would be giant, round and soft and the kind of fruity peachy-pink that makes your nose imagine the sweet smells and your mouth water when you see it! *Sigh* Just pure happiness.

    Reply
  281. Lisa on

    I didn’t manage to save any mature seeds this year despite my best efforts, but I somehow had a couple of volunteers spring up under one of my favorite blue-purple dahlias. I would love it if one magically had that same coloring but a cute collarette shape! You’ve inspired the world to start breeding dahlias. I predict we will soon be awash in gorgeous new varieties, in the very best way!

    Reply
  282. Cait R. on

    I discovered your Instagram page at the end of last summer. I quickly bought your book and began planning for this summer. This is my first year growing dahlias and I’m so excited! I’m growing them all from seed and hoping to have some very bright, puffy blooms. Honestly, my dream dahlia this year is to have some, no matter what they look like!

    Reply
  283. Miriam on

    My dreamy Dahlias are blush/pink colored, double or semi double, medium sized with an open centre. I wish they had a Lily of the valley perfume too.

    Reply
  284. Hannah on

    Oh my goodness my dream dahlia?!?! My grandmothers name is dahlia so we’ve grown a few here and there over the years. We are currently planning our landscaping (we just moved to our new home!!) and this may have just inspired me to do a larger dahlia patch!! My dream dahlia would be sturdy, large petals, and probably a mix of pale yellow and pale pink petals with a gorgeous green stem. They would be short, like my grandmother, but not to be ignored (also like my grandmother).

    Reply
  285. Brenna Kennedy on

    I want the perfect soft peachy apricot……luscious petals that twirl. Something that captures that Creamsicle sunset…..

    Reply
  286. Eleonore Wagner on

    My dream dahlia would be a warm sunshine yellow with peach pink color blending into it. They’re my absolute favorite of all flowers, and one of the main reasons I am moving to the country. I would most love to grow peach and yellow and light pink dahlias, because there is nothing like the soft beauty of those pastels.

    Reply
  287. Barbara Forster-Kalil on

    My dream dahlia would be huge, pink and fluffy! As my first dahlia patch I’d welcome and be excited by any of your selection.

    Reply
  288. Nikita on

    Love all the variety of dahlia that you have shown us. I would love peachy pink ones.🌸I am not a gardener but I dream of having one. I take the inspiration from your beautiful book and have introduced them into my paintings.

    Reply
  289. Judy Rhine on

    I love the Firefly very unusual but it’s hard to pick there’s so much beauty

    Reply
  290. April on

    I really love the puffball dahlias with the cupped petals. I am so thrilled to try many varieties of flowers from seed this year after basically just doing zinnias last year, and dahlias would be so fun to add in. I loved all of the salmons and peaches in my garden last summer. What if a big pouf dahlia had each petal’s edges tipped in a different color— maybe a core of salmon or peach with a fringe of muted red-orange on the petal edges?

    Reply
  291. Virginie on

    I am starting my flower farm this year. It will be my first production year and i would like to try them all. I am obsessed by Dahlias, i dream about it at night, no jokes! I have a crush for the Café au lait and Sweet Nathalie. I love light color, peach, yellow, soft pink. I particuliary love Monster mouth, your C21, C 33 and B9. They are all wonderful, you inspire me a lot for my futur garden of Dahlia.

    Reply
  292. Katrina on

    Dream dahlia would be the lightest apricot peachy cream with big fluffy petals almost like a completely opened up peony. I love the collarette varieties too.
    LOVE THIS PROJECT. KEEP GOING!

    Reply
  293. Chelby on

    My favourite dahlias are soft pink/peach coloured and perfectly round and full. I didn’t know I had a favourite flower until I got married and had dahlias in my bouquet. This will be my first year growing them in my garden and I just hope they survive and thrive!

    Reply
  294. Jenny R. on

    My dream dahlia would be the color of my Peaches and Cream Barbie my dad gave me when I was a little girl. A true apricot peach color with a hint of golden shimmer🧡

    Reply
  295. Marissa S. on

    I absolutely love the C33/Floret up above! So beautiful! I’d love any dahlia to come up in my garden but I love pink ones! Love following you!

    Reply
  296. Jenny Long on

    Mine would be the size and shape of those lush white dahlias bottom right in your FB post, but with a blush of salmony pink. And a chartreuse green-yellow center that would be easy for pollinators to get to. And heck, can it smell good? That would be a real dream! Thanks for giving me the courage to try dahlias. I’m addicted!

    Reply
  297. Rebecca on

    My dream dahlia would be big bloom soft earthy toned peachy pink with a subtle hint of yellow. I have about a dozen dahlias, but still looking for that one!

    Reply
  298. Elizabeth P. on

    I think my dream dahlia would be a blue Pom Pom. I love blue flowers and it seems like there are just never enough

    Reply
  299. Debra on

    I was intrigued with C144 Firefly! It reminded me of my water lilies! The beautiful incurved petals are my favorite part. So, my dream dahlia would look like Firefly with a brighter yellow center.

    Reply
  300. Brenda Olmscheid on

    My favorite dahlia would be the small pom variety in a blush color … but really I love any and all dahlias!

    Reply
  301. Theri Voss on

    I started falling in love with dahlias 22-years ago when my husband and I began our first garden adventure in our new (built in 1907) country farmstead in Minnesota. I bought a few in the farm and seed store and was hooked the instant that my first ones opened. Since then I have grown numerous colors and varieties from tubers, and I have managed to save a few along the way. I have even started a few from seed that grew into beautiful blooms. So picking a favorite or an idea of a favorite is difficult because I have never met a dahlia I was not in love with. That being said, I most enjoy them about 4-6″ size because vaseful on my dining table can look splendid and are not too much to have a good dozen or so. I also like those with unique qualities or color blending, and I think a single type or as you described as “open-centered” “(I’m thinking Ferncliff Alpine type) with petals that are white on the face and contrast color on the backside of the petal, such as raspberry or lemon would look exquisite with a puffy, bright yellow center that is just big enough to give a brilliant but well balanced contrast of texture against the softness of the petals. I have always believed though that variety is the spice of life, and like you, Erin, I can lose myself in the joy that so many different dahlias can bring!

    Reply
  302. Rachael on

    Wow this is such a tough question! Because I’m so incredibly picky when it comes to color, I tend to always lean toward neutral. In my home, in my wardrobe, even yes, in my flower garden. Though Plain Jane may be what some call it, I myself like to think of it as classic/timelesss. Soooo, my dream Dahlia would be…. wait for it…. WHITE. Yes, white- BUT with a stunning, pale pink inner petal. Pale pink, not in a sunset, not in a baby blanket but perhaps in a perfectly pink bunny nose. In fact I think I’d call it Bunny Bliss. The outer petals would have an ombré look starting with the pale pink and ending off-white. You’d have to look close to see it – as the pink isn’t an obvious pink until it hits the absolute center. The outer ombré petals would be reminiscent of an off-white angora. Long, soft, wispy – the “halo” look. Yes, I believe that would be my dream dahlia (at least today)!

    Reply
  303. Tamara on

    I adore dahlias of all colours and sizes, and the ines I’m drawn to changes every year. For bouquets I’m adding more ball forms for the vase life, but I’m seriously drawn to collarettes! Maybe I’ll buy one … just for me.

    Reply
  304. Crystal Mendoza on

    My dream dahlia would probably be a two tone Pom Pom, maybe a cream and fuchsia?! It’s my first year trying out seed dahlia… hopefully my packet from a big box store isn’t a flop 🤞🏼

    Reply
  305. Jane Myers on

    The first dahlia I planted was Crazy Love. I got it at the end of a season at a big box store for next to nothing. I was overwhelmed with it’s beauty and how prolific it bloomed. That was the beginning of my obsession – I love the dinner plate varieties with long stems and anything purple works for me. My dream would be a big deep rich dark purple dinnerplate with the petals of a
    cafe au lait

    Reply
  306. Leah W. on

    My dream dahlia would be one that is the same color as the Koko Loco rose. I love that muted color tone. So dreamy!

    Reply
  307. Whitney on

    This is my first year as a flower farmer all credit and thanks to you! I purchased your first book and have quickly gotten to work! I have planted just store bought Dahlia tubers. My dream Dahlia would be a large Lavender color with a burst of peach in the center! I am so thankful to have came upon you on social media. You have truly helped me find my passion, my calling, my purpose 🌷

    Reply
  308. Wendy Oliver on

    My dream dahlia? First, I just want to say this is the first season I am growing cut flowers! I have some dahlia seeds started in my basement and I can’t wait to see what comes of it! I would love to grow one that is a bright yellow and cream colored and star shaped! This is going to be a great year!!

    Reply
  309. Amy Claborn on

    I grew my first dahlias last year from your seed packet! I loved them! I love the peachy pinks! I would also love to have some white with yellow centers!

    Reply
  310. Heather Quinn on

    I’ve only grown dahlias for one season and I’m already addicted! This will be my first year growing from seed and I can’t wait to see what pops up! My dream dahlia would be one that could fill a vase on its own and something in the coral color family. This will be my first year having a cut flower garden, so I’m new to arranging as well, therefore simple and beautiful is what I hope for from my seeds!

    Reply
  311. Barb Schmidt on

    My dream dahlia would be a mixture of berry colors- rich black berry, raspberry; lots of petals, and flowers as large as possible while still being prolific! Loved reading about how your breeding program is progressing and seeing the beautiful pictures.

    Reply
  312. Spring McManus on

    My husband is colorblind, but when we got him the color correcting glasses a few years ago his favorite color went from gray to fuchsia when he saw a flowering shrub in our front yard. I don’t even know what the name of the shrub is, just that it has small fuchsia flowers. Before, he never really saw the point of flowers (beyond the obvious), now he likes to pick out plants with me. I try to get as many obnoxiously pink flowers as I can because he’s making up for decades of lost color. So obviously, my dream dahlia would be fuchsia. :)

    Reply
  313. Rowyn on

    My dream dahlia isn’t just a single dahlia. It’s the feeling of completeness when finally glancing down the beautiful rows of color after a long days work. It’s the long inhale and exhale of sweet, warm summer air, while watching the sunset over the rolling hills.

    Reply
  314. Jennifer Hull on

    I am a first year, small scale flower farmer and proudly a graduate of florets class of 2022. Dahlias are what started my obsession with cut flowers; I mean what’s not to love. I have always wanted to try my hand at growing dahlias from seed and would be honored to grow seed from floret’s breeding patch. I absolutely love the traditional formal decorative dahlia but the whimsical shape of collarette’s also have my heart. Picking a favorite flower, in my opinion, is like picking a favorite child. They each are uniquely beautiful in there own little way. BUT if I walked out to find a beautiful formal decorative, dahlia that has a dark cherry center that subtly faded into a caramel color with abundant blooms, and long strong stems; let’s just say I would be like a little kid in a candy shop.

    Reply
  315. Denise McDonald on

    My dream dahlia is peachy, creamy, rosy, a little ruffly- like a beautiful beach sunset. I would be thrilled to find my dream dahlia, or pretty much and dahlia, growing in my seedling patch along side my roses.

    Reply
  316. Marsha on

    It would be so hard to just pick one dream dahlia. I definitely like the ones with dark foliage. So if I had to pick one it would have dark foliage with a yellow/salmon/pink bloom.

    Reply
  317. Carolyn Bernard on

    I love having my hands in the earth. It is amazing to see the growth from seed /tuber to unique blooms. My dream Dahlia would be similar to Little Miss Sunshine. The imagination of a child and the whim of nature.

    Reply
  318. Katie on

    My dream dahlia would be an informal decorative in a dusty rose shade with a darker rose colored center. I’m so excited to save my own dahlia seeds this year and give this a try! As always, thank you for the inspiration Erin!

    Reply
  319. Tonya Frakes on

    Hmm.. I have never grown Dahlias.. so, my dream Dahlia would be the one the decided to grow uniquely beautiful in my yard :)
    I LOVE all of the colors in my outdoor plants.. my husband calls me Sunshine , so something bright and beautiful like the sun would be super cool! My husband also enjoys the plants with the reds in them .. so maybe a mixture of both..

    Reply
  320. Maria Griego-Raby on

    My dream dahlia would be one that reflects of love of my husband. These are his favorite flower and I am just beginning to learn to grow them. First year I left them in the ground over the winter, you know what happened, nothing. I am excited to plant tubers and the seeds I received with your book very soon. I am thinking something beautiful, dinner plate size , that expresses his love, passion and kindness…. a flower with striations and boldness of color to represent the man I love.

    Reply
  321. Becky on

    I watched the documentary on Discovery+ and opened my eyes to the beautiful world of dahlias. I have a love of plants passed down from my grandmother and mother. I have not tried growing dahlias but looking forward to starting. The hardest part is trying to decide on a color. I’m in love with ALL of them. Lol. Thank you for all the beauty you bring to the world.

    Reply
  322. Elizabeth Evans on

    My dream dahlia would be the biggest, fattest, most full petalled blooms. I love them all, but the labrynth & dinner plates in pinks & oranges are a dream.

    Reply
  323. Dana Bergman on

    My dream dahlia isn’t for me, but for my 7 year old daughter. Pink is her favorite color and she loves frilly clothes and tutus. She wants me to breed dahlias to name one for her. My dream dahlia has to be a bright pink with lots of frilly delicate petals. Dinnerplate size would be the ideal, but a step down is more attainable, so I would set that as my acceptable goal. I have two daughters, so I have to achieve this twice. The other daughter loves frilly stuff as well, but her favorite color is purple (lavender). My second goal dahlia to breed for her would be lavender and frilly with delicate fringe-like petals.

    I would be thrilled to find any beautiful dahlia of any size, shape and color. I love almost every flower there is. My grandmother started my love of flowers by teaching me about them as soon as I was old enough to walk with her to her garden. I need to add a 3rd goal for one in her memory in a dark red or dark purple (almost black) shade because these were her favorite colors.

    Reply
  324. Lynn S on

    I would love a peachy-salmon one with a yellow center and just faintly tinged with a darker pinky-red on the tips.

    Reply
  325. Lindsay on

    My dream dahlia is café au lait.

    Reply
  326. Sarah Hamilton Lester on

    My dream dahlia would look like the colors of the sunrise…yellow blending into orange and then rex

    Reply
  327. Marlene Sweda on

    They are all so beautiful., I would have a difficult time choosing which will move foraward. Its like a beauty pagent, they all have special qualities, oh and your hoop house…my dream some day. Thanks for sharing im in the infancy stage and meeting so many wonderful women who are flower farmers willing to share their knowledge. I enjoy watching Floret continue to grow.
    Thank you,
    Marlene Sweda
    Blue Door Flora (currently a hobby farm)
    Portland TN.

    Reply
  328. Miriam Ben on

    I absolutely love the Floret! It’s so delicate and unique looking. My dream dahlia would be pale lavender and white with a very long stem. The more layers the better for me! Thank you for getting me hooked on dahlias, they are so much fun!

    Reply
  329. Rebecca Peterson on

    Mine would be a mid size 3-4 in bloom that is a coral color with a yellow buttercream center.

    Reply
  330. Kaitlyn Martin on

    My dream dahlia would have a vibrant outer orange pop of colour like an aussie autumn sunset, that gently fades and contrasts to a warm yellow centre. Long stemmed and irrestiable to harvest and hold.

    Reply
  331. Julie P de M on

    This was a very difficult question to answer, as it tempts one to let the imagination run W-I-L-D! After much thought, I’ve narrowed it down to two possible colors on a double-orchid flower. The first would be a truly silver lavender, with either dark lavender veins or dark splotches. Not purple, a dramatic, glossy, waxy type silvery lavender. My second would be painted dark champagne with splashes of gold and dusky dark peach. Fragrance on any of these would be the icing on the cake!!

    Reply
  332. Amy Malenfant on

    My dream dahlia would have the shape of Cafe au Lait but have a light blue hue to it. Ideally the seed giveaway would have a variety from all of your beautiful dahlias. I’ve never been so drawn to a flower until I was introduced to your blog.

    Reply
  333. Wanda vanderveen on

    I have 2 favorites. The large cafe au lait. Or a sunset coloured patch. Both sound divine. Would love to win and thanks for inspiring me!!

    Reply
  334. L.C. on

    In my bouquets I love greens and whites… so naturally my dream dahlia would be a ball shape dahlia that is white, white a slight lime green tint to the center petals!

    Reply
  335. Jasmin McGraw Allaire on

    Lately I’ve been loving the starry looking petals like C33, with a golden fluffy center. So much joy. If a variety of pale shades and medium sized blooms were in a seed package I would love it!!!! Last year I grew Wizard of Oz and those are mesmerizing.

    Reply
  336. Natalie on

    I am always drawn to ones that have a combination of hues especially in the peachy/apricot/blush/yellow realm. Your new anemone and collarette varieties are different and exciting! I love seeing what you’re doing,
    please keep it up!

    Reply
  337. Aubry Ream on

    My dream dahlia would be a sunset bullseye. Would have a hot pink center that faded into an orange with yellow tips. It would have double blooms with very pointed ray florets.

    Reply
  338. Kendra on

    Dinner plate dahlia purpley red on the outside, to sunset orange on the inside 💖

    Reply
  339. TL on

    I love the large dinner plate dahlias. So huge! This is going to be my first year trying to grow some from seed and I’m so exited to see what flowers they produce…hoping for some pretty pink ones.

    Reply
  340. Ashley Robinson on

    Ooooh. I love ball dahlias, so that would be the form. As far as colors go, I adore a blood crimson. I’m talking the-lipstick-you-wear-when-it’s-time-to-go-full-vamp crimson.

    Reply
  341. PAT HAMOD on

    I love the wild and crazy shapes! I love all the colors but find myself drawn to the muted browns, apricot and peach colors. I love petals that are different; twisted, rolling in on themselves, changing colors from the center to the outside and aging beautifully. I love the drama they create, how they can take your breath away. I grew my first dahlias from tubers last year and couldn’t believe all the different colors and structures of the blooms. You would never imagine something so beautiful would come for such a plain looking tuber. I will never get tired of looking at them, so good for the soul. And the bouquets oh my! I have grown lots of seeds but have never tried dahlias. I think it would be an amazing project and would make you leap out of bed just to run out there to see what was blooming! Magical to think of creating a new variety! A healthy addiction one could never get tired of it as the possibilities are endless! I’m going to be on the outlook for dahlia seeds now! Thank you for your beautiful website and all the inspiration you give to all of us! God bless you and your wonderful staff!

    Reply
  342. Cameron Horwat on

    Something different like Little Miss Sunshine with Dunkin Donut colors. Bright orange and pink.

    Reply
  343. Sarah Howard on

    Oh wow, how can i possibly say what my dream dahlia would look like. I guess my dream dahlia would be a mid-sized dahlia in pink hues. Or purple hues. Or burgandy hues…

    Reply
  344. Karen on

    My dream dahlia is soft white with pale cool-pink at the base of wider petals. She’s fluffy, medium-full, and simply luscious!

    Reply
  345. Melissa on

    My dream Dahlia would have a nice open center for pollinators with white petals and some sort of vibrant accent within the center or on the petals.

    Reply
  346. Megan on

    My dream dahlia would be white with a deep purple center. The bigger the better!

    Reply
  347. Sandy on

    My dream dahlia would have a dark sunny yellow center that looks somewhat like a Pom Pom (almost fluffy) with creamy yellow frilly petals around that center that gradually change color as you move to the outer edge of the flower going from that creamy yellow to a soft pink to a darker bolder pink with just a touch of cream on each of the tips of the frilly petals.

    Reply
  348. Katy on

    My dream dahlia would probably be something that is super pale peachy pink in color and a ball form or near ball.

    Reply
  349. Kaitlyn Conklin on

    I had no idea that you could grow dahlias from seed until stumbling across some of your articles last year, ever since I’ve been completely fascinated with the idea of discovering new varieties especially because any back-yard gardener can give it a try! I’m a watercolor artist that draws inspiration from nature and also have always been a genetics geek. I’m eager to attempt to grow dahlias from seed for new inspiration and dying to get the chance to study traits, to see how they might be passed over the years. What I would like to see most in my breeding patch wouldn’t necessarily be a single ‘ideal’ flower as I think the ‘ideal’ flower can change over time. I would love to see a field of dusty, soft, muted color tones. Muted colors are my favorite because, most of the time, if you look close enough it’s a mixture of a lot of different colors. I like flowers that make you stop and study them a little to see all their secret beauty. I also think that muted tones bring more of a warm and comforting happiness to the observer. As far as form, I would love anything that looked like it had movement to it, like it could dance out of an arrangement. I tend to like the “wierdos”. I can’t wait to see where these flowers take me. I’m excited to share my finds with family and friends but also become inspired by them as I attempt to capture them in paintings. Who wouldn’t find inspiration in a field like that! Thank you for being so giving with your knowlege.

    Reply
  350. Rita on

    I watched on Discovery +, a docmentary about this wonderful flower business called ” Growing Floret” during a very difficult time dealing with my mother illness. I found it so inspiring and brought me so much joy. I have always loved flowers and planted the everyday variety. I didn’t even know about Dahlia until watching the program. This past 2 years, I made an effort to plant flowers that added to the environment and help the pollinators. I removed all of the green hedges and planted a variety of flowers that attracted butterflies and bees. But now I want to take the big step and plant the Dahlia. I am so excited and a little scared about taking on this new flower breed for me, but they are so beautiful. So here is a new venture and eager to see what happens!

    Reply
  351. Pam Hunter on

    I have grown dahlias for years but only from tubers not seeds so I would love to give that a try! I love all dahlias, but my favorite seem to be the beautiful pinks and yellows. Dahlias just are so beautiful and bring such joy to me! My dream dahlia would probably be one that is a deep pink with soft yellow spreading out from the center . But honestly any dahlia is my dream one !

    Reply
  352. Terie on

    I would love something that is pink and purple and large and show stopping 💐

    Reply
  353. Linda on

    My dahlia dream actually started while my13 yr old daughter and I were watching your show. It was you that made us fall in love with dahlias. Watching my daughter eye light up as she saw all the beautiful flowers. She asked if you could plant some. So of course being the mom of a teen and always looking for more ways to spend time together, I said yes! So we researched and found since we live in the low desert (Glendale, AZ) every blog spot we found said we either in was pretty much impossible. So of course we said challenge expected! We know it maybe hard but worth the work to spend time in the garden with my daughter. We where extremely lucky to score some of your Dahlia Bee mix seeds. Have seed has spouted!! All and all our dream is to show with hard work, patience, love and passion you can grow these beauties in the low desert.

    Reply
  354. Nancy Haase on

    Last summer was my first time planting dahlias from the seeds I received from Floret. It was so exciting to see the different flowers that came up. Digging up the tubers was satisfying but I wasn’t quite sure if I was doing everything right so I saved all the tubers just in case there were hidden eyes I couldn’t see! It will be interesting to see if I get anything from any of the tubers from last year. My favorite flower would be cranberry colored with a yellow center, anemone form like one of the flowers from my seeds last summer. There are so many amazing colors and forms of dahlias it’s hard to chose one – from Waterlily to Semi-Cactus to Stellar – they’re all gorgeous! So many dahlias, so little room in my garden!

    Reply
  355. Jacklynne on

    My dream dahlia would be a uniquely shaped, pale pink or creme and pink bloom. Medium in size so as not to overpower in a bouquet. I love the varieties that you have bred. They are all so beautiful and unlike anything else I’ve seen! I can feel your passion while reading your post. Thank you so much for sharing this with all of us!

    Reply
  356. Leticia Aldana on

    I love anemone types. My dream dahlia would be a bright yellow center with a hot pink petals, like I’m a hottie. The brighter the better. Something you can also dry. My garden is grown to take to my daughter whose name is Elora Sky, which I didn’t know was like yours forever. She passed so because dahlias don’t do good in heat outside I dry some to take them. The brighter the color the best they look dry.

    Reply
  357. Mary on

    Difficult to answer this one. I love the vibrant burgundy in c174 … I have yet to get a tuber variety that deep in the purple hues so would love to see that growing in my patch. I also love the buttery creams and ivory of c42…. So many beauties.

    Thanks for the chance to win!

    Reply
  358. Sarah on

    Dream dahlia would be dinner plate size- 6-8” ball that is in a coral/ salmon / orange / pink – sunset colors.

    Reply
  359. Betsy Lyman on

    My dream would be any Dahlia that I can get to grow well in my Houston climate:). But I especially love pale pinks and yellows. My daughter magically got a packet of your dahlia seeds for my bday and I have 4 little baby plants that have made it out of the pack. I cannot wait to see what they look like. This is my first year trying them and I hope all 4 make it! They feel like my babies. I am so inspired by you and your beautiful flowers. Flowers and gardening bring me so much joy. Thank you for sharing so much with us all!

    Reply
  360. Mythri on

    My dream dahlia would be one that I am able to grow. I(‘m trying to grow a mixed variety from seed this year)

    But I could have any, it would be one that looks like Labyrinth but in lavender.

    Reply
  361. Janet Leone on

    I started some dahlias from Floret seed this year. Im not sure what my dream dahlia would look like it but my hope is to eventually discover one unique and special enough among the bunch that I can propagate further and share with family and friends in memory and honor of my dear late sister Linda.

    Reply
  362. Becky Lancaster on

    I think my dream Dahlia would be a soft pink with a sweet pastel yellow center, I’m always drawn to those . I’m currently starting dahlia seeds I bought from floret and I’m so excited to see what beautiful varieties I will have. I’m hoping for some darker colors to compliment the softer colors I currently have, however I will be happy with whatever blooms I get!

    Reply
  363. Alycia on

    I absolutely love the c144 or the c33! They are stunning. My daughter loves to identify flowers and with so many varieties and color combos and things this could totally be something to teach the younger generation and keep this dream and hard work alive for a very long time!

    Reply
  364. Joan Watimar on

    I love flowers that are coral, orange or peach. I really like the form of C171 and C144! So my dream dahlia would have to be a cross of those two with hints of my favorite colors. I grow a few dahlias every year and save the tubers. Would love to start some from seed.

    Reply
  365. Maureen Walker on

    Dream dahlia, is so hard, as there are so many beauties. And I don’t have room for them all already.

    I tend to like unique. Think it would be cool to have an ombré one.

    Reply
  366. Amy Warner on

    I think a pure white dahlia with light green fringe would be glorious. A wedding dahlia!

    Reply
  367. Paige Caperton on

    Oh my goodness gracious, my dream dahlia would be one which I can successfully grow here in Central Florida–ha! I am a new cut-flower gardener and started this oh soooo much fun hobby last April. My most special flower-gardening-friend down the street introduced me to cut flower gardening, and with each of her surprise bouquet gifts of love and friendship, I was always AMAZED by her dahlias. OH, to simply gaze at a bouquet that I grew from my own garden is my biggest wish of all. But, speaking specifically of one specific breed, I cannot keep my eyes off of the pink petals with the fuzzy yellow centers you have pictured in your gallery within the blog. To think that I could grow such beauties would be W.O.W!

    Reply
  368. Terri Cromwell on

    My dream dahlia would be a beautiful light salmon color like your C62 or C108. They are beautiful!! I would be beyond thrilled to find a money tree in my garden so I could grow unlimited flowers!!

    Reply
  369. Jo G on

    I love the soft colours so my dream dahlia patch would be full of informal cafe au lait types across all the pastels (can you imagine!!), with a lovely range of smaller delights to arrange with them like c33 and c26. Tried growing dahlias from seed this year and was amazed at how easy and fun it was every step of the way. No keepers unfortunately but I learned a lot and the bees absolutely adore them. I would love to have a copy of your book (I asked our local library to get a copy and they did, I’ve borrowed it 5 times!) but the biggest treat would be the seeds. Thanks for putting your little babies out into the world : )

    Reply
  370. Jordan Trew on

    Like you, colors come to mind before form!

    I really want to see a beautiful antique dusty mauve/raspberry with deep coral undertones. Like the streaks of sunset sky right before all is indigo blue. It would be midtone and a bit muted. I’m not sure about form but I think mid size and somewhere between the geometry of a medium ball and the whimsical shag like Lakeview Peach Fuzz or Hamari Gold…. like Break Out but maybe with an open center? Bacardi meets Craig Charles meets Valley Rust Bucket!!

    Can’t wait to see where your project goes next, thanks for adding so much beauty to the world!!

    Reply
  371. allison phillips on

    my dream dahlia would be c21 and c162 !! i love the big fluffy center on c162 and the color and petal size of c21. maybe even a soft orange variety of these too, im a sucker for pale orange dahlias!!

    Reply
  372. Courtney Anderson on

    My dream dahlia would fade from a soft baby pink to a deep berry-magenta color. Both of those colors would be symbolic for me, reminding me of my baby girl (turning 1 this month!) and my wedding day (the accent color for the wedding and the color of the bridesmaid dresses!)

    Reply
  373. Karen Genest on

    I am not sure I could come up with a dream dahlia, as they are all so beautiful! Last year was the first time I ever grew dahlias. I could not decide then which one was my favorite either. Just so beautiful! So what would I like to see in my seedling patch? More! =)

    Reply
  374. James Rengert on

    My dream Dahlia would be a size B ,6 to 8 inch bronze blend which could be arranged in a fall boquet with other white dahlias. Needs to be medium height with strong stems to prevent lodging in the garden.

    Reply
  375. Tracy Olomi on

    What my dream dahlia would be is a challenging question to answer since variety is my spice of life. But I do find myself pining for that special deep red to burgundy color with a frilly petaled center highlighting a spectacular properly glorious bright yellow center. I can see it in my mind and if I ever find it on my journey, I will make sure to have a few extra on hand! Thank you and the Dahlia goddess, Kristen Albrecht, for all that you do to educate us and make our world a more beautiful place.

    Reply
  376. Denise Howse on

    I don’t think I’ve ever seen a soft pistachio/lime coloured dahlia. And what if it resembled Apple Blossom with a yellow centre surrounded with a bit of white but also had a contrasting coloured perimeter like Firefly. I’m not sure if I’m making sense but I’d love to see a delicate green dahlia.

    Reply
  377. Heather Coulter on

    My dream seedling patch dahlia would have the colors of the sunset. I love seeing dahlias started from seed that change throughout the season- from yellow to peach, soft pink to deep blush or burgundy, pinks that turn to purple! I love the magic of dahlias- how the shades on petals blend together like a watercolor!

    Reply
  378. Lotta-Riikka Rintamäki on

    The Floret is very close to my perfect image of ”the one”. Big pretty petals with a fluffy center like in anemone dahlias. I really like the combination with anemone and collarette dahlias.

    Reply
  379. Becca on

    My dream dahlia would be mostly lavender, with subtle shades of sunset pink and peach swirled in. It would have to be large and soft-looking because sunsets are large and soft.

    Reply
  380. Sylvie on

    I’m dreaming of a Jowie Winnie turned Peaches n’ Cream. My goodness a pink versions of Peaches n’ Cream would be beautiful!

    Reply
  381. Katie on

    Hoping to start our first cutting garden this year, and Dahlias are definitely on the list! I love the full blush colored ones. Small blooms for arranging.

    Reply
  382. Kirstin Cotter on

    The thrill is found in the process for me! Waiting for the seed heads to be ready, harvesting the seeds and waiting in wonder for them to reveal their unique beauty! I would be thrilled to have different forms this year in my garden. I have a ball type and two collarettes from seed. I love peachy creamy, pale orange, white and yellow and ombré.

    Reply
  383. Holly Harmon on

    While I’m a sucker for singles, I would love to see a few anemones pop up in my backyard!

    Reply
  384. Jennifer Clark on

    I want bright colorful dahlias of all shapes that will grow in upstate SC – I have retired after 34 years of teaching and really want to grow flowers as a hobby ( for myself and neighbors!) Fascinated by these flowers that can be so varied!!

    Reply
  385. Emily on

    A green dahlia would be really unusual. Pop Pom type, perhaps with flushes on white and apricot. Beautiful 😍

    Reply
  386. Rachel on

    I love all dahlias. We have grown our own garden a lot over the last couple of years and it is a labor of love. My favorites are always the beautiful corals and the deep purples. I would love to see more of those varieties. Thank you for sharing your beautiful journey and teaching me so much!

    Reply
  387. Landon bishop on

    My dream dahlia would be turquoise and allium ball shaped!

    Reply
  388. Lindzi on

    I’m planting my first dahlia seeds this year and am excited to see what they might be. I think my dream dahlia would be a single or collarette with peachy pink tones.

    Reply
  389. AJ Bleile on

    Dahlias were my Mom’s favorite and she had several. The one I liked the best was a large white bloom with deep red edges. Held its form beautifully in a vase. Can’t wait to see what you have!

    Reply
  390. Chelsea on

    I would absolutely love a puff ball shape, in a light lilac color with white tips, almost kissed by ice in the middle of summer. I miss that soft blue purple after my lilacs have given their show. The rest of the garden is busting with summer color, but that gentle sweet smelling lilac, a calm before the summer storm, has faded. Other flowers have a similar shade but not in late summer. What a treasure that would be, a lilac show in late summer in the form of a beautiful Dahlia.

    Reply
  391. Alessandra on

    I love all dahlias so i guess my dream dahlia would be one that leaves me absolutely speechless, that makes my heart skip a beat, no matter the color or shape 🪷

    Reply
  392. Rosemary Melillo on

    My dream dahlia has the maroon color with stripes of pink. I love the various sizes but dinner plate just blows my mind🥰

    Reply
  393. Hannah on

    My dream dahlia… is actually my first dahlia. Healthy, beautiful, and whole in whatever shape and color it decides. It would be the beginning of a long-seeded dream come to fruition of growing flowers to create beauty in the world and to share with others.

    Reply
  394. Tyra on

    My dream dahlia would be a blush and cream color with a round form, medium sized bloom just perfect for arranging.

    Reply
  395. Jess McClintock on

    This will be my first year growing Dahlias! I love all the shapes and colors so it’s hard for me to even try to dream up a new one!! This is all so exciting and I can’t wait to see what new varieties you create. Thank you for being so willing to share your knowledge, it’s so helpful.

    Reply
  396. Waiʻala on

    My dream dahlia would be a café au lait colored anemone the size of a dinner plate dahlia! I’d be overjoyed to find some dahlias that popped up from seeds along with butterfly pea plants in our seedling patch 🌱

    Reply
  397. Kirsten on

    I would love an off-white/cream dahlia with cocoa variegation. I’m honestly thrilled with every single dahlia I’ve grown!

    Reply
  398. Megan Dickey on

    My dream dahlia would be something between a cream de cassis and a cream de cognac. Both colors are about perfection and the shape is beautiful and easy to work with.

    Reply
  399. Angela Johnstone on

    I’m always amazed and inspired by your blog…and just a little envious! Deciding on a dream dahlia? Well, that’s like choosing a favourite child – they’re all so beautiful and unique in their own way, but if I had to imagine one it might be a incurred type with warm rose and copper tones.
    I would excited to find something like your “Little Miss Sunshine” in my patch – it’s just so bright and cheery!

    Reply
  400. Elisha Ross on

    I imagine an ombré decorative dahlia in colours of pink, tangerine, peach, yellow!! Wow!!
    Your project is amazing!! I also had some luck in some of the single seeds you sent with your book this summer (I’m in Aus!) and there are a couple of keepers.

    Reply
  401. Jill Peterson on

    Choosing a favourite colour is so difficult – it depends on the time of year, my mood, who it’s for.. I would love to see a soft antique gold coloured waterlily type dahlia, good for cutting or just admiring in the garden. Thank you for all the knowledge you share – our vegetable garden is rapidly being converted to dahlias, much to my husband’s horror!

    Reply
  402. Jessica on

    My dream dahlia would be water lily shape and a peachy-apricot color with a hint of blush or yellow!

    Reply
  403. Janelle Petzak on

    My dream dahlia would be a light peachy toned catus dahlia with hues of buttercream and white 😍 I’ve really fallen in love with cacti dahlias recently and look forward to what our dahlia seeds surprise us with this summer!

    Reply
  404. Jennifer on

    I would love shades of the sunrise on a large dinner plate-sized dahlia. This is my first year growing them (finally have the yard space for it) and I hope they take!

    Reply
  405. Barb Roessler on

    My dream dahlia would be a quirky one, ruffled petals and a mix of colours,that makes everyone look twice. I haven’t seen a dahlia I don’t love or want to grow, I’m attracted to the unusual, but love the classics as well.
    Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful flowers with the world. Enjoy your beautiful beautiful flowers.

    Reply
  406. TN on

    I would love to see varieties of frilly edged white dahlias with hints of color coming out from the center, like white frilly with a green center, or an apricot center or deep purple center or dark burgundy center, and so on. Or vice versa, having a frilly colored dahlia with white or creamy centers would look pretty too.

    Reply
  407. Sara G on

    This year will be my second year of growing dahlias. I absolutely fell in love with them last year, and have enjoyed watching all of your mini course videos and reading your blog posts on how to grow these beautiful flowers. My dream dahlia would definitely be a dinner plate dahlia as I love the really large and full blooms. I love the coloring of Crichton Honey Dahlias and the Bracken Sarah Dahlias (plus that’s my name!).
    I am hopeful to get to read your book, Discovering Dahlias, soon because I would love to learn even more about dividing tubers and breeding dahlias.
    Thank you for providing all of these amazing resources for new and experienced dahlia farmers alike, I have really found a passion for growing these gorgeous flowers. I hope to be able to continue this passion as I start college in the fall.

    Reply
  408. Margaret Archer on

    I love Dalhias and I love these mini sunflowers I’ve grown this year. If I could combine the “happy” sunflower colors with the delicacy of a ball or more fluffy style dalhia, that would be amazing to find in my patch! It would have a longer stem so I could put it in bouquets, with a strong, bright yellow /orange color and a dark center.

    Reply
  409. Stella Maria Baer on

    My dream dahlia would be a “minky mauve” or a dusty lavender, the color of the dirt at sunrise where I live in New Mexico. Love what you do. Your pursuit of joy is sacred. Thank you for bringing this beauty into the world.

    Reply
  410. Angela on

    I am an aspiring flower gardener. I currently rent a home so most my gardening happens in pots, but I’m hoping to buy land this year! I just found your website and feel so inspired by it. Can’t wait to get my hands on your book. I currently don’t have a specific dream dahlia in mind, just a dream to grow them.

    Reply
  411. Victoria Pemberton on

    I love your very organised notebook and I think I’m going to have to make myself one to use for the rest of the season here in Australia.
    My favourite Dahlia would have wavy petals like cafe au lait, be mostly upwards facing so it works well in the centre and at the sides of an arrangement, and be a pale peachy colour with bronzing in the centre and petal tips.

    Reply
  412. Sonja Rose Block on

    I want to learn how to breed Dahlias because I would like to create one especially for my future daughter.
    My mother named me after her favorite flower, and having that story behind my name and a flower out in the world that reminds my mother of me has always been something I treasure. I want to give that to my future daughter someday.
    My dream dahlia would have soft cream petals brushed with lavender and a sunny center. One that’s strong, resilient and beautiful like I imagine my daughter will be.

    Reply
  413. Alyson Dorr on

    I haven’t tried growing dahlias in over twenty years, but I loved growing them, and visiting farmers who grew them with excess, when I lived in Oregon. I think this might be the year to start! My dream dahlia would probably be a bit of sunshine a happy yellow and white.

    Reply
  414. Rachel on

    What a great update on your breeding project! Last year was my first year with Dahlias and I grew 3 varieties. From the initial 9 tubers, I was able to pull up/divide//store and am now sprouting about 38 tubers – apparently I picked the right varieties and learned a lot from watching gardeners like you! I am trying to grow from seed this year, with a packet from Floret – my ideal dahlia would have darker/maroon stems and foliage, be a bit shorter and manageable (2-3 feet?), branching sturdy stems so minimal staking, and prolific open blooms that having some short of shading – either at the center radiating out or along the petals (would love a peachy apricot with red/maroon shading!).

    Reply
  415. Amy Redd on

    After finding your show on Discovery I decided I had to try and grow dahlias. So, I guess my dream dahlia will be the first one I have bloom in my garden. I got dahlia seeds from a local store and can’t wait to see what happens, I’m hoping for some orange or yellow hues.

    Reply
  416. Gloria Butcher on

    I love the colors at sunset. Put a monster mouth body with twisty petals and the colors going from red orange/ corals to pink to light blush. Somehow capture those magical end of the day moments.

    Reply
  417. Tina Basel on

    I would love to grow a dinner plate dahlia in a soft pink shade that resembles the first glow of a sunrise. For seedlings, I would love to many strong healthy ones that would grow into a beautiful garden!

    Reply
  418. Celia on

    If I were to find my dream dahlia in my patch it would have colouring like the inside of a black boy peach. It would be the size of a hand with beautiful whispy petals.

    Reply
  419. Monica on

    I like the blooms that are a little unique! While I do love the large blooms there is something about the little ones that is special! Bigger isn’t always better!! I think something with the colors of the sunrise would be beautiful! It reminds me of the time in early morning when everything is still and quite, others are most likely still asleep and the sun is just starting to poke over the horizon, there is no better way start the day! I would love to see a flower that makes me feel that!

    Reply
  420. Amy Tran on

    I Can never get enough of dahlias. My dream dahlia would be a collar dahlia with colors of cafe au lait

    Reply
  421. Jessica Poirier-Knitel on

    I’m still learning so much about dahlias and flower gardens in general so I can’t say I have a favorite dahlia breed but I love all the pastel colors! The peachy tones are probably my favorites especially the ones that have a bit of an ombré look. I’m looking forward to growing some new varieties in my garden this summer and continuing to learn all about gardening! 🌸

    Reply
  422. Amy Schmelzer on

    I like blooms that are quirky. Ones where the shape is distinct and make you question whether it’s a dahlia or something else entirely. It has to be pink.

    Reply
  423. Brickhouse Farm LLC Gwen Hernandez on

    My favorite Dahlia would be a dinner plate sized ball with a deep dark coral center fading out to a softer and muted pale shade of the same coral 😍how dreamy and if it showed up magically in my flower garden o wouldn’t mind 🥰

    Reply
  424. Wendy on

    My dream dahlia would be a collarette type. I love the whimsical petals, color shades, and all the amazing and different details that can be found by looking very closely at these cuties!

    Reply
  425. Carla labounty on

    It is extremely difficult for me to choose my favorite.
    My husband Bruce and I loved Dahlia’s.
    They are our favorites.
    Bruce passed away the end of December from Covid-19.
    We were married 40 years and our oldest daughter has decided to seriously get involved in breeding and sharing Dahlias because they were her dads favorites.
    Thank you for everything you do.
    Carla labounty

    Reply
  426. Tracy Ann Sellers on

    Well. all dahlia’s are dreamy ! I also love weird and quirky. So my dream dahlia would be one with a deep saturation of color, two different colors if possible and interesting petal shape. I love the reds, purples, oranges and yellows.

    Reply
  427. Susan Towndrow on

    I’m so thrilled to have discovers Floret. Your inspiration prompted me to turn half of our veggie patch into a cut flower garden. This has given me so much pleasure and joy as I have fulfilled my childhood dreams of fresh flowers in my house and also shared the abundance with family and friends.
    My dream dahlia would be a multi layered open mauve flower with a large yellow centre.

    Reply
  428. Cristal Beckman on

    My dream dahlia would be a dark purple, with pink or yellow streaking

    Reply
  429. Alissa on

    I am drawn to the anemone-style and multi-colored dahlias. I particularly like the contrast of polka dahlias; I cannot help but smile when I see them. It would be show-stopper to have a similar flower in sunset colors. Perhaps a copper and purple contrast, like if a cornel bronze and Verrone’s obsidian dahlia had a baby.

    Reply
  430. Darlene Butts on

    First, I am so happy I came upon your series on D+. You have inspired me to build my own flower garden and aspire to one day to have a property for more. Your love for plants and the earth is magical. Thank you for sharing that passion and inspiring me!!!!

    My dream dahlia would be a large, puffy bloom that was a ring of pinks that started darkest at the edges to just the faintest blush in the centre. To have all my favourite pinks all in one bloom would be amazing!

    Reply
  431. Stephanie on

    My dream Dahlia would complement the palette of my flower garden, which is grounded in Hydrangeas that change from lime to white, then pink and russet. I’m thinking about something a little frilly, on the large side, and of sweet pink and cherry red.

    Reply
  432. Jackie on

    My dream dahlia would be a large bloom on a strong stem with with varying shades of purple/pink. The petals would not be uniform, but free flowing. If I could grow anything from collecting seeds from my dailies would be a win!

    Reply
  433. Jess on

    I’m amazed at how much variety there is with dahlias so it’s hard to pick one that maybe isn’t already out there. Something I’d love to add to an arrangement would be a deep purple to black ball, just to give the contrast and a fresh, modern twist.

    Reply
  434. Deepti Parrikar on

    My dream dahlia will be a large decorative maroon on the outside and then going orange in the centre and having peach outline on the edges 😍😍😍

    Reply
  435. Trish on

    Dream dahlia: seeds started inside in March sprout in a few days, grow quickly, and by the time they can move outside to the garden would have coral &yellow flowers blooming! (as I gaze wishfully at my little pots of Floret seeds in my sunny window sun patch, patiently waiting for little green seedlings!)

    Reply
  436. Kerri O’Malley on

    Like a creamsicle – soft orange on the outside and a creamy white inside. I love the big blooms because they are so beautiful, magnificent, and amazing. Flower Power🧡🤍

    Reply
  437. Natalie on

    I love dahlias and how their colours are so warm, I think it would be incredible to see some cooler tones.

    I’m currently building a greenhouse and flower garden in my backyard in Australia and am so excited to plant some floret flowers in my garden!

    Reply
  438. Taylor on

    my dream dahlia would be dinner plate-sized, peach/salmon in color, with long, sturdy stems. I envision them in front of our fence growing nice and tall like sunflowers!

    Reply
  439. Kate Hamburg on

    I am just beginning to grow a cut flower garden in northern Michigan, and would be thrilled with any dahlia that blooms there! I am especially partial to the pale pinks, peaches, and fuschias and wonder if there could be a flower with a gradient coloring, ie deep peach shading to a cream color or something. I love following along with your projects. :)

    Reply
  440. Barbara Diamond on

    I would love a collarette with hot pink outer petals and bright orange inner petals with a big yellow center. A dahlia that looks like 1972!

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  441. Heather M on

    I love the peach/apricot colored varieties!

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  442. Jessica Kenerson on

    I would love to see one that is magenta shade on the edge of the petals that are curved and a cream on the petal, but towards the middle the petals would be a deep purple.

    Reply
  443. Pamela on

    We started with a single dahlia tuber this last year and I am going to blame you for my husband getting addicted!
    I lean towards the open face because of bees and my husband has fallen for the ball and formals. Nothing large, just right for bouquets in our cottage home or to have just in the garden.
    What thrills me is how just the one plant we had ended up with such beautifully different color during the summer! Now knowing that is to be expected I am so excited to see what our soon to arrive tuber haul blooms will surprise us with this summer.

    Reply
  444. Robin Parsons on

    My dream dahlia would be similar in size and shape to your new C144/Firefly, but with purple petals on the bottom and bright white petals on top.

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  445. Jackie on

    I would love to see a pale green color!

    Reply
  446. Brittany on

    I would love to see one that mimics either sunrise or sunset. I can’t pick. But peach and yellow and red or a really neutral one for the sunrise. I’m starting dahlias this year with my 8 year old daughter. We have some tubers on the way and hope to harvest seeds this fall!

    Reply
  447. Catherine Hoernlein on

    Correction to my previous post.. the creamy white dahlia on the bottom right!

    Reply
  448. Lindsey Whayland on

    I’m just beginning on the journey to a cut flower garden. I’ve had the idea for several years and now I’m finally going to commit to it. Dahlias have a special spot in my heart because they’re always present in my dad’s garden. That being said, my dad loves bright saturated colors while I’m more drawn to the muted tones that enhance the structure of the flowers. I think my dream Dahlia is a muted pink with densely packed petals.
    I would love to find any variety in my seedling patch, anything that will give me more experience and opportunity to learn about them!

    Reply
  449. Lisa on

    I like to dream and look up to the night sky so I would like in my garden the shape of c144 with the points but a deep color like a purple with a golden/yellow center. I would call it “starry night” (Van Gogh)

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  450. Marti on

    A full pink flower

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  451. Heather N. on

    I am really loving the ball type dahlias and cannot get enough of the peach tones. I am hoping to add several new varieties to my garden this Spring.

    Reply
  452. Amy on

    I would be thrilled to find a dahlia as beautiful as your firefly or floret in my seedling patch! Dahlias are so addictive, my dream Dahlia is whatever is flowering in front of me at that moment!! Last year I lost all my dahlias to pests. I have big dreams for dahlias this summer!!

    Reply
  453. Kristine Norris on

    I love the dahlias that the bees can easily visit. I only have a few but I chose the open faced variety and then sit and enjoy the different bees and butterflies that visit. I love the peach colors that you grow and this year I ordered (and have just started in the greenhouse) seeds from your beautiful garden. My perfect dahlia would bloom profusely and be scented.

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  454. Sarah on

    My dream dahlia is a dark purple with pink stripes or speckles on the petals. It is open center and great for bees. The flower smells like heaven.

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  455. An on

    My daughter and I randomly picked some Dahlias from a gardening store last year, dug a hole, put the tuber in it (hopping we had the right side up), put soil over it, and hoped for the best. I am not a gardener. It gave us beautiful purple and red flowers and we were excited to cut it for our table. We didn’t learn about providing support for the stem so our flowers fell over. We are excited to try again this year. We love dahlias of every color. We have done more research and trying again this year.

    Reply
  456. Brindy Wilson on

    They are all so wonderful and different. My dream dahlia would be purple with red tip in the “firefly” shape. ❤️

    Reply
  457. Gail on

    I am always drawn to peachy-pale pink flowers. I love the imperfect beauty of Cafe au Lait or Labyrinth dahlias. That shaggy look is so appealing to me. Anything within those parameters is sure to catch my eye!

    Reply
  458. Paula Stickley on

    I would love to see a creamy peach, round, puffy bloom in my garden. Thank you for sharing your joy of dahlias.

    Reply
  459. Laura C. on

    Honestly, I love dahlias so much, I would be happy with whatever I might be able to produce. Though I will say, any peachy or salmony-colored varieties are particular favorites. This year will be my first growing them from seed and if they thrive, whatever the end result is, it will be rewarding.

    Reply
  460. Teri Hamilton on

    I’ve never grown Dahlias from seed so I’m pretty excited to try this year. My dream flower would probably resemble Cafe Au Lait with recurved petals. But honestly I would be excited for anything! Just the “I did this!” moment.

    Reply
  461. nai on

    This is my very first year growing any kind of flower & i just knew dahlias had to be where I start.
    My dream dahlia would have hints of pinks & purples, my 2 favorite colors. Symbolizing both my baby girls.
    I’d be thrilled to have ANY one of my seedlings grow into an actual beautiful producing plant, not picky in the slightest. I’ll be grateful if just one plant makes it.
    Beginning this project with my kids will be the ultimate highly of it all.

    Reply
  462. Becky on

    My dream would be a fluffy dahlia that blooms before October. It would be the color of blush and bashful

    Reply
  463. Krista Preston on

    Every Dahlia is of course unique and beautiful but my dream Dahlia that I would love to see would have to be a deep merlot type red on a single daisy like shape. To find a Dahlia like that in my seedling patch would be absolutely breathtaking.

    Reply
  464. Tracey Brailsford on

    I’m growing dahlias from seed for the first time this year and can’t wait to see what magic the bees have managed! Ideally, my perfect new dahlia would be a multi-hued peach/pink/orange 4-inch bloom that was a collarette/waterlily hybrid with an inner ring of fuchsia and white ruffled petaloids framing a peachy central disc. It would have sturdy stems, upright flower heads, and dark glossy stems and foliage. In a truly ideal world, it would smell like plumeria 😉 I’d call it Taika which is a Finnish girl’s name meaning ‘magic’ and also also happens to be the name of my sweet fur baby 😊

    Reply
  465. Martha on

    Kudos to Erin, Chris and the Floret team for the beauty you share, your hard work and fortitude! I thoroughly enjoy all the blogs, videos, educational material and following your journey. I would love to see a dahlia in the shape of café au lait with the colors of purple in the center, lightening to pink in the middle of the petal and white on the outside edges. Similarly, it would be just as beautiful with an orange center petals lightening to peach with cream color on the outside edges. Probably asking for a lot but I think these would be stunning!!

    Reply
  466. Becky Proctor on

    I planted and grew my first dahlia last summer. It had giant blooms and a pretty deep purple. However, my dream dahlia would be a softer shade. I was so sad though, I didn’t realize I had to dig up the tuber at the end of the season and I am pretty sure I lost my dahlia over the winter!

    Reply
  467. Kari Knieper on

    This is my 1st year growing Dahlias. I am not sure if I have ever even seen one in real life! All your photos have captured my heart and imagination. My dream dahlia will be the 1st one that I hold in my hand, that I have grown and nurtured myself.

    Reply
  468. Flor de Maria on

    This is an almost impossible task—when I go crazy and think there’s a specific type of dahlia I love more than others I run into something else that catches my breath. I love giant ones and tiny demure ones—and everything in between. I guess if I had, had to choose, I would love a pure white one with a brown/black center, wouldn’t it be stunning?

    Reply
  469. Sonja Kokos on

    I am interested in seeing a mixed Anemone/Collarette dahlia with a bit longer outside petals than they usually are. Long sturdy stems with a purple hue to the stems and leaves. The color combo I would desire is burgundy anemone center with light yellow tips. The next petals of the collarette would be pale pink, but with bright pink edges rolled inward but not completely. The longer outside petals would be white with yellow edges reflexed slightly.

    Reply
  470. Kathleen Genaille on

    I love peachy -pinky -salmon-coral flowers. And I love the ones that change over time in sunset colors of yellow, apricot, and cream.

    Reply
  471. Stargirl on

    I really love blush colors, like Sweet Nathalie, and golden peach like Beatrice. So maybe a formal decorative that is creamy-blush, with some peach tones, and an overall golden undertone. Is that too much to ask for a dahlia?!

    Reply
  472. Nicole Bell on

    My ideal dahlia would be a light pale purple that is almost white. A flower that would look like a real life watercolor flower.

    Reply
  473. Shannon T on

    I would like a dinner plate size flowers, and colors would be pinks-whites-yellows.

    Thank you for this opportunity! I hope I win, as your going to announce the winner on my 50th Birthday!

    Reply
  474. Amy Smith on

    I would love to see one like firefly, but with more chartreuse/green petals with the purple edge, almost a Buzz Lightyear scheme. Also, it would be cool to have one with the more pouf ball center with thin downward petals to look like a jelly fish, I picture it to be a light purple or fuchsia. Just a little jelly floating along in a sea of green.

    Reply
  475. Elizabeth Z. on

    My dream dahlia to find in my breeding patch would be a medium-sized light dreamy peachy/pink – petals within petals like the new seedling from Serenade Farm in Australia (just a bit more full – true double would be nice). Your breeding journey is so inspiring!

    Reply
  476. Danae on

    My dream dahlia would be a Pom Pom shape and have soft pink edges and yellow middle (some fabulous version of strawberry lemonade my girls favourite beverage). I love C171 or C21. Super bummed out this year because lots of my tubers are rotten 😢. Stored them the same way but this PNW winter has been extra cold and wet this year so having to restart with some of your seeds would be such a great turn around.

    Reply
  477. Kristen on

    I have yet to see a photo of a dahlia that didn’t make me swoon! I am about to embark on a flower farming adventure as my family has just bought a small farm. When I look through the seed catalogs, I really gravitate towards the creamy pink pastels and soft corals. I love the huge bloom style dahlias.

    Reply
  478. Janey on

    I would love a darker rust color fading to a peachy/blush/cafe au lait center.

    Reply
  479. Jennifer on

    My ideal dahlia would have a blend of corals, peaches, apricots, and pinks in an ombre effect with a unique form. I would love a shorter height variety as well since my entire garden is containers

    Reply
  480. Anna Wallden on

    I think my dream dahlia would be a fluffy, large bloom (think cafe au lait) with yellowy-champage outter petals with a blush/coral center. If something like that ever grew in my garden, I’d be just tickled

    Reply
  481. K. Williams on

    Ideal dahlia bloom is deep golden yellow with hints of peach sherbert, full spherical bloom with pointed fluttered petals.

    Reply
  482. Karen Pagano on

    I am growing seeds for the first time this year. I would love to find the shape of Kelgai Ann but in a warmer peach/ blush tone fading to white. Hey, a girl can dream – can’t she?

    Reply
  483. Rosanna on

    My Dahlia would be a full mauve flower the size of a man’s hand and would have petals that laugh at the sun with sparkles of darker mauve hues.
    In the mix of seeds, I could imagine a pale yellow more delicate whimsical blossom along with small sized- head dahlias that are are easy to grow with colours hues of flashy cream and light pink.

    Reply
  484. Vanessa Nguyen Bianan on

    My dream dahlia would be white with black center. It could be like an edgier anemone!

    Reply
  485. Catherine Hoernlein on

    That’s a difficult task. I love Labyrinth, Cafe Au Lait, but also noticed in one of your pictures in this post of 2 rows of cut Dalias on shelves… the white cream one bottom left really caught my eye!

    Reply
  486. Vicki Boyko on

    I love all colors of flowers but am really drawn to colors in the reds ,oranges and yellow family.I would love to have acres of dahlias .

    Reply
  487. Peggy on

    I pretty much find all dahlias dreamy!

    Reply
  488. Linda Davis on

    Any dahlia in my garden would be a true blessing. I watch you and just dream “daily” about having a little patch of same. The first set of flowering portraits would be lovely (the one that includes C-9 – if I’m reading it correctly). What a beautiful life you have made for you, your staff, and all your admirers! Thank you for reaching out to us and sharing your joy.

    Reply
  489. Raine on

    I love peach and Coral colors and the ball shape Dalilah! I’m growing from seed for the first time this year I can’t wait to see what treasures I get! 🏵️🌸🪷

    Reply
  490. Linda Turner on

    Totally amazed. I absolutely love Dahlia’s!

    Reply
  491. Nicole Morouse on

    I dream of a buff/light peachy-pink fluffy Dahlia with the shape of Lady Liberty and the shading somewhere between CAL and Breakout.

    I would love to find antique shades of Collerettes and PomPons in the seedling patch!

    Reply
  492. Katie Helen Costigan on

    My dream dahlia is subtle, timeless, can shine or take a step back for other flowers to display their colors, not pretentious or fussy.

    Reply
  493. Tammy Thrift on

    My dream dahlia would remind me of my Aunt Nell, who fought hard yet passed away in October. Its colors would have unexpected tones, to remind me of summery colors she’d love to wear. It would almost shine out in the field as the sun washed over it, to remind me of warm, fun memories about her. And it would bring an even greater joy by sharing that dahlia with others along my life’s path, just like her smile and laughter could do. So that’s what I’d love to find out there in the dahlia patch. A quiet connection to our collective past and a curiously-soaked way forward. For all the flowers we didn’t get to arrange together and moments that slipped by all too fast, I could simply give back, to honor someone who made a real difference for so many people.

    Reply
  494. Dar Muehlhausen on

    I love anything white with color on the tips. This is my first year planting Dahlias!

    Reply
  495. Melissa Colello on

    My perfect dahlia would have pointy petals with a full flower head. But I can’t decide on color! I’d love petals with purple on the top side and lavender on the under side. Ah – to dream!

    Reply
  496. Jenna Byrne on

    I think a fuschia pom-pom shaped bloom that has a gradient into an apricot shade center would be striking. It’s hard to imagine anything more beautiful than what your pictures show. Honestly, in my growing zone (9b), I would be ecstatic just to keep dahlias alive and blooming. I started some of your seed mix this year to try and see what is possible, and I look forward to nurturing them along.

    Reply
  497. Kathlean Faver on

    Hello Floret,

    My dream Dahlia would be green, I know crazy right….. but I can picture it as a light dome puffy green center and darker almost forest green petals. You said dream 😴

    If I could have anything in my garden it would be a tie, your Little Miss Sunshine and your Floret Dahlia. While I am new this year to all things Dahlia, both of these little beauties caught my eye and made quite an impression. With all my seedlings sprouting from your sale this year, both would make a amazing addition to my garden.

    Thank you for the opportunity,

    Kat

    Reply
  498. Casey on

    This is my first year growing dahlias so I don’t even know what I like or want yet. I’ve been drawn to the fall colors so far.

    Reply
  499. Dana on

    I’d love a deep purple with yellow streaks. Like flamethrower, but purple and yellow. It’d be named Genivieve Bernice for my grandmas.

    Reply
  500. Janet B on

    My dream would just be to be able to grow them.( no success so far). I’m partial to shades of pink with lots of petals. You’ve inspired me to try from seeds.

    Reply
  501. Erin on

    A very full flower, mainly white with a pinkish blush on the edges of each petal.

    Reply
  502. Victoria on

    I especially love, black but would be happy with anything. Especially creams and corals. Just moved to a farmhouse and want to create my own dahlia floral garden. Thank you.

    Reply
  503. Diana berry on

    Floret or Timmy. Or anyone in Pink. Princess Bubblegum is what I’d call it. Love them all though

    Reply
  504. Joanna on

    Dahlias are like a daydream. Love it when they remind me of the colors of a sunrise or sunset.

    Reply
  505. Sue Cavil on

    I think a true dark purple would be gorgeous!

    Reply
  506. Janet on

    I love the shapes and colors of Little Miss Sunshine and Firefly. It would be exciting to get more along those lines, but honestly, they’re all beautiful!

    Reply
  507. Stephanie on

    My dream would be fulfilled with a medium sized dahlia of the purest white outer petals gradually fading to a lime green center!

    My future plans are to have a dahlia bed outside my sunroom windows! Sure to be breathtaking and relaxing to watch as the sun goes down each day!

    Reply
  508. Kasey on

    I would love to come across a dahlia with an orchid pink/lavender fluffy center and a single row of creamy/pale pink petals around it.

    Reply
  509. Jodi on

    Large multi pedals in a soft Chartreuse 💚

    Reply
  510. Linda on

    I always love peach flowers, since I don’t love true pink. So anything peachy to cream are my dream flowers

    Reply
  511. Emilie Gaddy on

    2021 planted my first dahlia from seed. I collected the seeds from those plants and I dug up the tubulars to replant this year. If this works my neighbor hood will be full of flowers.

    Reply
  512. Lydia Schubert on

    I would love a cream colored one with pale yellow lengthwise streaks down the petals, in maybe a water Lily or formal type flower, about 4″ flowers and food for cutting 😍

    Reply
  513. Tricia Farrar on

    I would love to see a grey earl coloring in a Dahlia. Also, more dinner size plate ones. It amazes they all look so different in shapes, sizes, colors.

    I would like to explore growing Dahlias this year in a raised bed to see if I have success just getting 1 bloom.

    Reply
  514. Emily Sepik on

    My dream dahl is a creamy apricot/brown pompon flower with a long stem. I started growing dahlias (and lots of flowers in general) during treatment for cancer and it has become an obsession and a love every year. ❤️

    Reply
  515. Allison Lamb on

    I came across a picture of dahlia that was similar to the ball form and it had extra petals growing out of it. Check out Serenade_farm_tamborine_mtn to see what I’m trying to describe. This was the first time I’ve seen double petals like this. Last year was my first year growing dahlias from tubers and seeds and it was magical each time one of the seedlings graced me with their beauty so I can see how it brings you great joy. My dream dahlia would have the ball form with extra petals but DARK outer petals (almost black like Jowey Midnight) with deep red inner petals like Chimacum Night. That would be my dream dahlia to pop up in my seedling patch.

    Reply
  516. Angie klovstad on

    I love the look of Waltzing Mathilda but would love to see it is an almost white with very light blush and darker pink veins. Thank you so much for bringing me not only on the cut flower ride but now the dahlia ride. I am in Texas and everyone I talked to – even the master Gardeners – said you can’t grow dahlias in Texas. What a bunch of bunk! You can and we do!!!

    Reply
  517. Celina on

    I’m an aspiring gardener (trying my hand at dahlias for the first time this year). I’d love to see a smaller, round dahlia with layers of colors in the white, peachy orange range.

    Reply
  518. Lisa Seyfried on

    A bright sunshine yellow, with peach to white edges. Spectacular! Thanks for being meticulous with this vast and amazing breed!

    Reply
  519. Lynette Morrissette on

    My dream Dahlia would look old fashioned with soft muted colors that blend together. The plant itself would have variations of these colors as sometimes Dahlias do.
    My dream dahlia would be so pretty I would want to leave it to enjoy the warm summer air, but I would cut it to see what comes next.❤️🌸❤️

    Reply
  520. Carol Ann Frederick on

    Pinks and salmons are my favorites! I’d love to have a Dahlia that is just the very softest shade of pink that it is almost white. Very delicate and dainty.
    I’ve never seen a single one of yours of any color that I didn’t like! My dream is to visit some day.
    Carol Ann from east TN

    Reply
  521. Lori Moses on

    I prefer bold colors. I love a nice deep maroon. I also prefer the more complex flower forms and medium to large.

    Reply
  522. Yoko on

    This is my first year growing Dahlias. I’m excited to see big blooms of cafe au lait!

    Reply
  523. Christine D on

    My grandfather was a avid gardener both flowers and vegetables. His favorite was his dahlias and his experiments, Wich he did for his own enjoyment. I have very fond memories of him and I in the garden growing up. I would love to see a purple with yellow tips.

    Reply
  524. Cynthia Smeloff on

    I’m a newbie dahlia grower/recent convert. I only have grown a bright yellow one and hope it comes back again. I’m excited by the idea of growing more from seeds and being surprised by what they turn out to look like. I’m blown away by your C144/Firefly!! I wonder if there could ever be one like it with deep purple edges? That would be my dream dahlia.

    Reply
  525. Joyce Meinhardt on

    Layers of soft muted pink petals, edged with a creamy champagne color! 😍

    Reply
  526. Tami on

    My ideal dahlia would be a medium sized salmon colored dahlia with tints of lilac and slightly twisted petals so it can match lilac floss flowers.

    Reply
  527. N on

    I’d love to find a dahlia that had a similar look to sweet nathalie but had a darker shade of pink in the middle instead of that yellowy green!

    Reply
  528. Sandy Pehler on

    A pastel multi colored Sunshine or maybe sunset with hues of pink would be my ultimate dahlia, medium sized.
    I would love to see the Firefly dahlia seeds as it is my business name. Keep up the great work, I’ve learned so much through everything you have done.

    Reply
  529. carol nelson on

    I love the peaches and soft blushes but if I am completely honest, I love them all. The colors, the different petals, sizes I love them all. I learned from you about separating the tubers and getting the seeds. I love your seeds and love flowers. Thank you for showing us the beauty of flowers and bringing us into your world.

    Reply
  530. Pamela Pecenka on

    All of these look beautiful!!! This will be my first year growing dahlia’s and I am sooooo excited!!! I would love to win !!!

    Reply
  531. Evan on

    I like the cactus form, maybe in a nice peach/apricot.
    In my seedling patch, maybe something in lavender, pinks, reds.

    Reply
  532. Sol Perez on

    White with red edges on petals, decorative, medium size.

    Reply
  533. Amy C on

    A medium champagne colored dahlia, subtly speckled in white and light yellow like a shooting star <3

    Reply
  534. Samantha M. on

    I’d love to see a dinner-plate-sized ice blue/lavender dahlia! How dreamy would that be.

    Thank you for this beautiful blog & giveaway!

    Reply
  535. Shane meehan on

    I would love to see a Ice lavender one. In my opinion there’s not enough icy lavender toned dahlias out there. I would love it to be an 4-6 inch ball .

    Reply
  536. Olivia on

    I would love to see a tiny butter yellow dahlia, that looks with its friends more like a spray. I can’t wait for the seeds I bought from you to grow out! Thank you for sharing your joy.

    Reply
  537. Tracey McNeil on

    Honestly my dream Dahlia will be the first one I grow which will be this year…fingers and toes crossed! I hope to have an explosive of color and shapes and I can’t wait to see them!

    Reply
  538. Shihan on

    It has to be double/multi petalled (Is that even a word) giant similar to Cafe au lair. But in acid green. It might look horrendous but I don’t care. Something different.

    Reply
  539. Amanda T on

    I’m drawn to the soft blushes and peaches most. I don’t think there’s anything in particular though, I think the joy of finding the new hidden gems is in how they surprise you and captivate you unexpectedly.

    Also, watching this project unfold is so fun to watch! I’ve enjoyed it so much over the last year and blog posts like this are my favorite! Thanks for sharing the process :)

    Reply
  540. Ava on

    My dream dahlia would be a periwinkle color! I have seen so many pinks and purples and oranges, but I would love to see a cooler toned purple, lavender kind of color!

    Reply
  541. Claire on

    I’m imagining an enormous shooting star of a dahlia, with fiery crimson tips. Something you’d want to make a wish on!

    Reply
  542. Kayla on

    My favorite color is yellow and I like a flower that has an unusual form. Something like little miss sunshine for example. Also, would love to see some peach and apricot colors growing, those colors make the sweetest bouquets.

    Reply
  543. Mary on

    A dream dahlia is one that reflects the land’s heritage on which it is planted: we are on land belonging to the Northern Pauite and Eastern Mono (Numu) people in Eastern California, whose colors are often depicted as beige, rust, and red.

    You can look up the history of the land you garden on here: https://native-land.ca/
    Imagine if we could all create varieties that honor those who cultivated the land before us!

    Reply
  544. Amie on

    My dream dahlia would be a 4” ball with long stems but not too tall maybe 5’ that would have a vase life of 7-10 days. Tubers store really good and produce eyes on all tubers! Oh and earwig and grasshopper resistant!!
    Not picky about colours!

    Reply
  545. Kaslyn on

    I would love to find a rust coloured dahlia with faded tips on the petals almost a white. I would love to be able to call my first saved dahlia “Sable’s joy” after my fur baby. It would be perfect if it was this colour to match her gorgeous coat.

    Reply
  546. Jayne McCullough on

    For me, every dahlia is a dream. There’s no way I could pick just one!

    Reply
  547. Lily Aceto on

    My dream dahlia is a medium sized cactus bloom that is the perfect hue of peach turning to a darker pink in the center, it’s one that I endlessly search for and don’t think exists yet!

    Reply
  548. Ruth on

    My dream dahlia would have a really dark plum or maroon underside with dusty mauve petals! I love the faded colors AND the deep rich ones!

    Reply
  549. Sarah Chute on

    To be honest, I like the Dahlia’s that are full of crazy bright eye popping colours, they would have the long but full spindly pedals that reach out to everything around them and the actual flower would be as big as a lily when it fully spreads it’s pedals out. She would be the Cinderella of the ball and become the feature flower of a bouquet stealing the show!!

    Reply
  550. Hanna on

    My dream dahlia begins with a sunny middle, which would turn into a rust colour, and the end of the petals would be a rose champagne colour. I would be there for that.

    Reply
  551. Jill on

    My dream dahlia would be a soft nude/apricot with a graduated dark burgundy centre, similar colour pattern to a wine eyed jill but more muted than the bright pink or yellow, with a darker centre, phew what a dream!

    Reply
  552. Angie on

    I love the gradient colors of the soft creams to pink and orange but there is also a ton of joy in the vibrant, rich rust and magentas too! It’s like music- how can you pick just one genre??

    Reply
  553. Nick H. on

    That’s a difficult question! I think my dream dahlia would be as big as my head, soft purple with slightly curled petals, and a nice golden-yellow centre. I think… I’ve never met a dahlia I didn’t like, so I imagine I’d end up loving every single one of them for their own reasons! Thank you Team Floret! You guys are such a mighty inspiration.

    Reply
  554. Diane on

    So many beautiful muted colors and unique shapes you’ve coaxed from genetic possibilities! Like you, I fall for color first… the peachy pinks and pale yellows, subtle oranges… all of them with gradations from center outward or within each petal. Combinations of shapes are lovely, so it’s hard to choose just one as they play so wonderfully off of one another… the well defined fluffy center and pointed petals of your miss sunshine, the the fluffy concentrics of the popular café au lait. My dream has all the fluff of whipped grass fed full fat cream with a gradation of color from that barely yellow blush to something unnameable between peach and orange. It inspires thoughts fractals and stands tall and proud as a cut flower on long, dark stem.

    Reply
  555. Ashley Garrels on

    This is so lovely, your absolute passion for this project shines through in every word. I’m at the start of my garden/flower journey and have found such joy in seeing those little sprouts pop up. 🌿 I’d say my dream dahlia would be something vibrant, a form that can’t be contains as it bursts into life. We all need a bit of that energy these days!

    Reply
  556. Jennifer Tingey on

    Surprise me! I love to be in the garden close to the details but a canvas of classics, formal and simple, with just a touch of whimsy viewed from my porch makes my heart sing.

    Reply
  557. Jamie McMillen on

    My dream dahlia would be one I would call sunset…and it would have the bright, pink, orange colors and have the soft whipsy petals, maybe a yellow center.

    Reply
  558. Emily on

    It is so difficult to pick just one dream flower!

    I would love to see a dahlia with a water color gradient within it. Soft petals such as a cafe ah lait, but with coloring that shifts from red to pinks within the same flower (if that makes sense). I see so many dahlias that are combos of white and another color/have colors in “striping” it makes me wonder if we can get more gradient tones more randomly throughout the bloom.

    Reply
  559. Shae on

    “So much freaking joy.” 😂 I love your honesty and your passion is totally contagious!! The creator made us to create 💓, well done. Your art and creativity is bringing more people to the table. I’m only in my second year of growing dahlias from seed and my first round didn’t produce super tall or vigorous plants, so I would be really pleased if this time around I had some sturdier stems and flowers! After looking at your pics, there is no way I could pick a fav color/type. I’d like all please!

    Reply
  560. LuAnn Selover on

    Every time I look a new variety catches my eye. I am really intrigued by C144/Firefly. Right now I am drawn to the semi cactus varieties but would like them smaller than dinnerplate for arrangements. The color I am drawn to is peachy pinks and pale yellows.

    Reply
  561. Amanda on

    I would love to see one that mimics a columbine- with that purple blue on the outside and white on the inside!

    Reply
  562. Janet on

    This will be my 1st year growing Dahlias!
    I really like the pastel shades.

    Reply
  563. Brynn on

    I love the ones with the fluffy centers and lovely petals encircling. I would be ecstatic to find one like firefly. This post definitely makes me want to carve out a little patch of dahlias this year!

    Reply
  564. Lynne Resch on

    My dream dahlia hands down is already Apple Blossom. Is it possible to make it even more amazing? It would be fun to try.

    Reply
  565. Sierra on

    Oooh that’s a tricky question! I feel like my dream dahlia would look like a dinner plate form but be considerably smaller so it could nicely fit in bridal bouquets. Along with that, it would be a softer color- maybe something pale pink peachy. Dahlias are just so incredible!

    Reply
  566. Cymande on

    My dream dahlia is a pastel single petal variety with a big happy belly. The bloom would be the size of my face, the stem sturdy, and the plant sort of sparse and airy. Tallish!

    Reply
  567. Hannah B. on

    In this moment, my dream dahlia would be medium large sized with fluffy center cream petals surrounded by faint cream/pink petals that blend out to a dusty pink at the tips. But this favorite could change in a moment, and I’m rather easy to please, so I figure I’d fall in love with any new dahlia grown from seed.

    Thank you for the work you do🙏🏼

    Reply
  568. Julie Wise on

    How do you pick a dream? I tend to gravitate towards the frilly. Maybe the lightest lavender kissed with peach.

    Reply
  569. Natalie Skwierczynski on

    I would love the biggest, fullest blooms that are the sweetest shades of pink and peach and lemony yellow all in one! It would be such a heavenly bouquet!

    Reply
  570. Lisa Watkins on

    Last year was my first year planting dahlias! I was so excited over my success! I would love some of the apricot colored dahlias in my garden! Love your work!

    Reply
  571. Zoe on

    My dream dahlia is the color of apricots, it fades darker the longer a flower has been open, and has a combo of tight and loose petals. I’d love to have it embedded with a super plant power to repel all bad garden insects and disease. After all, we are dreaming.

    Reply
  572. Kayla on

    I don’t even know how to pick a favorite! They’re all so wonderful in their own ways! It’s my first year growing dahlias myself, so I got a few tubers and the bees choice seeds- I can’t wait to see what the bees bless me with! I think the mystery of waiting to see which blooms the little bees picked is the most fun of all. Knowing that my dahlias will be almost completely one-of-a-kind and can create my own little varieties will be so enjoyable.

    Reply
  573. Shelly on

    Oh I am just loving beginning my dahlia journey. I think I would love a light apricot star shaped dahlia, but the truth is they all make me so happy!

    Reply
  574. Christine Mendis on

    Currently i am growing Dhalis ,nearly five years. Love to see diner plate size Dhalis in my garden. Favourie colour is dark yellow , which is like i sm having many SUN in my garden. Bees are very very happy with Dhalis

    Reply
  575. Kyersten on

    I’m so excited to drive into the world of Dahlias! I’d love one that is big and full with yellow to peach coloring.

    Reply
  576. Madeline Kudaba on

    A soft buttery yellow with a deep gold center. I also like the pointier shapes with less of a Pom pom shape.

    Reply
  577. M. R. on

    I love pink dahlias! Every shade, shape and size! I can’t wait for vases of dahlias this summer from seed I saved last year. I buy tons of small vases that will fit in the cup holders in my car and fill them up whenever I go out to give to anyone I see. It makes people so happy!

    Reply
  578. Sari on

    Last summer was my first dahlia season from seed and it’s get me hooked right away. I love to see all pollinators enjoy my flowers. My dream dahlia would be soft peach or lavender color.

    Reply
  579. Fiona Booth on

    My dream dahlia would be about 5” in diameter, have 2-3 tiers of fluffy, softly pointed sculptural petals in an inky plum (like black knight scabiosa), a dark open center flecked with contrasting yellow, and dark green foliage.

    Last year I grew out 4 seeds from your Bee’s Choice mix. They were wildly different and such fun surprises in the garden. I was already thrilled to find one in my seedling patch that I will grow again this year from tuber. She is a soft peach with streaks of rusty pink and an open center that bees love. She made 12 tubers so I have plenty to share!
    Thank you!

    Reply
  580. Ruth Ball on

    My dream dahlia would have a luxurious texture like a soft feather pillow with bright yellow centre petals, which gradually fade to lemon and then white.

    Reply
  581. Kimberly Longey on

    My dream dahlia would look like a whirled dinner plate with muted colors of peach, apricot with bits of darker rose hues. I envision her strong upright and greeting me in the morning as I saunter the garden paths. I’d be thrilled to start a seedling patch to simply enjoy the surprises that nature will bring.

    Reply
  582. Lisa Angus on

    Dream dahlia: a sort of creamsicle colored one with soft but definite oranges shifting to a buff or cream towards the middle. I’m partial to the pointier shapes (Firefly is beautiful!) and distinct color differences.

    Reply
  583. Ti on

    Wonderful and beautiful flowers!!! I love the anemone types… with lemon meringue colors nad a touh of blush… what a find that would be! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  584. Eryn Derksen on

    My dream dahlia would be yellowy orange with lots of petals bursting from the flower. So many options to choose though, they are all beautiful and I love seeing all the unique ones!

    Reply
  585. Heidi Hower on

    I would be thrilled to see a beautiful roughly peachy pink with flowy petals, but honestly, I would be thrilled to see any of your beautiful dahlias in my garden! Thank you for introducing me too Dahlia’s. The addiction is real!

    Reply
  586. Wynne Donovan on

    A flower with layered petals a little larger than the dahlia apple blossom with a more intense pink/orange color , like something u see with a lightly cloud filled sky at sunset.

    Reply
  587. Natasha Nichols on

    Is it possible to chose just one color? I would absolutely love to see a very soft purple, even lighter than lilac, about 4″ and waterlily shaped. That would be so beautiful…at least to me.

    Reply
  588. Maggie Morgan on

    Oh boy oh boy oh boy! I’m thinking I’d love one dahlia that went with every single one of my other dahlias — it would probably have to be somewhat of a rainbow color scheme that went from dark center to light tipped petals (or light to dark) and every color in between! To make it even more tricky, how about a waterlily shape!?! 😂

    Reply
  589. Jae Tomlinson on

    My dream dahlia would be apricot with burgundy edges. I think an anemone type. But I would also love to find a ombré that went from apricot to burgundy in a double type. Oh goodness, I can’t choose. 😍

    Reply
  590. Cathy Houghtby on

    Grandma Dorothy grew what she called dinner plate dahlias. I have been in search for a dahlia that resembles the picture I have of her and her “dinner plate dahlia”! So I would have to say my grandmas dahlia would be my dream dahlia! But my grandma Dorothy and her garden are no longer with us! However I find beauty in all the dahlias especially when I read your blog and she so much beauty in each new variety! It is truly a work of art!!

    Reply
  591. Nicole on

    Today, my dream dahlia would be a medium tone lilac purple with a variegation into fuchsia. It changes daily ♥️ Thank you for all your amazing passion and sharing your love and knowledge.

    Reply
  592. Katherine Smith on

    My dream dahlia would be something yellow, a buttercream or brighter single with big romantic petals. Although you seem to have a nice assortment of yellow dahlias I feel like they’re not as coveted. I also love the pinwheel shape!

    Reply
  593. Sheri on

    I love the blush creamy color of a cafe au lait but i wouldn’t mind if they were a bit smaller and more manageable. I lost a lot of plants last year to rabbits and I’m getting a late start this year but I really would love to try growing from seed. I collected some last fall and I’m hoping I can get something from them!

    Reply
  594. Michelle H on

    My dream dahlia would be any dahlia I can grow from my own dahlia seed! I have been growing Cafe au lait in my garden ever since I got married because my florist surprised me with my bridal bouquet featuring beautiful cafe au lait blooms. So every year I grow them as a reminder of our wedding and our growing love. This year our hearts grew larger as we welcomed our first child, a daughter, and I would love to teach her how to grow dahlias and breed our wedding dahlia to name after her.

    Reply
  595. Heather on

    My dream dahlia would be a deep, velvety raspberry color, fading just a bit at the tips. While I love a scraggly- and wild-looking dahlia, I would prefer a more formal look for this dahlia.

    I would be thrilled to find a dahlia with a split color, like a tulip that grew in my yard years ago. One side was completely yellow and the other side was red.

    Reply
  596. Denyse on

    My dream dahlia would have red and orange tones and would be dinner plate size. I love the huge dahlias that only need one per vase.

    Reply
  597. Kat Fitchett on

    So beautiful and inspiring! My dream dahlia, although it’s hard to choose, would probably be one that is more of a medium Pom-Pom size and fades from a peachy colour to a lavender colour on the outside petals! 🤩

    Reply
  598. Odyssey Nixon on

    I always think I like soft color Dahlias, but every time I am most drawn to big colorful jazzy babes. Purple and orange are my go to right now. Love your site and the joy it brings.

    Reply
  599. Erin Warrack on

    My dream dahlia would be a dinner plate variety, similar petals to cafe at lair but with soft orange tones in the Center with a mixture of blush, fading out to to give the tips of the petals an blush/off white colour. Hard to pick a dream dahlia when everyone gives something special.

    Reply
  600. Amanda Revier on

    My dream dahlia would be bold tones of oranges and purples! Also, Thank you! Thank you for sharing your passion with all of us and taking us along on this journey with you. Very much appreciated!

    Reply
  601. Candice on

    Layered, punchy pink petals. They’re a bit unruly, perfectly imperfect, and begging to be arranged and gifted to a friend.

    Reply
  602. Anna Jones on

    Your sentence about color struck a chord in my heart! I always see color first.

    My dream Dahlia would be Red.
    Absolute Red or an Amazing Variation of Red.
    A Great Red always stops the world.

    My dream Dahlia Breeding Patch would have your Dahlia breeding seeds from C9, C316, B6, B47 and C174. Those colors spoke to me!

    Out of these seeds, I might be blessed with a perfect blush with yellow and white undertones. There could be a warm cream yellow with burgundy tips or a white that fades to pink/red. I might even come across that new Red Dahlia that stops my world.

    Thanks for having the contest. It is fun to dream. 🙂

    Reply
  603. Kit on

    My dream dahlias would be a cross between cafe au lait and sheer heaven. I love the size of the sheer heaven, along with color. And if you could mix in a little of the cafe au lait tones and curls if the petals. Wow.

    I’d be thrilled to find anything resembling either dahlias (cafe or sheer) in a seedling patch!

    Reply
  604. Katie S. on

    I always gravitate to oranges and pinks but I also love a good neutral like a cafe at lait. So a mix of those would be ideal. Something with unique petals too!

    Reply
  605. Brianna on

    I would love the color to be similar to a coral charm peony, bright and fantastic.

    Reply
  606. Tess on

    This will be my first year growing dahlias – I am so freaking excited! I have a few tubers and seeds.
    My dream dahlia would grow big and strong and provide lots of tubers :)

    Reply
  607. Madison C. on

    Any peach colored dahlia would be lovely but I think any dahlia that comes up would make me happy ❤️

    Reply
  608. Viviana Guzmán on

    My dream dahlia is a fluffy multicolor fantasy with both warm and cool tones, honestly I can’t make up my mind and just choose one look for it but definitely a big dinner plate size with some or all the colors is just about enough to make my imagination FLY

    Reply
  609. Olivia Plocharczyk on

    My dream Dahlia would be either a waterlily type that’s pinkish/purple with off-white edging, or a decorative type that’s a very light peach color with deeper coral streaking in the petals, similar to the streaking in Firefly.

    Reply
  610. Luthien N on

    I had my (first) daughter in July 2021 and we named her Dahlia, because we knew dahlia flowers can come in so many shapes and colors and we want her to become whatever she dreams up for herself. Since then we’ve learned dahlia flowers are more diverse than we even imagined, and your work/post highlights this even more! It is so exciting.

    At this moment, my dream dahla is a dinner plate brilliant yellow with other colors mixed in, so my daughter and I can explore all the colors and textures of such an interesting flower (and her namesake) together. 💛

    Reply
  611. Lisa Maberry on

    A mashup of apple blossom, peaches and totally tangerine. An anemone/collarette hybrid shape with the petal coloring of peaches- I love how it ombrés from salmony peach to cream 🥰

    Reply
  612. Jamie D. on

    I would love to find a dahlia that looks like a puffy ball of sunset colored sunshine. Dahlias are just such a joy to look at, and I never knew so many varieties existed! You’ve inspired me to turn my backyard into a flower garden this upcoming season and I’m genuinely giddy to see what it will bring. Thank you for bringing so much joy and beauty to a very dark world right now. It’s definitely something we all need in order to remember the beauty that this wonderful earth can create :)

    Reply
  613. Sherri Hamilton on

    This is such a hard question, I love collarettes, but I think a waterlily variety with colors of peach and coral.

    Reply
  614. Lisette Garrison on

    My dream dahlia would be a ball type, with an ombré effect of light/muted pink to peach to true pink

    Reply
  615. Abby on

    My dream dahlia would be one that has different types of petals and striking colors! I love Floret dahlia and how her inner petals look against the outer ones. She’s a beauty!

    Reply
  616. Crissy Martinez on

    I’ve grown dahlias from tubers before, but I didn’t know about seeds. I’m a self taught gardener. I am so excited to try to grow them from seeds. I will be so happy to just grow one from seed! They are all so pretty. You have my dream job. I’ve always wanted lots of land to grow beautiful flowers for the world!

    Reply
  617. Cara on

    I would love to find any color ball dahlia. I just love them. They are like the sweetest little Pom-Pom package of joy. I love the anemone type dahlias and if I discovered apple blossom I would just be so excited. They are stunning, romantic, and so beautiful!

    Reply
  618. Abby on

    While I love the apricot coloring, this season the raspberry coloring is really speaking to me! I love the more daisy style of petals with the big fluffy yellow centers. But really… how can you chose??

    Reply
  619. Alaina Puleo on

    I don’t know if I have a dream dahlia, I’ve been absolutely obsessed with all of them – I love just how different they all can be and still be dahlias, it’s crazy!

    Reply
  620. Kristin Carter on

    I love the brightly colored, full blooms!! So pretty!

    Reply
  621. Harriet hu on

    I loved dahlias ever since my grandpa started growing them ! I love the ones with striking centers and rounded petals! Ones I wouldn’t guess are dahlias, hahaha. But even then, the usual colors spanning the sunset pinks to oranges are my faveeee.

    This is a cool giveaway!

    Reply
  622. Kristie on

    My dream dahlia would not be a single flower. I dream of a field of dahlias like the one you have with every color of the rainbow. I dream of walking through the field whispering my hopes and dreams to each one at the beginning and end of each day. It’s the dream I hope to come true, one day.

    Reply
  623. Caitlyn on

    I would love a soft pink Gerber daisy style one!

    Reply
  624. Becca on

    My dream dahlia would be a large dinner plate variety with creams and blushes and a hint of a deep magenta!

    Reply
  625. Kristina Quinn on

    Ahhhh love this post and that spring is so close we can almost touch it!

    My dream dahlia plant would be a unicorn rainbow. Each bloom would be different!!! Can you imagine?! How much extra fun would that be. You said dream right?!

    Produce tons of blooms all different colors, shapes and sizes. :)

    Your passion for creating a flower community and sharing your vast knowledge has been such a gift. Thank you so much!

    Reply
  626. Bronwen Heinrich on

    I would love to find a double dusky rose tinted with white outer edges with a dark centre with amazingly strong long stems!

    Reply
  627. June Endersen on

    Hi Floret family! I would love to find a pretty little collarette dahlia, a white with a few of the inner flowers with yellow and white stripes! Thank you for wanting to bring so much beauty into the world!

    Reply
  628. Mandy Jantz on

    Honestly I haven’t come across a dahlia I didn’t like! But I really orange ones and ESPECIALLY the yellow star one you mentioned. So. Truly. Gorgeous. My dream dahlia would probably be the streaked with the colors of a sunset. Easy on the eyes.

    Reply
  629. Megan Hover on

    My dream Dalia would be A lily style about 4 inches across that would be lame and varying shades of pale peach/Apricot/cream…. Or maybe a something with a sweet collarette ❤️🌸

    Reply
  630. Alison Buerkley on

    My dahlia dream would be something like KA’s mocha jo! I do wedding floristry and I loving growing my own blooms and sourcing locally. It would be a dream to grow the majority of the blooms used in my weddings!

    Reply
  631. Billie Milligan on

    All the colors of the sunsets that just make you say ahhhh! Hot pink fading to softer shades to blush.

    Reply
  632. Sarrah on

    I would love to walk into my garden and find a terracotta/rust colored ball type. I know their are some out there but what I have in mind is this perfect fall wedding work dahlia.

    Reply
  633. Jennifer Henson on

    My thought, on this cold, gray day in Ohio, is something bright, colors of a citrus slice, with limes, oranges, lemons and grapefruits!
    I would be thrilled to find anything growing in my seeded patch-I’m new to growing flowers for cutting instead of visual enjoyment!

    Reply
  634. Emily Bechtel on

    Since we are dreaming, my ideal dahlia would bloom in the winter!!! A pop of deep red in the flower patch would carry us through until spring, wouldn’t it??? Really, I’d take any color at all against our grey Ohio winters.

    Reply
  635. Sharon S on

    Pink & orange are my favorite colors. So a dahlia patch with those colors light, dark & in between would be my heart happy place. My great grandma had a dahlia & gladiola patch the size of most family vegetable gardens. I love how happy she was with her flowers. Thank you for the great giveaway.

    Reply
  636. Kirsten Petty on

    I would love to find a large fluffy dahlia with flatter petals in a mauve color with pink center. Love this post!!!

    Reply
  637. Lesley Sondey on

    my dream dahlia would be a stellar dahlia with
    coppery mauve tinge petals, the color of my golden retriever’s eye lashes with the whimsical blush of my daughters smile toward the center, and the draw of my sons mysterious gold flecked eyes and with strength and sureness of my husband’s embrace, with petals recurve and retract all the way to the stem…that is me.

    Reply
  638. Emily on

    My dream dahlia would look like a winter sunrise, with notes of peachy pinks, gold, and the subtlest hint of lavender.

    Reply
  639. Nicole Cammorata on

    I managed to save a measly 20 seeds last season and this will be my first breeding year. I’m on the hunt for the perfect shade of glowing, peachy blush. Delicate in color but bold and grand in form. I’m new to dahlias but sense a lifelong passion has just begun!

    Reply
  640. Kimi Hardesty on

    My dream dahlia would be a golden collarette with pale pink center.

    Reply
  641. Samantha Rosa on

    My dream Dahlia is like a sunset with orange and pink and blush tones.

    Reply
  642. Kirsten Ellison on

    How cool would it be to have a sea of dahlias with various colors of the ocean, like Bahama blues.
    A dahlia so beautifully bred to be the color of the sea that you could almost taste the salty ocean air.

    Reply
  643. Hollie on

    I would love a huge dinner plate peachy pink dahlia with a good vase life, but really I love just about any dahlia!

    Reply
  644. Melissa on

    The perfect dahlia is a brilliant sunset of blushed copper. With warm hints of sienna and terra cotta. It’s craggy and untamed yet delicate.

    Reply
  645. Angela on

    My dream Dahlia would be the colors of a Chinese New Year dragon! Or alternatively, would be a similar color to soft and delicate Magnolia tree blossoms.

    Reply
  646. Rachel on

    Beautiful blush blooms with darker edging on the petals. Can’t wait to see what I get from the bee’s choice this summer!

    Reply
  647. Rebecca Renna on

    It’s my first year growing dahlias from seed! The seedlings under my grow lights have me so excited for all the possibilities in store this year. I’d be swooning if I am lucky enough to have a muted peachy dinner plate dahlia somewhere in that mix. Fingers crossed!

    Reply
  648. Suzanne on

    I turn 50 in April and, all my life, orange has been one of my least favorite colors. I couldn’t understand why anyone would like it. In the past 5 years, I’ve really changed my tune. I LOVE orange now. I seek it out in flowers. I am still discovering all the possibilities for orange. I’d love an orange dahlia that really grabs the eye. I was first drawn to the ball dahlias, but am learning about & loving all the varieties.

    Reply
  649. Rachel Horsley on

    I’d love to see a blushy apricot with dark brown center petals in a dinner plate size Dahlia. I’m in love with the oranges, peaches, bronzes, and creams.

    Reply
  650. Katie on

    My dream dahlia would be a fluffy creamy pink medium size flower with a fluffy yellow center.

    Reply
  651. Shannon Steinberg on

    I would love to find a collarette type in a soft peach with darker stripes or striations!

    Reply
  652. Heather on

    These beautiful photos made my morning! I think a dinner plate dahlia with the colors of Firefly would be gorgeous!

    Reply
  653. Emmy Mower on

    In a growing zone for cactus, dahlia is a magical treat. I love the soft, muted Merlot colors. My little dahlia seed babies are just pushing through the soil. It’s like opening the blind grab bag of flowers. Excited to see what they all look like. Thanks for the inspiration to try new things!

    Reply
  654. Emily Hamer on

    Something blushy pink, with streaks of cranberry, in Cafe au Lait form… 😍

    Reply
  655. Erika Myers on

    I would love to see a dahlia that has a lotus center or a pom pom and then at the edges single petals that stand out in their own. I am partial to the dahlias that have a striking bit of color but also fades to a more subdued version of that shade to help draw the eye to explore the entire flower.

    Thank you for your post as always you have inspired my dahlia brain :) time to get planning and plotting !
    Happy planting to you all!

    Reply
  656. Angela on

    I’m a sucker for pink. She would definitely be a soft dusty rose color. With a dark center. 2 rows of delicate petals that curve slightly (got that from Firefly 😉) *sigh* she would be breath taking…..

    Reply
  657. Heidi Brulport on

    I’m pretty sure my dream dahlia is what you’ve produced as C33, a perfect pink polka like dahlia. I’m excited to what pops up from my Bee’s Choice seeds this summer, ran out of my Discovering Dahlias Mix… might need to order another book. 😉

    Reply
  658. Julia McLellan on

    My dream Dahlia would be a bronzed orange anemone variety. Almost the colour of monster mouth but in a delicate little shape with a poof of a Center.

    Reply
  659. Joanne Johnson on

    A true dark purple collaret with yellow center that becomes fluffy and paler yellow with age. Or a water lily type similar to crème de cassis that is cream with apricot underneath!

    Reply
  660. Jana Vorhees on

    I am still very new to gardening. So I don’t have an ideal variety or color. I just love the process of watching growth and the surprise of the bloom. I think it would be really fun planting Dahlias.

    Reply
  661. Erin Sutherland on

    My dream dahlia would be a perfect, geometric puffball, not too big, but not too small, with gradients of colors from yellow to peach to pink to fuscia. Gentle in nature, tall in stature, stating to the world, “I am a marvel, I am unique, I am here.”

    Reply
  662. Mallorie on

    A dual toned white dahlia with black on the underside of the petals!

    Reply
  663. Katie Burris on

    I absolutely love the C144/Firefly. My dream dahlia would be a dusky purple hue of this flower. The inward curved petals have a delicacy and movement that allows for multiple colors to show at one time. Beautiful!

    Reply
  664. Zoe M on

    I’m in love with the English collarette varieties, so my dream discovery would be a soft, muted collarette in the cafe au lait color family with a rosy blush center.

    Reply
  665. Jessica Lear on

    I have just started my own backyard cut flower garden. The process has been a little overwhelming to start but I am so excited since having fresh flowers in my house brings me so much joy. My idea dahlia would be something very similar to your C33/Floret dahlia. I love the dainty pinks/apricot peddles and the large center!! Maybe even a smaller version of this as well!

    Reply
  666. Lauren Von D on

    I know you love the pale colors, but I would love a deep purple/violet/berry color with the volume of Monster Mouth. It would be equally friendly with red roses, white poppies with dark centers, calla lollies and eucalyptus.

    Reply
  667. Laura on

    I love the mid-sized dahlias. I would want double petals that curl just slightly and in the most wonderful muted peach tone 😍 This post has been so inspiring and I cannot wait to try my hand at breeding and discovering!!

    Reply
  668. Marta on

    A dusty light brown/purple pompom

    Reply
  669. G Burton on

    Decorative with a dust/muted blend of burgundy colors 😍

    Reply
  670. Heather D. on

    Wow, that is such a tough question!! I would love to create a muted raspberry anemone variety with elongated marbled florets of blush with a hint of peach. Dreamy!!!

    Reply
  671. Miriam Jackson on

    My dream dahlia would look like an east coast sunset during the peak of summer, blazing orange in the center with vibrant pinks mixed with soft lilacs towards the edge of the petals.

    Reply
  672. Emily Peck on

    While pretty pinks and yellows will always have my dahlia-loving heart, I would love a bold blue variety. Like a colbalt color that is big and fluffy, or cobalt with yellows and oranges at the center – similar to the Firefly variety you mention above!

    Reply
  673. Allison Judge on

    Like a giant dinner plate dahlia with cream and pink tie dye effect.

    Reply
  674. Jodi Little on

    My dream dahlia would be blush dinner plate with curly petals

    Reply
  675. Karri Lockwood on

    Ooooh this is a tough one!!! I have two absolute dream varieties that come to mind. One would be a rich maroon/violet center opening to a peachy/apricot on the edges. The other would be a lime center opening to pink on the edges. I need to manifest these into existence!!! 😍

    Reply
  676. Eva on

    A dahlia that was huge with many layers of neon pink and with hints of purple would be such a delight to discover among seedlings!

    Reply
  677. Ali Board on

    Thank you for this lovely post! Such gorgeous flowers. My dream Dahlia would be a pale orangey/pink color. The same shape as Cafe au Lait but not as big. Xx

    Reply
  678. Taylor on

    I’ve never grown any dahlias and hope to soon. So I’m not sure about a dream one. I will say, a dainty baby blue one would be something to see!

    Reply
  679. Treasure Winger on

    Blue, just blue…in any shape or form. The unattainable seems so unfair and mysterious. Could she ever exist?

    Reply
  680. Erin C on

    I’d love to see an Earl Grey color dinner plate dahlia!

    Reply
  681. Mackenzie on

    Imagine a giant dinner plate ball variety. It would have an incredible vase life due to the ball variety and wouldn’t drop its petals relatively quickly like most dinnerplates do, and it would have a thick stem so that the dahlia head would be supported. The giant dinnerplate ball dahlia would be pastel lilac/pink/peach/yellow, changing color from the center outward, like a lollipop or unicorn zinnia. A giant unicorn ball dahlia. A flower farmer can dream.

    Reply
  682. Ashley on

    I love the darker dahlias like Jesse G. I would love to find something even darker like a black/burgundy/purple. Something mysterious that makes people stop and stare. I love Halloween so a really dark dahlia would be the perfect flower for me!

    Reply
  683. darien RW on

    I would love a dahlia with a bright yellow center, creamy rounded petals with stretches of bright orange. i love both the firey and muted tones of so many varieties and i just KNOW they’d be the star of a bouquet

    of the beautiful blooms cultivated by y’all I just can’t stop looking at Firefly. what a beauty!

    Reply
  684. Elena S. on

    My dream dahlia would be long stem with long vase life that is a pale apricot blush color. Form can vary but that color speaks to me.

    Reply
  685. Hannah Monroe on

    I’d say C33 is my dream, but I think I’d love it even more if she was salmon colored and had more stark color contrasts! So stunning!

    Reply
  686. Gayle Schwartz on

    My dream dahlia would have a tight center of bright peach followed in lighter shades of peach ending in pale yellow.

    Reply
  687. Nicole on

    I’d love to find some orange colors and big dinnerplate variety! I grew a patch from the Bee’s Choice mix you guys sell and it was full of beautiful stunners this part season. My favorite flowers from my yard for sure! ❤️

    Reply
  688. Hannah on

    Beautiful! My niece is named Dahlia after these beautiful flowers and this year I’m growing some from seed to see what I get! I’d love one that is cream with an apricot center. Maybe that will come through for me this year!

    Reply
  689. Linda Nelson on

    I would love to see a “wrinkled, tattered and torn” dahlia of creamy white, as if it was tea stained, and with subtle striations of muted wine and buttery peach.

    Reply
  690. Ashton Weaver on

    I am still new to dahlias, but I did grow a few from seed last year. Like you, I loved waiting to see what would bloom! It is so gratifying to know that you are bringing new flowers into the world. I would love to either see an apricot ball-type dahlia, or a beautiful dinnerplate variety with a lavender hue.

    Reply
  691. Karen Luck on

    My dream dahlia would start deep red on the tips and fade through to a pale pale orange in the center :)

    Reply
  692. Sydney on

    My dream dahlia would be pink with white center. I would thrilled to find a variety of vibrant colours in my seedling patch.

    Reply
  693. Amanda on

    This year is really my first year jumping head first into flower gardening! I have been vegetable gardening for as long as I can remember but I was bit by the flower bug at the end of the last growing season. I am mostly drawn to dahlias in peachy/coral hues and would love a darker purplish center😍 but who am I kidding, every dahlia has beauty and I’ll take them all!!

    Reply
  694. Miki Baldwin-Hutchinson on

    My dream Dahlia would be a cousin to the Queen Lime Zinnia in a dinner plate size. A hint of lime in the center fading to a beautiful muted hot pink. I also would be thrilled to find a cafe a lait that turned out exactly like that of Floret. That would be a one in a million or more to happen.

    Reply
  695. Mallory on

    I love the size and shape of ones like D23 you have grown, they’re so cheerful and classic. If I found one with a lime green tendency like a “queen lime blush” zinnia, oh that would be so fun. Lime green is my Mom’s favorite and it would just make her day. I’d also love to see a bachelor button blues line. I’m going to be growing dahlias from seeds the first time this year and I can’t wait to see what pops up!

    Reply
  696. Abigail Rogers on

    I would love to grow a large, heavily layered dahlia with a strong peach color that fades to a neon hot-pink-to-orange center, but also with an up-turned face. I love it when flowers look at me!

    Reply
  697. Diana C. on

    Firefly is my absolute favorite FLOWER (not just dahlia) ever so I want those to show up. Since my birthday is Sunday, it would be awesome to win this prize pack. Thanks Floret!

    Reply
  698. Amanda on

    My dream dahlia would have an enormous bloom with bright links fading into oranges and yellows. I get chills when I see the saturated, bright colors of dahlias.

    Reply
  699. Michelle Cloutier on

    Little Miss Sunshine IS my dream dahlia. It’s literally perfect.

    Reply
  700. Kayla on

    My dream would be similar to C33 in shape, but soft lilac

    Reply
  701. Nadia Morrison on

    Oh my goodness, how could one ever pick their best in show favourite? Im in awe of what you have created, and every new flower you share with is becomes a nee favourite! Qualities I love are the firework centres, with the softest of apricot painted petals around that centre. Maybe even throw in a bit of a colour change in the outer petals similar to the peaches n cream variety. Sigh, how does one even narrow it down, they are allll so magical!

    Reply
  702. Meiska Starner on

    I think my dream dahlia would be a huge one, with deep salmon pink tips, then running towards the center, a gradation to a soft yellow. It would be like a sunrise.
    Piles of petals.

    Reply
  703. Rebecca on

    Cafe Au Lait are my favorite…but I’d love to see that size & shape with a different color palette, maybe a warm mauve or even a deep burgundy. I moved recently & am so excited to start fresh with a raised bed just for dahlias ♥️

    Reply
  704. Vica on

    I think my dream dahlia would be a pinky peach that fades to a pale yellow in the middle. Love all the pink and yellow combos in dahlias.

    Reply
  705. Kelly on

    Im new to Dahlias. I grew my first ones almost on accident. I randomly picked up some tubers at Costco the first spring in my new house while I was in the checkout line. I had never gardened before. I put the tubers in the ground and had no clue what to expect. What I grew were spectacular bright pink dinner plate dahlias that could only be attributed to beginners luck. I cut them all summer and gave them to friends and family.
    My dream dahlia is a dinner plate sized, golden sunset yellow/orange color.
    Brings me joy just thinking about it. But of course it’s magic just seeing anything grow from your seeds

    Reply
  706. Vita Porobil on

    My ideal Dahlia would be a mini ball type, pinkish with an open center. These are all so beautiful! I can’t wait to see what my seedling patch gives me this year.

    Reply
  707. Katie Deverson on

    I have learned so much from you and Santa Cruz Dahlias. I haven’t tried my hand at breeding yet as it’s only my third year growing and I’m working on expanding my variety’s and garden beds. I love the variegated colour in dahlias. I would love one that looks like a sunset like orange/coral transitioning to pink!

    Reply
  708. hope bruce on

    May dream dahlia would be a red center that fades into a nice blush pink on the rim. I really think all of them are beautiful though, so just love all of the colors!

    Reply
  709. Abbey on

    All dahlias are quiet dreamy but my dreamiest dahlia would be one like Ferncliff Dolly. It’s blush tips and inner pedals make it stand out from the crowd!

    Reply
  710. Taylor Fisher on

    Hi there! I’ve just begun my gardening journey. I’ve dabbled with vegatables on the past, but this year I’ve jumped head first into flowers! I’ve fallen in love with the semi cactus and pompon varieties of dahlias, and my dream color would be a white and yellow gradient. There’s something magical about the geometric patterns that dahlias make that are seemingly unlike any other flower out there. Just stunning.

    Reply
  711. Agnes on

    My dream dahlia would be have a golden centre with petals that turn from a pale green to a creamy white, on long stems perfect for cutting 🇮🇪

    Reply
  712. joanne soroka on

    Oh a soft pink with white edges and a deeper pink center sounds like it would be just beautiful.

    Reply
  713. Rebecca Neilson on

    My dream dahlia would have broad, short, soft pink petals with a large yellow open center. It would have a resemblance to a daffodil because daffodils never stick around long enough. ☀️ In fact, I think your C162 dahlia is the sweetest and cutest dahlia I have ever seen.

    Reply
  714. Tammy James on

    I am dreaming of a dahlia that is various shades of blue from week to week and it have a white furry center. I would love to find a rainbow of colors in my seedling patch.

    Reply
  715. Marcella Kammerer on

    Well, What a wonderful opportunity to dream. I suppose colour and form are the most important. I am most attracted to the muted colours in the soft blushes creams and light pinks. I would love a flower in the size that I can use in bouquets but something that looks a bit extravagant. For me the beauty is in the subtle Ness, each colour draws you in to a place of peacefulness and joy. As for the form and size, I’m thinking for an extravagant display in a beautiful bouquet, a 4 inch flower halfway between a dinner plate form and a bowl form would be gorgeous. I have been so inspired these last two years to follow my dream, and signed up for the Floret course. That’s it I am now forever lost in the fields of flowers. I just purchased dahlias for the first time this year and just really can’t wait to see what I can breed.

    Reply
  716. Denise Kniss on

    As blue with green is my favorite coloration, I’d be tickled to see that combination in a beautiful dahlia. If that specific color way isn’t possible, then I’d settle for a combination of the two in a calm sea blue green. Dahlia’s are such happy flowers and they give so much joy! They remind me of the best pets one has, as they always greet you with joy!

    Reply
  717. Mary Lurgio on

    Newly smitten by dahlias, I looked for dahlias in my favorite color. With all the stunning colors and color combinations- there are no blue varieties. So I would love a large white dahlia with a true blue center . It would have to be called the Holy Grail.

    Reply
  718. Christopher Sylvester on

    If we are dreaming, then my dream dahlia is more about the colors. I would love mint, sea foam, and teal trending colors! Perhaps a medium formal decorative size and shape with these colors. While those colors may remain a dream, I would love a seedling packet that offers a range of varieties to discover to kick start our dahlia breeding efforts at our flower farm. More importantly though, the nuance that the seedlings came from Floret would be wonderful!

    Reply
  719. Melonie Brewer on

    I would love to see a creamy pink dahlia that looks like strawberry ice cream.

    Reply
  720. Joanne Meier on

    My dream dahlia would resemble the soft colors of the sunrise and sunset with the pinks yellows and oranges on a sturdy stalk for arrangements.

    Reply
  721. Janet on

    Ever since I was a child my favourite color was yellow, any kind of yellow from soft to mustard. Yellow is such a happy color and when I saw C171 on your list it right away reminded me of my childhood and brought back memories of when my grandmother who imigrataed from Holland would plant yellow dahlias in our garden. So as a memory of her and the people of Ukraine I am planting yellow this year :) and I will share these for those who need a special lift to a sad day. Bring on the yellow!!!

    Reply
  722. Esmeralda Rivera on

    My dream dahlia would be a pale creamy warm yellow with a fluffy center 🐥💛🔅

    Reply
  723. Jan Hatchett on

    Oooh! My dream dahlia would be a creamy peach ball dahlia to add sparkle to floral arrangements

    Reply
  724. Heather Bright on

    My favorite type of dahlia would be one that shows soft colors of peachy-yellow. Ball type but with little baby petals peaking out from the surrounding petals in a nice pink. If this makes sense. Sometimes I think wouldn’t it be awsome to have a dahlia that shows a little on the true blue side of purple. You have all different types of purple but non that come close to that bluish tint.

    Reply
  725. Tori S on

    My dream dahlia would be a single shade of a faint silvery purple. Beautiful round shape with dense petals and long stems. I feel it would reflect the beauty of the moon and create a soft romance in a garden of lavender.

    Reply
  726. Nicole Hendrickson on

    So hard to pick just one color scheme that captivates me, but I do love pink fading to coral or peach. Or coral/peach fading to creme. I also LOVE deep moody purples and magentas. And as for shape, the loose full dancing skirt of dinner plate varieties get me every time, yet I also get mesmerized by the infinite geometry of pom pom varieties as well. Flowers are a treasure indeed and growing them is life-giving for me and I hope for all who pass by. Especially now as we live right across the street from where our school burned down this past fall in rural eastern WA . The students in our community see our yard daily and my hope is that our yard shares some natural beauty and sparks hope as we rebound as a community and rebuild. There’s always hope.

    Reply
  727. Mindy Ganze on

    I don’t know if I would be able to pick a dream dahlia, they’re all so dreamy! I love the large petals, that end up looking peony-like. Rows, and rows of petals in soft blush hues. It would be fun to discover a brand new color or form! I just love all of the magic in these babies!

    Reply
  728. Susan Jackson on

    My dream dahlia would be a beautiful surprise! It would be warm, rich colors of coral, yellow, orange and hot rose pink. It would be large enough to demand attention with clearly defined petals supported by a strong stem. It would bring joy to everyone who saw it.

    Reply
  729. Sarah Mason on

    My dream Dahlia would be picture perfect, just like all of your spectacular dahlias, I have never grown a variety of dahlias, so I am egger to see what I will grow with your lovely mix. Ideally, a beautiful golden honey sorbet is my dream Dahlia. I have really only grown from tubbers, so throughout the years I have accumulated many!! I have saved your seedlings for this year, 2021 spring here on Vancouver Island was quite behind!!

    Reply
  730. Jessica Hegseth on

    My dream dahlia… what a question! I have not tried my hand at any kind of breeding but I am so, so drawn to it. I’ve also been following Sunflower Steve in his adventures and I’m absolutely captivated. To be a horticultural artist in one of the rawest forms! So cool. It’s a someday-dream of mine, for sure.

    So, the dahlia. My dream dahlia would be one for my 5 year old daughter. She’s also hooked on flowers. She calles pur little backyard, for-pleasure garden a “flower farm” and she says it with such pride, and it’s the cutest thing ever.

    We live in woodsy MN, and have the sweetest little view off of our dining room window of the sunset each evening. During fall and winter months sunset lands right at dinnertime. We often have a cotton-candy-sky sunset, bright sherbet and pink and a teeeeny bit of lavendar, and we love to shut off the lights to get the best views while we eat.

    My dream dahlia would be one that has the colors and fluidity of those sunsets and I think I’d name it “Cotton Candy Sky.”

    Side note: my dream job as a kid was becoming the person who gets to name nailpolishes. When I found out breeders get to name their own keeper dahlias they breed… deal sealed. 😍

    Reply
  731. Alli Kruger on

    Hi Floret!
    I’ve been growing Dahlias over the last couple years in my small backyard here in the Puget Sound! Your blog and dahlia information has been a wonderful help. My dream dahlia would be a semi cactus flowered dahlia that would be a soft blue hue in the center and would fade out to a soft lavender shade at the tips.💙💜 or I would be just as happy to find a red and orange colored dahlia in my patch.

    Reply
  732. Su Mellor on

    My choice would be as close to blue as possible, decorative or anenome so I could name it “Lucy loves blue” after my granddaughter OR a shade of pink that looks glittery that I would name “Evie loves pink”. Crazy I know :)

    Reply
  733. Sherrie Morrow on

    A dahlia so perfect I long to see,
    It’s definition of perfect in only for me.
    It waits in my garden for a moment to bloom,
    Like a friend on a dark night as I enter the room.
    Its shape is its own, its stem so straight,
    Its hue is my happiness, simply to create
    My surprise dahlia will arrive as a seed
    In a box full of wonderful, wonderful indeed. :)

    Reply
  734. Verona on

    The perfect Dahlia would be the prettiest cotton candy pink color and multiple layers like a peony or ranunculus. 💕

    Reply
  735. Charity on

    My dream dahlia would be a full dinnerplate variety with very deep wine and purple duel-coloring. They are all so astonishingly beautiful, though!

    Reply
  736. Jenny Steed on

    The first time I ever saw a dahlia was in 2016 when I first moved to Washington. I saw a bumble bee zonked out in the cream-colored, dinnerplate wonder like he was joyfully napping in paradise.

    I was mesmerized and have tried and failed year after year since then to grow dahlias from seeds, tubers, it doesn’t matter, I just can’t get it right! I love them so much though, I’m determined to succeed! The perfect dahlia for me would be a fluffy flamingo 🦩 pink—a mix of orange/pink/coral. :)

    Thanks for the flower inspiration!

    Reply
  737. Jaime on

    I would love to find a dark pink ball dahlia. On the smaller side. I would love to see my dahlia seed patch be all ball dahlias! I saved seeds from my pink sylvia…hoping they all look similar to that!

    Reply
  738. Cassandra on

    Truth be told I don’t know what my dream dahlia is. I would know it when I see it and would just love the prospect of growing something unique without expectation. That is the most intoxicating thought, the joy of the unknown.

    Reply
  739. Allie Baliles on

    This is such a hard question because all dahlias are absolutely stunning. But I’d have to say my dream dahlia would look something similar to your C126. The perfect pinkish peach with a uniform shape that displays dozens of intricate and detailed petals. I’m really expanding my cut flower garden this year and will be doing planting dahlia tubers and seeds for the first time! I’m so excited!! I’d love to gain more resources and more seeds to throw in the mix!!

    Reply
  740. Kendal H on

    That is a tough question! I feel like a collarette or anemone form emulating the beautiful colors of a Distant Drums rose would be beyond stunning! I would plant a whole patch of them!

    Reply
  741. Angel Gladden on

    My top dahlia would look exactly like your 162!! That is perfection!!

    Reply
  742. Janet Vainikka on

    Wow this is actually a tough question! Dahlias are all so amazing.

    I would love a white one that looks similar to an anemone, but with pink or purple colored petal tips.

    You’ve all put so much time and effort into flower farming!! You are inspiring!!

    I’m excited to try dahlias from seed now.

    Thank you so much.

    Reply
  743. Lisa on

    I would love a ball type red or copper color.

    Reply
  744. Misty on

    I dream of a dahalia thats an ombre in shades of pink but has speckles in it too, like a candy cane flower.

    Reply
  745. Melissa on

    Prolific, long stemmed and long lasting in the vase. As far as colors I am always chasing the darker varieties and if a true black dahlia showed up I would swoon!

    Reply
  746. SAMANTHA on

    I would love a dahlia structured like a cafe au lait in a soft peach color. Does this already exist? Because I need to know what variety that is!

    Reply
  747. Kelly Laschkewitsch on

    Dahlias are what drew me into flowers, no longer just a flower shopper but a novice grower. My dream dahlia is shades of purple, lighter in the middle and darker outside. I like dramatic dahlias!

    Reply
  748. Kim Vance on

    Dahlias are my favourite flower, although I’ve not been able to grow/enjoy them for a number of years due to my location. However I’m now in a place with a yard and as many gardens as I want. My favourite colours are deep burgundy, pinks, creams and salmon. I didn’t realize I could save a bloom to collect seeds…I’ve always had to dig my tubers up in the fall and store indoors over winter. I’m so excited to try growing them from seed!! Thanks so much for the opportunity to enter.

    Reply
  749. Jennifer on

    I’m relatively new to flower growing, and I only just discovered dahlias last year when a friend shared a start with me. That one plant produced so prolifically, and I was able to use its flowers in many arrangements. I was often asked, “What is the beautiful apricot-colored flower?” (Dahlia!)

    This year I have started a whole tray of dahlia seeds. I am so excited to grow my own bounty and to share seedlings with others so they too will have the joy of dahlias! I guess, for me, a dream dahlia would be one shared. :)

    Reply
  750. Tory on

    I would love to see a blousy mix of blush/apricot/buttercream in whatever form it grows. Hopefully prolific enough to share with family and friends.

    Reply
  751. Stacy on

    My dream dahlia would be peach with solid white in center, ball style. I would be thrilled to find something like the firefly or anything with a rich pink color!

    Reply
  752. Sydney Wemple on

    Tucked away in tiny our tiny farming community surrounded by cows, fields of alfalfa and the 100 year old willow tree’s on our little homestead, standing just over 4 feet tall would be my dream dahlia. Decoratively shaped with an olive green center gently fading into soft cream outer petals. Prolifically blooming these beautiful petals stand out against the deep green, nearly black long sturdy stems. Understated, contrasting the bright bold rows of dahlias surrounding it, but just as breathtakingly beautiful in our sea of flowers.

    Reply
  753. Shirley on

    Delft blue collarette with white inner petals – that would be quite the thrill!!

    Reply
  754. Tara Maxey on

    I would love a ball that is smoky peach with a maroon center, I imagine it would look like a glowing setting sun!

    Reply
  755. Dee Strube on

    Ohhhh, my favorite would be a pale peach waterlily with touches of muted raspberry on the edges and backs of the petals. Long, strong stems and prolific flowers.

    Reply
  756. Hannah Brown on

    I would love to see a dahlia with maybe light pink with flecks of dark pink on the petals and outer tips like polka dots! I love yellow, peach and light pink!

    Reply
  757. Kristin Bergeron on

    My dream dahlia would be lavender and orange/peach. These are my favorite colors. And I love the crazy curly petals your Floret dahlia has so if I could have that combo pop up in my garden from one of the seeds I collected I’d be elated!

    Reply
  758. Audrey Sparks on

    The first thing that comes to mind is 3-4 inch Ball Dahlia with coral/ peachy tones and a touch of lavender. Plant height no more than 3 foot:)

    Reply
  759. Bianca Mclellan on

    Oh goodness, just one?? I’m kind of in love with peachy, apricot tones, and I’d love one in peony-flowered or collarette shapes.

    Reply
  760. Audrey Kern on

    The Dahlia is Siren

    In the field bees fly toward the thrumming of the dahlia that is new to the world.

    Their gathering draws me closer.

    She is apricot guarding lavender in furled umbral depths.

    She has not shuffled her inheritance, but mutated to create petaloids of della robbia blue.

    Bees cluster in her revealed center, pollinators for a new generation that will not match her rarity.

    I will name her Siren.

    Audrey Kern

    Reply
  761. Sherry Wine on

    My dream dahlia would be castle drive or cafe au lait. I would love to see them in my garden.

    Reply
  762. Lindsey Oliver on

    The bolder the better for me. Ideal would be a very large blossom, with petals unfolding in a tight spiral, slightly cupped and rhythmic. Making one big polka dot of even shape. Long enough stems to cut but thick enough to stand in place. Slightly tipped upwards but not more than a few degrees. As for color: last year I grew by accident a tomato red color. It was so striking. But my dream would be the save shade but a bit toward the pink side of red/orange. As of yet I’ve not mastered keeping them over so your book would be amazing!!!
    Best of luck in your growing adventure. I love that you are setting an example of following your heart! You e taught us all so much along the way.❤️

    Reply
  763. Janet Selzer on

    It is hard to narrow down to only one type of dahlia and I like just about every color that is out there. But I prefer the smaller dahlias blooms with at least two colors. All dahlias have their own special beauty and the adventure of using them in bouquets is magical.

    Reply
  764. Dean on

    my dream dahlia would be tall and willowy, with small, pastel single flowers swaying at the end of tall stems. as evening approaches the little stars would glow and sway in the fading light, like a drowsy swarm of fireflies. as much as I am fascinated with developments in flower colors and shapes, I keep looking for a more species-looking dahlia, something that would delight you when you stumble across it in nature.

    Reply
  765. Erin Bergren on

    I really love picotee dahlias, and while I’ve found that the ones with unusual colors are harder to arrange it’s always worth it. My dream dahlia would be a deep burgundy red with a gold picotee, for loads of early fall flower drama.

    Reply
  766. Kaysha Savery on

    My dream dahlia may be a long shot, but I am attempting in a small back yard breeding patch. If I found a dahlia with the shape of Peaches n Cream (and it’s growing habits), but with the colors of Caramel Cherry Phlox, I’d probably cry. The cream fading into a raspberry center with all that depth and “glimmer” dahlias can sometimes have would be a dream come true. But ya know, at this point I’ll be happy if a get a keeper or two. Thanks for all the info and beautiful photos. It is amazing to see what a variety you’ve created!

    Reply
  767. Terah Stearns on

    I’m so new to gardening but it has become a passion! Yesterday, I harvested my first spring bouquet; one white and yellow daffodil, one beautiful pink hyacinth, four muscari, and a little sage to round out the arrangement. The joy it brought me to have this little jewel of an arrangement was worth all the hours of planning, digging, and planting last fall. I discovered dahlias last year, thanks to your blog, and planted two. I carefully harvested the tubers and can’t wait to plant them along with the five new varieties I ordered in the fall. I’m still waiting on the shipment but my heart thrills to think of harvesting my summer arrangements. I love your books! This winter was filled with your planning guide, garden diary, and dreams of all the joy the summer will bring. Thank YOU and your team!

    Reply
  768. Ly H on

    I’m drawn to the big bright yellow of the opened dahlias with any shades of pink. The yellow really does pop out against the pink petals. I bet the bees would just love them!

    Reply
  769. Melissa on

    My dream dahlia would be delicate segmented petals, in ombre cream, peach and salmon. Subtle though, not bright. The perfect feminine chic delicate flower!

    Reply
  770. Jeliza on

    Dream dahlia, how can you choose just one! Right now I am obsessed with the champagne, peach, nude pinks. But a mint coloured cafe au lait would certainly be my favourite if there ever was such a thing. Ugh… insert drooling face*. Love this new journey you are on!

    Reply
  771. Kristina on

    I love the soft romantic muted shades of pinks, blush and white with big beautiful full petals. My dream dahlia would be something like a breakout with a more pronounced ombré that bloomed all season :)

    Reply
  772. Krista on

    I’m partial to the fuller dahlias in bright, ombre colors. Valley Rust Bucket is a fave. I’d like something like that in magenta shades.

    Reply
  773. Paula Brooks on

    It’s been my first year growing Dahlias and the bug has bitten me!
    I am on the hunt to find a small, pom-pom Dahlia, – small enough to fit into the palm of my hand, with colours that remind me of a children’s ice cream cone. Sorbet, buttery yellow, pale pink and a soft sunset orange; and will have strong straight stems to hold up the little balls of ice cream.

    Reply
  774. Kris on

    My dream dahlia would bloom early and continue to bloom until the first frost. Stems would be long and strong, holding up the flower head. It would be mildew and botrytis resistant — especially important in the PNW with our cool, wet springs. Each flower would be luminous, changing color as it opened so each day would bring new surprises. What color? Maybe oranges changing pinks and yellows…or white that blushes to pinks and lavender as it opens. Some color combo that takes my breath away and draws me to it throughout the day to see what it is doing now!

    Reply
  775. Kathy Richardson on

    My dream dahlia would be an ombre slide of color from a muted, pale, soft color to one that is rich and vibrant without being garish. Shape could be either ball, or decorative but not cactus. The plant would be well branched and strong with long, sturdy stems for cutting. Thank you for all the work you are doing to introduce more beauty into the world– you are helping to make it a better place. 💕

    Reply
  776. Sherry Smith on

    I tried planting dahlia seeds for the first time last year and it was the best time I have ever had! So much fun to see what was coming next. The most beautiful one I got was a soft lemon yellow, large healthy bush, strong stems and beautiful curly petals. I don’t know what my dream dahlia would be because I don’t know which one is hiding in the next seedling😍!

    Reply
  777. Sabrina Cummins on

    I love waiting for blooms to open.I would love to see small pompoms in my dahlia patch..the colors of a sunrise.

    Reply
  778. Kim Clements on

    I don’t really know I have never grown flowers in my almost 60 (I will be 60 on April 12th) years of life because most of my I have lived in rental properties.
    I loved Hydrangeas first because of my grandmother’s garden but I have in the last few years been so drawn to the Dahlia and that is why I watched your show and started following you. I am scared to even try but I would live to have a beautiful one in pink as big as a dinner plate to enjoy and have my Son take pictures of because he is a photographer. Thanks for even considering me for this give away.

    Reply
  779. Cathy on

    Meine Traumdahlie wäre eine Seerosendahlie mit außergewöhnlicher, morbide Färbung.

    Reply
  780. Anna F on

    Vaaaase liiiiiife! 4ish inches in a muted tone. A friend grew a seedling whose closed buds opened in the vase which was very cool, but it still had a short 3ish day (per flower) vase life.

    Reply
  781. Melinda on

    I love them all. Having a hard time getting them going here in Missouri. Love the dark pink long pedaled large blooms.

    Reply
  782. Pam Dannen on

    When I sit outside for morning coffee, yes in Oregon during the drippy season, I have a red headed finch that stops by. So I’d love a little red headed dahlias reminder. It would stand out against the green 1876 house. Love these memories!!

    Reply
  783. Kaeley on

    An orecchiette style dahlia. 4ish inches (big enough to be showy but not full dinner plate). Darker pink/fuschia in the center fading through peach into a warm yellow on the edges with a little of the muddled color transition present in the highlighted firefly dahlia. Early, prolific bloomer about 4-5 feet tall would be the icing on top.

    Reply
  784. Kelsey on

    It must be so fun watching all the seedlings bloom! My dream dahlia would be a mauvey pink with a little shimmer with an informal feel to it!

    Reply
  785. Chelsea on

    I think my dream dahlia would be something super similar to firefly; a pale buttercream yellow with a subtle raspberry center but in a collarette flower form! Everytime I see a photo of firefly I think I fall in love with it more and more! It is definitely a beauty and I hope one day I’ll be able to grow some! Or to even have a reverse form of firefly; raspberry outer petals with a pale yellow center!!💛

    Reply
  786. Chelsea on

    I think my dream dahlia would be something super similar to firefly; a pale buttercream yellow with a subtle raspberry center but in a collarette flower form! Everytime I see a photo of firefly I think I fall in love with it more and more! It is definitely a beauty and I hope one day I’ll be able to grow some!

    Reply
  787. Faith K on

    I’m just starting out in my flower garden journey. I enjoy getting all the books and learning so much. Starting Dahlias with seeds!? I can’t wait to learn more! My mind goes all over thinking about a dream Dahlia. A yellow, burnt orange with red tones with maybe a apple blossom look would be beautiful.

    Reply
  788. Dana Carlson on

    If I were your best bud, I’d convince you to let me scoop a mystery box from that breeding compost pile. 😊 I’m a garden putterer. Lights and brights show up well and dark foliage is pretty before the flowers come. My dream dahlia would have dark foliage and would have wide, messy, creamy yellow petals with bright interior “giggles”.

    Thanks for sharing your optimism with us all. 🥰

    Reply
  789. Margaret M on

    My dream dahlia would be a fuchsia color with relatively short petals and lots of blooms on each stem. Really though I would be delighted with any plant that grew up healthy from seed.

    Reply
  790. Kat on

    A pretty lavender one! Love all the purple sweet ones, which surprised me last year, I didn’t think I’d love the purple as much as I do! But, I mean, aren’t almost all special?

    Reply
  791. Tina on

    As someone who hasn’t grown dahlias before, they all seem new and exciting to me! I think Firefly is my favorite; it’s just so unique.

    Reply
  792. Carolyn on

    My ideal dahlia would be similar in shape to C33, but would be a beautiful salmon/sorbet color with a greeny-yellow center. There is something about the bright salmon color that brings me great joy, and I believe would bring joy to others.

    Reply
  793. Nancy Montone on

    Last year I bought a packet of dahlia seeds from my local Dollar store for 25 cents and successfully grew close to 20 plants!!! The seeds actually produced plants in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes but my favorite looked similar to HS Date… a peachy petal with a deeper throat. I saved multiple tubers and will soon be planting them in my Zone 7b garden. Fingers crossed they grow. I would love to win to learn more about growing beautiful dahlia flowers. Thanks

    Reply
  794. Justyna on

    I would love to find in my seedling patch anemone dahlia with beautiful salmom and creamy flowers on strong, long stems. Definitely it should be large dahlia, prefect for arrangements! Mmm yes… I see it :D

    Reply
  795. Annelise J on

    I adore all of the sunset/blush/sherbet varieties in every formation! The soft orange and pink tones are what I’ve always dreamed of having in my garden. C108/C196 stand out as two of my favorites, but I truly love all of the flowers shown. Thanks for your work, Floret!

    Reply
  796. Jaclyn Hall on

    As a novice, I’d be thrilled to just have healthy and alive dahlias, but to me it would be so exciting to discover light blue or pale green colors since I love those colors and have never seen Dahlias I in my favorite color green (or any green :).

    Reply
  797. Karen on

    C11 is probably my dream – that orange with peach open faced just brings an instant moment of happiness to life! However I’d be happy with any dahlia that grows via seedling! They aren’t always the prettiest.

    Reply
  798. Lisa Farmer on

    Like a mother and a child, any dahlia I grow is loved equally the same as the next! I am blessed to be apart of this community and would be so excited to win!

    Reply
  799. Kara on

    I have not tried growing dahlias from seed yet but I hope to in the future. I am just starting my cut flower garden journey and can’t wait for warmer weather to see more blossoms! My dream dahlia might be collarette style with Cafe Au Lait coloring and hints of dusky rose.

    Reply
  800. Tori F on

    I’m really intrigued by shapes like firefly and little miss sunshine! I’d love to find a similar shape blooming in a shade of lovely purple

    Reply
  801. Breanne P. on

    Ideal flower? As an amateur florist it’s tough to pick just one! I’d love something with a long stem, lavender color, and packed with petals!

    Reply
  802. Candace on

    I love the color coral and would love to find a bright glowing coral water lily-like dahlia in my dahlia seedlings. I’m growing dahlias from sex for the first time this year and can’t wait to see what pops up!

    Reply
  803. Barbara Bullard on

    I want a collarette sized bloom with soft colored, interesting shaped petals. Must have a long , strong stem.

    Reply
  804. Rocio Arostegui on

    My goodness… my dream flowers will be C196 lush Camelia like… but it is not..
    Or C139 totally opposite colors, totally unique and odd… especially when we are in times of Self defining who we are… This colors of C139 they pick their colors their way!!

    Then onto the blush tones “anemone/dahlia paradise” C202, C21, C196… say no more!!

    But they must past the test of disease and bug resistant. We cannot use harsh chemicals, in our new world… 🌸

    Reply
  805. Suzanne on

    Honestly, I think I would do back flips at the ripe old age of 61 if I discovered a dahlia in my seedling patch that had some kind of green coloration to it. It would represent a real break-through in color for the world of dahlias. Imagine a dahlia in a shade similar to that of Zinnia Queen Lime Blush? Oh my!

    Reply
  806. Paige on

    I would love to see a bright green dahlia like the queen lime zinnia, but Dahlia version! I can’t imagine how incredibly gorgeous that would be!!

    Reply
  807. Stephanie on

    I have always been drawn to purple flowers in my garden, so I think a lilac-colored dahlia that fades to white on the petals, pom-pom shape, with a warm orange center would be beautiful

    Reply
  808. ally b on

    I like my flowers to be deep colours and bright, cheerful. However I am working on bringing more pastels into the fold, soft buttercream yellow or apricot colour would be my (First!) choices. It’s just all beautiful!

    Reply
  809. Debra on

    I love Dahlias! Starting my 2nd year with my own saved tubers, several new orders and a packet of pom pom seeds. Ideal flower? Can’t choose. So many to love.

    Reply
  810. Christi Rollans on

    I would love to have a peachy pink variety as this was my mother’s favorite color & description of anything. We would have some form of a blooming flower in the house all times blooms from walks or the yard were available.

    Reply
  811. Tracy Cameron on

    Y’all are so inspiring and encouraging! I never thought I could have such beautiful blooms where I live (Southwest Florida) but I’ve fallen in love with dahlias and this spring have decided to try my best at growing a garden and cutting patch for me to escape in! This mama of 4 littles needs a minute ;D For me my dream dahlia is anything that I can get to thrive. I love the cottage garden look but we can’t exactly grow the same things here. I’m in love with Cafe Au Lait and have not been able to find one but I shall keep trying. If there ever was a Cafe with a touch of blue that is dreamy. Something that I would love to find in my patch is simply something that makes me smile and that I can share to bring smiles to the other women in my life.

    Reply
  812. Elaine Allen on

    Loved this amazing post with all the gorgeous photos. I think a cream dahlia with a hint of lime undertones would be specatular.

    Reply
  813. Heidi Meadows on

    Last year my Floret dahlia seeds produced a whole garden full of unique varieties, just for me. I can’t wait to see what the dahlia seeds I saved from those blooms will look like this season – especially the ones from a beautiful open-faced variety whose petals were orange on the outside and cranberry on the inside.

    Reply
  814. Sara on

    oh, and besides Floret seeds – my daughter is getting married next year so any white to pink dahlias would be an amazing addition to her bouquet.

    Thank you for the inspiration.

    Reply
  815. Mary on

    they are all so beautiful, maybe something similar to a cafe au late with more purple tones

    Reply
  816. Tali on

    Little Miss Sunshine is my dream flower. I hope to get my hands on some in the future. <3

    Reply
  817. Rebekah Bissonette on

    My dream Dahlia would be a sumptuous yellow. It would look round and fluffy, but still have a center open enough for the bees. Actually they’re all eye candy. It would be like meeting new friends to see them all. Thank you for all your hard work and enthusiasm.

    Reply
  818. Sara Schoblom on

    I am in love with your C33/Floret dahlia! I can not wait to add it to my garden (hopefully soon)! I would love to see a “sister” to Floret with large glowing green outer petals encircle a smaller row of lighter pink inner petals that are layered and twisted. That would be a show-stopper in a wedding bouquet. And then a “brother” the opposite would also be fun – with large glowing pink outer petals encircle a smaller row of lighter green inner petals that are layered and twisted.

    Reply
  819. Emily on

    My dahlia would be an anemone type with deep burgundy, almost black petals and a dark fluffy center with dark foliage. Basically a little goth beauty :)

    Reply
  820. Jennifer McKenzie on

    I’m not sure that I can really give a specific look for my dream dahlia. I just think anything different, rare, and unusual would be my dream. Something unlike anything I’ve seen before, that just stands out and makes you say wow!

    Reply
  821. Mary on

    Your enthusiasm and devotion are so inspiring!! A dinner plate anemone style with bright yellow fluffy center and sunset colored petals would seem dreamy to me! Hopefully like a bulls eye for honey bees!!

    Reply
  822. Valerie McLaughlin on

    Your firefly is so beautiful ! I am sure it is great for flower designing . I would love to try it in my arrangements! I would also love to see some other color variations maybe hot pink pale pink ? I think your photos would make cool posters !

    Reply
  823. Katie on

    I think orange … like almost neon. Dahlia petals can look so bright. And dinner plate sized. It would be awesome. Soft colors are so in and beautiful, so orange would stand out. I do dahlias because of floret (floret has basically guided all my flower growing). Thank you!

    Reply
  824. Maria on

    My dream Dahlia would be a giant apricot single flower Dahlia with a little bit yellow in the middle 🙂

    Reply
  825. Diane Astarita on

    Wait that’s just not fair only 1 dream dahlia! Last year was my first year growing dahlias thanks to the 2021 workshop and wow did I fall in love.
    Let’s go with 2 dream dahlias a creamy white with a touch of cognac dinner plate sized or a pink moving toward purple also dinner plate sized.

    Reply
  826. Sydney on

    I would love to see a fluffy 3-4” dahlia with coloring similar to a toffee rose!!! 😍

    Reply
  827. Jody Dixon on

    Erin & floret family,
    I have never grown a Dahlia. Pretty sad right. I can’t wait to try grow them now, hopefully this summer. I am a new fan of this flower because of you. They are all so beautiful. I love to grow flowers and my favorite is collecting seeds for next year. I have seeds all around the house in the fall on paper plates drying out. Thats one of my favorite things to do in life collect seeds. I can’t wait to get started each year. I would love to grow Dahlias and bring them into being especially knowing I can start them from seed!! Im surprised at the many varieties so many colors. How would a person choose when they are all lovely. I hope you would consider me I am a new beginner in the Dahlia family.
    Jody

    Reply
  828. Lauren Torkildsen on

    My dream dahlia would be a medium size bloom, mostly white but the edges of each petal would be colored! Maybe in hues of pink, yellow, and orange.

    Reply
  829. Tracie Causey (Blaine) on

    My dream dahlia would be peaches n cream but in cafe au lait form. maybe a little more orange in the center, kind of ombre to a white at the edges. This is from my 8th grade son who’s whole heart is in his garden. 💕

    Reply
  830. Whitney on

    I’d really like to find a collared or peony shaped one that is in shades of pink, cream or burgundy.

    Reply
  831. Barbara Oldroyd on

    My dream dahlia would be a fluffy yellow like a newborn chick. Yellow is such a happy color, it’s my favorite.

    Reply
  832. Judy Brozik on

    My dream dahlia would be a fluffy pink purple ball dahlia with an amazing vase life.

    Reply
  833. Elizabeth Cryderman on

    I absolutely love the muted colors and really prefer the small balls to the dinner plates as they are easier to arrange with. My dream dahlia changes with the season though, I like the softer pinkier colors in the spring and the yellow/ oranges in the fall. I just love them all, it’s hard to decide!

    Reply
  834. Michelle Carson on

    Dream dahlia – rose and or golden tones with petals that are a little wild. Something full but free form.

    I’ve only attempted dahlias from seed for two years and both times I really only managed to bring a handful to bloom (thank you aphids and inexperience). I would love to have at least one variety this year without an open center. I was more judicious in my planting groups last year so fingers crossed!

    Reply
  835. Sheri Larkin on

    Dark foliage, short and squatty height, but collarette shaped flower with a cream to butter petal. A thin but sharp dark purple edge to the petal with warm peach throat.
    High order I know.

    Reply
  836. Kami on

    I planted my first dahlia tubers last year and I am totally obsessed now! I have bought over 50 tubers for this year’s crop. Dahlias are such beautiful, joyful flowers. My dream dahlia would be a dinner plate variety with long hardy stems in hues of a ripe mango, deep yellow with some splashes of light orange.

    Reply
  837. Meghan on

    My dream dahlia would be a soft periwinkle, anemone style with white fringed petals around the inner edge.

    Reply
  838. Kristina K. on

    One of my absolute favorite dahlias is Labyrinth. The bright pink to apricot array of blousy petals is just absolutely divine. That said, the sheer size makes it a bit difficult to include in my arrangements, so my dream dahlia would have the form and color of Labyrinth (and all those petals) with a bloom size at about one-third to one-half size.

    Reply
  839. Honey Winger on

    I’d love to see a golden ball dahlia with creamy yellow blended in.
    Thanks so much for letting us stroll through your color while we are still in March.

    Reply
  840. Shellie on

    As I try to describe my dream dahlia, I realize that it already exists in the Floret dahlia. I love the pink and yellow colors and I especially love the smaller, inner layer of petals that make it look fluffy. However, if I get to dream, it is able to overwinter and thrive in my zone 5, wet clay soil!

    Reply
  841. Autumn Roberts on

    I love an open center, puffy in the center. With petals that curve along their edge. I like the color to fade across the petal. I would like a strong stem that I could cut and enjoy in a vase. It has to be loved by the bees because that is one reason I started my flower garden that isn’t big enough for all I dream of!

    Reply
  842. Pia Zaslowe on

    My dream Dahlia would be a sturdy long stemmed 36-48” semi cactus variety, each pointed petal a tightly rolled tube. Outer petals of vibrant fuchsia would progress to a center of orange then light green. She would look delicate and frilly but she would be a hardy variety. Days to maturity would be 90-100; created to flourish in the glorious but always too short New England summer. Here’s the kicker, she would thrive in part sun/part shade and mostly shade so she could be planted on the north side in front of my storm grey cape cod style cottage, and radiate her beauty all summer. Her name would be New England summer star.

    Reply
  843. Kortney on

    Imagining breeding and growing my very own dahlia…wow what an incredible adventure that would be. It’s already so humbling watching anything grow from one tiny little seed, creating a color and shape of your very own would only add to that heart fluttering feeling of accomplishment and pure joy. A dahlia shaped like the Floret 202 with a soft lavender shade, white petal edges, and a slightly darker lavender center. To see the fading transition from dark to light would complete my garden dreams.

    Reply
  844. Kelli Janice on

    When I close my eyes and look up toward the sun, there are an amazing array of colors that fill my head. My dream dahlia would have a perfect blend of these colors that transitioned into each other effortlessly. Saying the colors out loud does not do this dahlia justice but it would have red, pink, orange, yellow, magenta and colors beyond. It would not be too flashy or bright though. It would achieve all this with a soft presence that would mesmerize anyone who looked at it. I would be thrilled to find even a glimpse of this flower in my dahlia seed patch.

    Reply
  845. Adge on

    My perfect dahlia would be a large form with the colors of a distant drum rose.

    Reply
  846. Amanda Eastvold on

    My ideal dahlia would be a single apricot variety with a more green/chartreuse center.

    Reply
  847. Catherine Israel on

    I am always looking for the perfect sunset, so, I suppose my perfect Dahlia would have a center of soft lemon yellow petals graduating into light tangerine fading into mango then into apricot petals that give way to pink grapefruit petals and then raspberry overflowing into a rich plum shade. She would be as large as a sunflower with leaves likes open arms embracing the sun as it shines down smiling on the flowers’ perfect attempt to give a tribute to the sun’s colorful exit with each row of petals on display.

    Reply
  848. Caroline on

    My ideal Dahlia woul be purple and yellow the two colours look beautiful. I would call it Golden Berry 😊

    Reply
  849. Carocha on

    A big fluffy white dahlia with a dark pink or red centre would be lovely to my eyes .

    Reply
  850. Jodie Permen on

    Mmmmmm. My ideal dahlia in the hypothetical breeding patch would have a ruffly berry center, and gleaming crimson swirling petals, with streaks of fiery hot orange running through it. It would have dark stems and branch like mad. I’d call it Miracle of Life, because that’s what these amazing dahlias do; they remind us of the Miracle of Life!

    Reply
  851. Jacqui Bennetts on

    I would love to find a soft pink decorative with a hint of apricot at its heart.

    Reply
  852. Amy Bowman on

    My dream Dahlia would be a clean pink in the centre with waterlily type petals and an outside ring of deeper pink petals graduating to burgundy spikey petals. On lovely long stems .

    Reply
  853. Lizzie on

    My dream dahlia would be buttermilk yellow infused with pale and shocking pink. Dare I ask for an evocative scent too! I would wish that the seed packets held the option of regular and dinner plate varieties of this combination.

    Reply
  854. Tina Curtis on

    I’d love to watch a lemony green dahlia with a full head of spiky petals emerge in my dahlia patch this summer

    Reply
  855. Linda Piacitelli on

    I would love to see a burnt orange flower with a deep red center, which has petals that ooze the red from the center out to the burnt orange petals ! That would be my dream dahlia !
    And something of this sort or a little lighter in color would be great to find in my seeding package !

    Reply
  856. Jordan White on

    My dream dahlia would be a bright yellow fluffy dahlia that grows well in small spaces!

    Reply
  857. Peggy C on

    It is difficult to imagine a more beautiful dahlia than FIREFLY, but anything that looked similar to her (maybe some apricot in there) would be so exciting to find in my tiny little breeding patch!

    Reply
  858. Helen on

    I’m so in love with dahlias, and you have inspired me to try my hand at breeding – albeit at a much more modest level. I’d love to find a peachy pink tinged cream dinner plate growing in my experimental bed. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  859. Hilary W on

    My dream dahlia would be a peachy/apricot water lily or decorative flower that lasts well in a vase and looks great in the garden.

    Reply
  860. Jacki Stewart on

    I’m still over the moon about Cafe au Lait.
    I would design one creamy pink that deepens in color towards the center. Largish decorative.
    I fell in love with dahlias while living in San Francisco and the beautiful garden by the Conservatory of flowers. So glad I moved up here were dahlias are plentiful and so easy to grow. (Also the deer don’t like them.)

    Reply
  861. Angela Grey on

    I’d love to have a dahlia with dark foliage mauve petal color and soft rounded petals. I’m new to growing dahlias. Maybe something like this exits already and I haven’t seen it yet!

    Reply
  862. janine Reid on

    I would love to see the beautiful varieties that you grow in the US available here in Australia

    Reply
  863. Tony Y on

    In the orange family, but with a beautiful fade to the petal and nice and rounded petals would be super pretty. Also brushed colouring almost like KA’s Rosie jo would be to die for! These are all the traits of what would be my dream dahlia!

    Reply
  864. Jun Jun on

    My dream dahlia would have crisp petal edges and a pointed tip that might be different in colour to the rest of the flower! Glowing from the centre as well would make it so ethereal and a dream – probably in the peachy colours would be ideal!

    Reply
  865. Samantha Allen on

    The dream Dahlia would be one with a large golden center and large coral petals! I love the look of the “Floret” dahlia! The peachy corals and soft pinks are my favorite shades! It has been such a joy to follow along here at Floret, and I am excited each year to put a little more that I’ve learned into practice! I would love to find enough blooms in my patch to make a bouquet to bring indoors, share one with a friend, and have a few left over to leave growing to enjoy and allow to go to seed! I would love to see the process through full-circle!!

    Samantha Allen
    DryValleyHomestead.com

    Reply
  866. Eileen B. White on

    I’m dreaming of a light-to-medium pink dinner-plate size dahlia, something along the lines of the color of the Belinda’s Dream rose.

    This will be my first year to even try to grow dahlias, but I can’t wait. I’m hoping I can figure out when to plant the tubers here in north Louisiana. I’m starting out with just a few.

    Best of luck on your breeding projects.

    Reply
  867. Rachel Burgoon on

    My dream dahlia doesn’t have a specific look. it holds a feeling or a memory it creates all on it’s own! It may be my little one caring for it from tuber/seed to full bloom and being so proud. It may be a customer who truly and deeply thinks that flower is the most beautiful thing they have ever held.
    I would be thrilled to find a happy plant in my seedling patch!

    Reply
  868. Alisha on

    Hi Floret!

    My dream dahlia would be a bright firey red with fluffy long petals, like a truffela tree but much smaller. My kiddo says that red is her luckiest color, so who am I to argue! The most thrilling thing that I could discover in my seed patch would be an explosion of dahlia blooms in all shapes, sizes, and colors. I always say the more the merrier!

    Reply
  869. Teresa Perna on

    If you could capture the colors of a beautiful sunset sky, that would be magical.

    Reply
  870. Ruth on

    I would love to have a beautiful Apricot/yellow dahlia that looked like a pom pom, but dinner plate size. That would be so glorious in a vase on my dining room table!

    Reply
  871. Isela on

    I would love a Antique Rose color do my daughter could help me grow them and enjoy them in her play area with her friends. 💛

    Reply
  872. Christine on

    A nice blue/green toned dahlia somewhat like eucalyptus would be very interesting.

    Reply
  873. Gianna on

    My dream back yard dahlia would be antique green in color with large fluffy petals 😍

    Reply
  874. Rose Rinker on

    I would love to breed a dahlia that resembles the turquoise sweet pea offered from Floret!
    The amazing colors, that soft turquoise, sky blue and sunset pinks- and if they had dark foliage- OMG!!
    Striking, alluring, exotic! I really enjoy the peony style dahlias with the dark foliage, it makes the flower seem sooo vibrant.
    I would love to find a Monarch butterfly in my garden!
    Least year was my first year flower farming, and the bees and butterflies loved it so much that I decided to dedicate a 40’x4’ section outside of the garden to just butterfly and bee habitat, which includes native wildflowers and milkweed for our Monarchs.
    I hope to increase this every year- I love our native wildflowers!

    Reply
  875. Rebekah Cannon on

    I don’t know much about Dahlias and am just now trying to grow some tubers my sister gave me as well as a packet of tubers I picked-up from Lowe’s (including attempting to pre-sprout some that don’t look too promising from this batch). I love white flowers and I think varieties of flowers that look like other flowers are so fun. (Examples: Dahlias that look like Anemones, Cream Peony Poppies, etc.) I think a variety of Dahlia with white blooms that looks likes a Peony would be fun. 🙂

    Reply
  876. Christie on

    I absolutely LOVE ball shaped dahlias. I would probably be thrilled with about any color but my favorite would be one with an ombre effect on the petals from white on the outside edge to a soft peachy/pink to a darker pink in the middle. The plant would of course produce enough flowers all summer long so I could enjoy it in my garden and as cut flowers to bring inside.

    Reply
  877. Edith st john on

    C130 and B47 would be a stunning mix of rose petals with the fullness of the large soft and fluffy white dahlia .

    Reply
  878. Emily J on

    I’m new to flower gardening and recently received my very first batch of tubers in the mail. I think dahlias of all sizes and shapes and colors are beautiful — but my dream dahlia would be large, many-petaled, cream with soft pink and coral tones in the center.

    Reply
  879. Marcia Koenig on

    I love anything in the cafe color, but would especially would love a pom shaped one. I experimented with some of your seeds last summer, hoping they will come back this summer! I would also love a class on staking Dahlias, mine get so tall and fall over, or perhaps you have and I misses it. Your blogs and photos just make people happy!

    Reply
  880. Brooke on

    Right now in our bleak winter I would have to say anything that bloomed… but if I had to come up with a dream dahlia, I would say a water lily in white or peach but with the dark contrasting foliage like Waltzing Mathilda

    Reply
  881. Jami Jenkins on

    My dream dahlia would be an ombre, being a deep rust color at the bottom and transitioning to a soft peach at the edge of each petal. I adore the peony shaped blooms-the bigger the better!

    Reply
  882. Lisa on

    There are so many beauties! My dream Dahlia would have the characteristics of C383 and B62 which make me smile and brings a joy to my soul with large beautiful shades of pink. C33 has a delicacy to it and all three would be a delight to have in my garden to show off their splendor!

    Reply
  883. Suzanne on

    I’m so excited that you have become a dahlia hybridizer! I’m dreaming that you release the dahlia of my dreams, a soft mixed creamy apricot 4-5″ flower that lasts 7-10 days as a cut flower – nirvana! The apricot color would go with every other color of flower in mixed arrangements, would be large enough to be a focal flower while small enough to use in almost every type of arrangement, and would LAST as a cut flower so it could be used in subscription bouquets as well as for wedding work. Good luck to you and your hardworking team! (okay, the idea of lasting 10 days is out of this world optimistic, but you said Dream Dahlia, right?)

    Reply
  884. Becky on

    So far, my favorites are the mini balls. I love soft buttercream, and I can imagine a lovely dainty dahlia that looks like each petal was just barely dipped in peach. Of course, I would look for a bush just loaded with blossoms and ideally the plant would tolerate dry spells.

    What a gorgeous and rewarding scientific experiment you have been running!

    Reply
  885. Nancy Harris on

    My favorite dahlia is one that my grandmother grew in her yard. They were big 6-7 inch blooms that started out sort of like big pom pom blooms in a coral/peach color. Eventually the petals opened and elongated and lightened in color but the center stayed that GA peach color. She grew them in front of big huge hydrangea bushes and the peach color against the hydrangea blue was just beautiful. They had tall study stems and maybe it was my childlike memory but it felt like they bloomed all summer long. She never called them by any particular name but I called them Nana’s Dahlias. What I wouldn’t give for one of her tubers. If I could figure out what this Dahlia was called, that is what I would like in my seedling patch.

    Reply
  886. Janelle Rosin on

    My dream dahlia would be a collarette that is in the 4 foot tall range, come with pink/yellow/white and with unusual petals. I am new to the dahlia world and have become obsessed pretty quickly. The collarettes really catch my eye for their unusual look and colors. Thank you for all of the work you have done to make this hobby/obsession/business a little easier for all of us!

    Reply
  887. Reggi on

    A dream dahlia…. I love the ones with a single row of petals with a small puffy center in a soft lemon buttercream color. Thanks for sharing your dahlia breeding story. It’s so fun to hear your passion for what started as something just for fun.

    Reply
  888. John McCullough on

    I’m a sucker for anything collarette. If firefly came in that form, that would be the perfect combo!!!

    Reply
  889. Mads Merritt on

    The ideal dahlia to me would have an easily accessible center so that pollinators can easily access it. Strong and sturdy limbs, but also humidity and heat resistant tot he degree we experience down here in the South. So often the heat loving varieties succumb in the summer months just because we have more than heat, we have scorching sun. I am a big fan of large open petals, and especially the deep red varieties look like rich velvet.

    Reply
  890. Deborah on

    As much as I love the big, fat ball-types, I am increasingly drawn to the singles, with twisted petals in peach and sunset shades. And tall! None of these little 2 ft plants!

    Reply
  891. Erin Geoffroy on

    Hey Erin, Jill, Chris and Nina! I love the collarette dahlias. They are so versatile, beautiful, and unique – it’s hard to imagine they’re a dahlia! Wouldn’t it be incredible to receive an armful bouquet of collarette dahlias, each flower petal a different color of the rainbow with a stunning black center? If anyone can do it, I have faith it will be Floret! How exciting where your dahlia journey is taking you! I cannot wait to hear more about this important venture.

    Reply
  892. Brenda Cramer on

    I have planted the seedlings in my garden and the past couple years they have done well in here in Ohio. I am going to try the tubers this year, my favorite would have to be the dinner plate and in a soft pastel color, with rows and rows of intricately shaped petals. God’s handiwork at its best! Fell in love again with trying new plants in my garden after watching your program this past summer. Thank you.

    Reply
  893. Katie on

    I would love dahlias that have a touch of orange, cranberry, and yellow. I would love a ball variety. I have yet to secure one and would be thrilled to buy one. I would love to grow successfully a bed of dahlias uneaten by bugs!

    Reply
  894. Marcia Lucas on

    A dreamy dahlia would look a lot like your Firefly! First it must be a (mostly) single flower so bees and other pollinators can easily and delightfully use it. And just so it is also pleasing to the human the shape and coloration would catch our eye from a distance and bloom SO prolifically that neighbors walking their children and dogs would be dashing up to see it!

    Reply
  895. Sarah Wright on

    C144/Firefly is my dream dahlia. You nailed it.

    Reply
  896. Suzanne Pan on

    I am attracted to flowers with faces, like the kind of flowers that children draw. I like the look of the open centered dahlias. As far as color is concerned, I like loud and bright, because they make me happy. And if the petals are multi-colored, all the better, since I think it makes the flower more interesting and fun. What attracts me probably won’t be the most elegant or most popular dahlias, but they will make me happy and look like fun. I am so excited that I was able to get a packet of your Bee’s Choice Dahlia seeds. I am looking forward to see what they produce.

    Reply
  897. Claire Painter on

    Ohhhh… my dream dahlia… sigh… it would be a 5-7 in bloom boasting large, layered pointed petals that get smaller as they come up and towards the center. It would be shaped like a multi-pointed star. It’s color would be a cherry-blossom pink with soft hues of cream and yellow. Thank you for all you do, Floret! Your story, influence, inspiration and education has been life-changing for me!

    Reply
  898. Melanie Wilson on

    First of all, thank you for all you and your team do. You are such an inspiration and someone who truly gets what a joy flower gardening is. My dream Dahlia would be a dinner plate, that mixes “dusty” pink and creamy white. This is my first spring planting my own Dahilas seeds from last year’s garden, I’m so excited!! So I will be absolutely thrilled just see anything I “produced “out of my own back yard!!! I had know idea you could grow Dahlias from seed until I watched Making Floret and buying your books. Thank you.

    Reply
  899. Rebecca on

    My dream dahlia would look like a sunset with orange, pink, and even purple hues fading outward to the tips.

    Reply
  900. Brook Stepleton on

    My dream dahlia would be muted pink or peach collarette dahlia.

    Reply
  901. Mary Elizabeth on

    The floret My dream dahlia would look similar to kelgai ann. The floret dahlia is so beautiful!

    Reply
  902. Peggy Vincent on

    If a waterlily dahlia and a formal decorative dahlia could have a child, that would be the perfect dahlia. Shades of pinkish orange are always my favorite colors. Like perfect pops of sunrise and sunset standing out in my garden to welcome the day and wave goodbye as evening settles in. Just something about dahlias that make you smile:). Thanks for your dedication. Thanks for the opportunity to discover new ways to find joy!

    Reply
  903. Sumimol Karavally on

    It is really interesting dahlias can grow from seedlings. I have couple of collections of different dahlias and it’s mesmerizing to see the beauty when it bloom completely in summer.
    I would like to have orand and reddish combination, white and pink colors on the edge of petals.I would like to know more about how you do the pruning and seedlings of different varieties.
    And it’s a great opportunity to read your post and am so excited.

    Reply
  904. Victoria Kabluyen on

    My Dream Dahlia would be the “Firefly” or “Floret” dahlias like what you have. I would also want a Mikayla Miranda type would be such a dream. I bought 2 packs of your dahlia bee’s choice and so far I have 3 growing and I’m sowing more just for more treasures I still don’t know where I’ll plant them.

    Reply
  905. Melissa Scott on

    My dream Dahlia would be a creamy gold that fades into ivory with a blush toward the center! Sounds like heaven!

    Reply
  906. Eleanor Koldniski on

    Erin you are so inspiring.I would love to grow a beautiful Pom Pom shaped dahlia in peachy pink and coral.Also in different shades of lavender to dark purple .But would be happy with anything different😊Thank-you for this great opportunity 😍

    Reply
  907. Theresa Gawthrop on

    I’m very new to dahlias, my first tubers planted last fall did really well and now I’m hooked! If I could dream a dahlia I might look for something bold, a dinner plate size bloom with a dark coral fading to yellow and a purple shade on the petal backs. But since I’m not as familiar with dahlias, perhaps that already exists! There are so many varieties! I’m still gobsmacked.

    Reply
  908. Beverly Spear on

    Roses are red, dahlias are, too. But, I’d love to see a dahlia that’s blue. It could be azure or a poolside hue. Crisp, white edges would give it some spark, like pointy firecrackers in the sky when it’s dark! It won’t be a “collarette”, but maybe a “straight cactus”. Even a “fully double” would be most attractive! The center could be green. What a contrast to see! Fuzzy bits of lime attached to petals of blue, nodding on strong stems, ready to be picked by you!

    You are an inspiration to all flower lovers. Thanks for all your helpful hints and continuous enthusiasm.

    Reply
  909. Clara Devos on

    My dream dahlia would be an amber colored bloom with the lovely twisting petals of a cafe au lait, along with the color variations like cafe au lait, but in warmer amber tones. Sigh!! I’m going to try a bit of dahlia breeding this year, so wish me luck!!

    Reply
  910. Christy on

    Dreamy dahlias… a dark purple outer edge lining the petals, merging into a lavender center in the shape of the flowy/airy ones- can’t recall them, informal decorative style? They remind me of faeries.

    Reply
  911. Linden on

    My dream dahlia would be a coral pink cupcake with a frilly center and a edge of reflexed petals.

    Reply
  912. Mandy on

    WOW this is the coolest!! I’d never thought of trying to breed new kinds, but the idea is SO EXCITING! The possibility!! I have a sweet single that was gifted to me by a friend— it’s sunshiny yellow in the center and transitions to cantaloupe and then watermelon. I also have another favorite that is a deep purple… I am absolutely going to save some seeds this year to see if I can get a cross— maybe the pretty single yellow-to pink with an inner set of deep purple petals? I feel a new addiction in the making… SO FUN! Thank you for taking us along for the ride!

    Reply
  913. Robin Costic on

    My ideal dahlia would be long lasting and begin as one color and fade to another during its life as a cut flower. The first color would be. Coral fading to a light blush. The blossom would be big and full rather than daisy-like

    Reply
  914. Katelyn Wissinger on

    My dream dahlia would be bright tangerine orange, medium (B) sized and formal decorative. The orange color makes me think so much of summer and is just so cheerful. I would also be excited to find deep pinkish- purple dahlias in a breeding patch and I think finding pink and white dahlias without green centers would be really pretty.

    Reply
  915. Deborah on

    I would love to have for flower arranging a dahlia with a yellow center, petals of off white blending into beige on the outer edge of petal, medium size. Is there such a one? Just picturing in my mind, seems like a nice neutral base to go with some added color.☺️ I’ll have to try to draw it.

    Reply
  916. Christy Haig on

    My dream dahlia would combine a creamy yellow and a touch of rose-pink, like a Peace rose. It would be on the larger size!! I am absolutely amazed at all the varieties you raise and thank you for sharing so many wonderful images.

    Reply
  917. Elizabeth on

    I really like the orange / pumpkin ball dahlias. Lucky for me my dream dahlias exist! I would be thrilled to find a Café au Lait in my seedling patch. I decided not to buy any but secretly really love them!

    Reply
  918. Tabatha Hoffman on

    My dream dahlia would be a lightly colored apple blossom looking flower. It wouldn’t have tight packed petals but rather loosely arranged. It would be more whimsical than stoic.

    Reply
  919. Sarah B on

    I love so many different dahlias it is hard to imagine just one that I’d love to see. If I had to guess, I have really started to love the mini ball variety, but it would be fun to see a mini waterlily style in a blush colour similar to that of Sweet Nathalie.

    Reply
  920. Jen Pauley on

    I am so new to Dahlias that I don’t even have answers to your questions! I just LOVE all of the amazing colors this flower comes in, from the deep burgundy to white and everything between. I honestly would love to find any Dahlia growing as each flower is unique and amazingly beautiful. I think I have found another hobby! :-)

    Reply
  921. Evelyn on

    My dream dahlia would be a blue-purple-white ombré anemone. 😍

    Reply
  922. Rose L on

    It is hard to say what my favorite would be. Perhaps a pale peach anemone with a pale yellow center.

    Reply
  923. Janet Schoenbine on

    The dahlia I dream about would be an iridescent white or cream! The center would be a beautiful light pink or peach!

    Reply
  924. Angela Hickman on

    I looooove the apple blossom variety which got me thinking of a cherry blossom variety. Maybe there already is one- but if not wouldn’t that be so pretty to have a super light pinkish white it the anemone style!!?? Be so delicate and pretty.

    Reply
  925. Ali Bruenderman on

    My dream dahlia would be eggplant purple with a sunshine yellow center. Tall, sturdy apple green stems hold this dinner plate dahlia up proudly, as if it was saying “Look at me! Look at me!” Can you imagine it now, blowing in summers breeze as the sun sets behind it? I can!!

    Thank you for the beautiful flowers you breed, the knowledge you so kindly share with us all and most especially the inspiration you have unlocked within me:)

    Reply
  926. Vicki Boyce on

    I would love to see full petals with ombré shading from deep orange in the center to a pale peach at the tips. Maybe some yellow edge on the petals.

    Reply
  927. Amy M on

    My dream Dahlia would be a beautiful blue color. I have the perfect name but will not share. Wishful thanking I know. But I would love to find a beautiful sky blue in my patch of Dahlia’s. I always plant peach and pink colors but would love to see cream with hints of blue.

    Reply
  928. Heidi B on

    My dream dahlia would be colored similar to a daffodil. White fluffy center with bright yellow petals!

    Reply
  929. Charlotte M. on

    The Dahlia that I would we thrilled to find growing in my garden would be a cross between a variety kinda like “Nadia Ruth” but with even more blush like colors. :)

    Reply
  930. Susan Bragg on

    Last year, I grew my first Dahlia’s from seed. I was obsessed watching them grow, and I couldn’t believe that I actually got flowers….unbelievable! I am so new to this idea of growing Dahlia’s that I am so thankful and excited for every flower. I will continue to learn and read about growing Dahlia’s. I live in Texas so the hot weather doesn’t make it easy, but I figured out last summer how to protect them from the heat. Thank you all for inspiring me to grow this beautiful flower.

    Reply
  931. Karen on

    Hot pink with a paler center, definitely dinner plate. ( because I was so freaking proud of myself the first time I grew one that big!)

    Reply
  932. Marja Strutz on

    As a child I planted one dahlia tuber. I was so excited to watch it grow. With no guidance I’m sure I planted it upside down. Planting in the area of the garden where nothing ever grew was also likely why the dahlia never grew. As an adult my gardening skills improved. 🙂 I am drawn to unusually shaped dahlias like C33/Floret and C144/Firefly. The dark pink and raspberry colored dahlias are my favorite, though creamy white ones are a close second. New to WA two years ago, I found your website when I was googling for local flower stands or flower sources. You have an amazing story! There aren’t enough hours in the day for all you’ve accomplished in the last few years. Congratulations!

    Reply
  933. Jody Johnson on

    It’s a bit like choosing your favourite child!! A pom pom style form so it lasts well in a vase , white with a tinge of green. I would use it in every arrangement I create!!!
    Erin and team, you are all rock stars!!!!

    Reply
  934. Shari Howard on

    Since Dahlias bloom later in the season I would love to see one with a warm yellow center fading to a warm bronze on the tips. I tried to gather seeds from my Dahlias last year but the flowers seemed mushy by the time they went to seed. Maybe I waited to long into the rainy season to gather some?? I also live in Washington so we get a lot of rain in the fall.

    Reply
  935. Frances P ONeill on

    My favorite dahlia would be a large dinner plate dahlia because I grew one for the first time last year, and it made me laugh because it was so big. I had been waiting for it to open for days and when it did, I was totally taken off guard by the size. I saw it and looked at it and said, “What is this? By the time I got it into the house, it actually made me giddy when showing it to my family! Now I am a little obsessed with the thoughts of matching larger varieties to the smaller ones for bouquets. I am not sure if can decide between an apricot, lavender, or a buff white, but I know for sure I would name it, “Made Me Giddy!”

    Reply
  936. Annie on

    I’d love to see a dahlia that looks like c33/ Floret with coral pedals or a cafe au latte that is half the size. It would be just delightful to grow cafe au latte, anything in the chocolate coloring, and D11! Thanks for inspiring and encouraging this community of flower lovers!

    Reply
  937. Jennifer Zaptin on

    Congrats on such an amazing story and the amount of people you have educated! I am new to flower growing and have been pouring over all your wonderful information! I have never grown dahlias before but they were my grandmother’s favorite flower. I would love to have any growing in my garden this year and I am sure many favorites would appear! Thanks for all your hard work!

    Reply
  938. Lillian on

    I love David Austin roses, especially the pinky salmon ones that have a touch of yellow, like Boscable or Evelyn. A dahlia in those shades would look quite lovely in an arragement with those roses. It would also have a nice scent and be deer resistant, lol!

    Reply
  939. Nicole Allen on

    I would love anything PINK and frilly! I ordered seeds this year and am so excited to see what I get.

    Reply
  940. Ellen Mullis on

    My dream dahlia would be a maroon waterlily. Bonus if it had an hombre fading towards the ends to white. I am only in my second year of growing dahlias just for the pure joy they bring me and my neighbors and I have already been asked to share my cuttings and tubers with a local winery! Hopefully I can breed one to name after their wines!

    Reply
  941. Stephanie Peebles on

    Dream dahila would be all sorts of large, reliable to grow, and hardy. It would be creamy pastel colored with rounded petals that turn in on itself to make small cones throughout the petals. A fluffy center. Like an appleblossom center. Large enough to stand out in a bouquet, but small enough to handle with ease.

    Reply
  942. Kara Adolphsen on

    My dream dahlia would be dinner plate that starts of yellow then turns orange and middle in dark orange/burnt orange. It would have long stems and good vase life. If I am really dreaming it would be deer resistant.

    Reply
  943. Kathryn Smith on

    I would love to see anything NEW in the pastels. I feel pastels market is growing in the wedding category. So a new pastel in any shape would be my dream new Dahlia.

    Reply
  944. Cat on

    My dream dahlia would be red and white with fluffy petals

    Reply
  945. Deborah Wakefield on

    That’s a hard one because all of them are dreams! You’re creations and Kristine’s are spectacular! But I’d have to say a Waterlily in the precious metal colours.💕
    I can hardly what to try seeds, you got me all excited.
    Love your blogs!
    Thanks for being so real and down to earth! 💐🌸🌷🌹🌺🌸🌺🌹🌷💐🌻🌼

    Reply
  946. Cheryl on

    I have been inspired by your blog & delicious images for over a year now, so I sourced over a dozen varieties of dahlias here in Australia & waited with so much excitement for the flowers. Unfortunately we have had a very humid summer, I’ve battled with broad mites and the last two weeks we’ve had floods here on the east coast and my lovely dahlias have all drowned. After they collapsed, I cut them back, pulled them out of the water & potted them up, not sure they will like that?
    Thankyou for letting me share your excitement & I can fully understand the joy of waiting to see what the new flowers will be.

    Reply
  947. Meg Buchanan on

    Ohhhh…. I want a cafe au lait but in collarette form! Think pale pink, peachy outer petals with a softer muted inner petal. Something that will make all the brides swoon!

    Reply
  948. stephanie on

    my dream dahlia would be one that i would only share with my sisters and i would name it after my late mother… i don’t think i care what it is, just special and individual and ours.

    Reply
  949. Suzanne Tom on

    A curly wurly, crazy wavy, pale blue , lilac with hints of white, waterlily, anemone or collarette type dahlia would be epic!

    Reply
  950. Barb Fraser on

    Something large and fuchsia, almost black colored with long stems.

    Reply
  951. Dale Schielke on

    My dream dahlia would be a peachy ball dahlia 5 foot tall with long stems that produces lots of tubers having relatively short necks on a will defined hub. We can all dream right!

    Reply
  952. Lindsey Casper on

    This is so fun! I just love the anemone with soft yellow and blush pink petals. Maybe a little darker pink veining on the petals. I guess I’m pretty much describing the Floret dahlia from your patch.. I just love it!

    Reply
  953. Crystal Doten on

    I love the shape of Appleblossom but with a light pink center and deeper pink woven through the petals as well.

    Reply
  954. Lori on

    Ooooh a fun crazy looking dahlia would be my dream dahlia, long wavy petals like a combo of Bedhead, HH Shaggy Dog & Insipic , a tiny bit laciniated on the tips, the color of Lindas Baby or a pale peachy coral & a big fluffy yellow anemone center …. :)

    Reply
  955. Alecia Blais on

    My dream dahlia would be an anemone dahlia with the outer oldest petals curving behind. The outside edges in a rich maroon/purple fading inwards to a rich peach color with a bold yellow center.

    Reply
  956. Becky Whittenburg on

    I’ve never grown dahlias before, but since I moved to the northwest it has finally become possible. My daughter grows a small patch and although not a big gardener, she is most excited by them and I have picked up on that excitement. I love the salmon colored frilly ones and purple a lot, but there are so many options it’s hard to choose a favorite.

    Reply
  957. Kirbey Rogic on

    I would love a dinner plate dahlia, similar in size and petal structure to the cafe au last, but a true mauve. The center starting out as that deep, muted mauve and fading out into the softer tones. Sort of like a Koko Loko rose, but in Dahlia form. I love the unique color, and find it’s one that is hard to get your hands on.

    Reply
  958. Caroline Ferreri on

    My dream dahlia, oh that could change on any given day! To me everyone is spectacular; it’s like asking me to pick my favorite child. But if I must choose, I would have to go with the puffiness of “all that jazz”, the colors of “wannabee”…warm, elegant, stunning cheerfulness.

    Reply
  959. Misty Kubala on

    My dream dahlia would be a larger size collarette type with more petals on both the outside and inside smaller petals in a beautiful peachy/pink. The outside petals would be a darker peachy pink coral color and the inner petals a deeper pink with a really fluffy pom pom orange/yellow center.

    Reply
  960. Kris on

    I love the pairing of pink and light yellow, like your Floret dahlia in the photo. I would also love a shorter variety, 2-3 feet tall, which is easier to fit in my home flower beds.

    Reply
  961. Karen Bedy on

    I might as well dream big and invent a dahlia never seen before! It would have a deep purple center similar to Thomas Edison but then transition to raspberry at the outer half near the petal tips. The petals would be curled inward (similar to your Firefly) and the underside that is showing would be a soft blue. It makes my heart glad just to imagine such a creation!

    Reply
  962. Dawn Grunow Lee on

    Flowers that are multi-colored always make me happy! Any dahlia that will thrive in the drought-y eastern part of the bay area (zone 9) will be most welcome!

    Thanks for your books & blog posts, you’re inspirational.

    Reply
  963. Jade Moret on

    Anything in the warm peach and sunset colors!

    Reply
  964. Rebecca Zook on

    My dream dahlia would be the clear brilliant sky blue of a mecanopsis — but blooming so many more months and thriving in my climate! And some of them would be sprinkled with gold, like “totally tangerine” is!

    Reply
  965. LoriAnn W. on

    The subtle grace and elegance of a BLACK SATIN DAHLIA whilst manifesting its brief transformation in bloom is something made perfect.

    Reply
  966. Emily Woodland on

    I am new to growing dahlias. Just the opportunity to start would be a thrill. I love them all!

    Reply
  967. Robin Lensi on

    I love the peachy pink varieties that are not super large.

    Reply
  968. Madalyn Falletti on

    I’d love a productive, vigorous dahlia with strong stems that’s petals have a rose like swirl pattern to them. I would love them to be a vibrant blush apricot at the ends of the petals that just fade into a beautiful cream. I think a small dinner plate size would be great for arrangements. Thank you so much for the inspiration and information!

    Madalyn

    Reply
  969. Brenda on

    I am so new to dahlias that my experience is limited. I have yet to see raspberry coloured dahlias.

    Reply
  970. Cheryl on

    I am in love with beautiful peach daliaha’s. Especially the ones with a deep coral center that fade to a light peach at the tip of the petals.

    Reply
  971. Katie Jones on

    Something white and red- maybe with a peppermint stripe kind of coloring!

    Reply
  972. Kathy on

    My dream dahlia would be a dinnerplate the color of vanilla ice cream with royal blue edging every petal, chances for that are not high, but hey there’s still a chance !

    Reply
  973. Jen on

    Dream dahlia! Every new one I see is a dream :) Big and pink with yellow petal tips!

    Reply
  974. Lesli S. on

    Wow, my perfect dahlia, my mind has raced so many different directions when thinking about it. I’m sure it would be yellow, maybe with some specks of pink, stands tall, and has an abundance of petals.

    Reply
  975. Diane on

    With hundreds, thousands of dreamy Dahlia’s already, it is hard to dream of improvement. Maybe an cool blue dahlia, pom pom!

    Reply
  976. Sara on

    My dream daliaha would be a big dinner plate with coral center that fades to a beautiful soft white! Although, I find any I plant from seed seem to amaze me each year!

    Reply
  977. Darcey on

    The dreamiest of dahlias would have a waterlily form with the palest pastel apple-blossom pink, and the palest blushing pastel apricot intermixed along the petals, radiating from a middle of creamy pastel lemon-flesh yellow, making it appear to be lit from within. With just enough warmth from the yellow and apricot, and just enough cool from the pink, this dahlia would be a perfect addition to any arrangement. Sturdy stems with a few flowers each would also make her a perfect specimen to stand alone. Her aged colors will bring to mind antique roses and faded book pages and an old baptismal gown and ancient recipe cards and Grandma’s tea towels.

    Reply
  978. Karen on

    My dream dahlia would be perfect for the 4th of July, red, white, and true blue! But realistically, a bright pink! And a perfect size for bouquets, maybe 4 inches or 6 inches, with LOTS of blooms. Bonus if it can grow in hard clay! Lol

    Reply
  979. Amber on

    I love the light colored pom pom ones! I also like the large ones with unique coloring and shapes!

    Reply
  980. Amanda W on

    My dream dahlia would be a cactus type with soft cream/peach petals and vivid raspberry outlining

    Reply
  981. Isabel Nuno on

    I would love to find a big pink salmon dahlia, or maybe a blue, purple one! I love warm tones so I would be happy with any dalhia with them!

    Reply
  982. Patrice Holodnick on

    I would love to see a honeycomb type with lavender and purple petals! That would be spectacular!

    Reply
  983. Tracy Duncan on

    My dream Dahlia would be similar to either what looks like your #C189 or C316. Red is my favorite flower color, and to have huge blooms with white and red would be a dream come true!

    Reply
  984. Kelly on

    Wow! Your top 3 favorites are all stunners! Firefly looks so enchanting out in the field. I love romantic and whimsy colors usually, but lately I’ve been drawn to more unique colors and shapes. I’d love to find a darker-hued dahlia that has blue undertones, as most of the ones I’ve seen have red undertones. (Is it even possible?! What a feat that would be!)

    Reply
  985. Deb O'Neal on

    Hi Floret, Thank you for all of the inspiration! With your coaching I had my first flower garden last year and I was spectacular, if I may say so myself! My dream dahlia would be very similar in color to KA’s Champagne! Antique shades of white, mauve and yellow tending toward a dinnerplate size! A bouquet of them would look perfect anywhere, for any occasion! But mostly I would enjoy their beauty in my garden where I would plant and wait for them, love to see their growth, then enjoy their peaceful beauty for days!

    Reply
  986. Kelly Shaul on

    I would love to find an offspring of Firefly. It would be so difficult to part with this beauty, but I would love to share her with all of our bee friends in our community garden plot. She is just stunning! Both my husband and I have been in awe of this gorgeous dahlia since she was shared on Instagram.

    Reply
  987. Patty Luke on

    I’m a pink lover do my ideal dahlia would be pink shades. Medium size. I’m new to the dahlia growing world so I’m just discovering their beauty. I plan to grow from seee this year since I lost all my tubers to rot. But I have your seeds and I collected my own last year. I’m excited to see what they become!!

    Reply
  988. G on

    I want something super funky! I love speckled petals (think: Hy Trio, Destiny’s Teachers or Cambridge) and spidery petals (think: Hollyhill Spider Woman or China Town). What about BOTH?!?!?! It would be a lot to handle – but I can handle it!

    Reply
  989. Travis Scudder on

    I would love to see a Giant Ball – Like 8 inches across with high petal count. I want the look of bloomquist blush with the color lined petals with Dark pink and perhaps a light pink color petal. A white/cream color to it would be great!

    Reply
  990. Margi on

    My dream dahlia would be a very full, electric blue with white edges. I haven’t met a dahlia I haven’t loved, so any dahlia coming up in my seedling patch would be a joy, with the added bonus of waiting to see what the flowers will be.

    Reply
  991. Elma Mandal on

    A dreamy dahlia would be one that is cold hardy up growing zone 5 :) … as for colors, as long as it is not purple or blue- I would love it … I know this is an unpopular opinion so I am sorry: it is MY dream dahlia. Wishing you good luck and many success in your endeavors!!

    Reply
  992. KAREN SLADDEN on

    Your flowers are all so lovely! My dream dahlia would have the shape of C179 and close to those colors in the middle petals and center, but the outer petal edges (or petals themselves) would be crimson or burgundy. But really, they are all so pretty and unique that I would be okay with whatever grows. Thanks for sharing your passion with us!

    Reply
  993. Holly on

    EGGS! I would love any dahlia that was white with a dark golden center. Maybe something with a few outer petals and a large golden center. I love any flowers that remind me of our beautiful, free range, rainbow chicken eggs frying in a pan.

    Reply
  994. 🌻 Susan Allred on

    What would my dream dahlia look like is like asking me to pick my favorite child. Each comes (child or dahlia) with an inner beauty and character all their own. I’ve always had zinnias in my garden since they were my wedding flower some 49 years ago. I love their vibrant colors. Adding dahlias to my garden would be like adding a new best friend. I love the uniqueness and charm of dahlias. And look forward to the day when they will add their charm and beauty to my garden.

    Reply
  995. Tina on

    I can’t wait to plant my Dahlia seeds and discover something new! I hope I find a shade of nude that matches my favorite lipstick.

    Reply
  996. Maureen deTar on

    Hi Erin, I am falling in love with Collarettes and Anemone Dahlias. My dreamy one would be an anemone with pinky coral petals and a pale yellow center. I have planted my first dahlia seeds this year and my daughter and I are excited to see where it leads us. She is determined to become a flower farmer in her spare time, with seven children that she is also growing including one daughter with a brain tumor. I would give her the books since she can make it all come true. What started as a new gardening niche for us has become our relaxation obsession. Whenever things become overwhelming, we pull out our dahlia charts for next year and start planning more. We have collectively ordered 89 tubers for this spring after growing our first three last year. Our husbands think we are nuts! Thank you for all of your wisdom shared. We look forward to every book and post. Love, Maureen and Genevieve.

    Reply
  997. Mia Marles on

    I am new to gardening and growing but have always loved dahlias. I remember needing to find out the name of this gorgeous flower the first time I saw one so that I could try growing some myself. My dream dahlia would be a rounded sphere shaped with deep plum coloured purple on the inside of the petal that would fade to a lighter purple/blush pink colour towards the outer tips. Thank you for your seeds and teachings you offer to the world.

    Reply
  998. Valerie Thrall on

    I grew dahlias from the seeds you sold at Floret Seeds, for the very first time a few years ago. They were called Bee’s Choice. I really thought the name was cute and appropriate. They grew so well and attracted many bees to my vegetable garden. I saved a few seeds! I am excited to see what grows from these seeds. My favorite dahlia form would be an over-sized fuzzy yellow center with white petals tipped in pale pink or a soft lavender. Thank you.

    Reply
  999. Tori on

    Hi Floret!
    When I saw this update come across my email I dropped everything. I have come to love everything dahlias. So, following on your breeding journey has been such a delight. If I could curate my own dahlia; it would be a prolific plant with pink and lavender. I want it to have a beautiful yellow center with double petals.
    Thanks for the opportunity and for sharing about your farm! ❤️

    Reply
  1000. Diane Peterson on

    A dreamy dahlia would be one that causes me to smile nonstop. The color/s displayed would have me turning it this way and that in the light just to fully enjoy its beauty. I love flowers, but one that stops me in my tracks is just…. That’s my dream dahlia.

    Reply
  1001. Emily Davis on

    How exciting! I love all of the experimenting and learning that goes into flower projects. I spent about five years growing varieties of hearty, West Texas friendly flowers in a small garden patch for our local farmer’s market. Loved being able to share them with others! Since I live in the warm, windy West Texas area, my dream dahlia would be strong, hearty, and of course beautiful. A friend and I have purchased a few tubers to see what we can do with them this year. It’s an exciting experiment! Seedlings – how fun to see different colors and shapes pop up!

    Reply
  1002. Savana St. Aubin on

    Hi Floret, thank you for sharing so many wonderful resources and inspiring home gardeners such as myself.

    While it’s impossible to choose just one, my ideal dahlia is a rich yellow center with fuzzy petals. It’s the kind of bloom that, when you look at it, you simply can’t help but smile. It’s actually pretty close to C146! In a perfect world, it would be a hardy, bushy producer. I live on a cul-de-sac and would plant in my front yard for all to enjoy.

    Reply
  1003. Linda Wylie on

    I am 68 years old and just purchased my first dahlia tubes from a big box store. I seem to be attracted to soft creamy colored flowers so I guess that would be what my favorite dahlia would look like. Love reading about your journey and wishing I could go back a few decades and follow in your footsteps. Wish me luck growing my five tubulars. God bless you and your family for inspiring people everywhere to go after their dreams.
    Linda
    Granny gardener

    Reply
  1004. Kathy Hutchens on

    As I write this my daughter and her family are in Pennsylvania and I live in West Texas. My daughter discovered Floret in the cold of winter. Your story, vision and especially your flowers brought her great joy! She shared it all with me! We talk about Floret almost every day and even now are starting our seeds from Floret….. though miles apart. We look forward to the day we are reunited and can have our own mother/daughter garden!
    My dream Dahlia would have a delicate blush center as the petal transitions/fades out to cream with the slightest detection of a very pale blush on the edges. I would have to name it “The Haley Elizabeth” dahlia. Don’t let the delicate color in this dahlia fool you! Although it communicates soft and romantic, this dahlia stands out and is full, confident and strong.
    Thank you for your inspiration and educating us on “all things floral.”
    As far as what I would love to find in my seeding patch?! Anything full and pink!

    Reply
  1005. Kristen Wade on

    Dahlias are one of my absolute favorites, and they grace the dining table all summer and into the Fall. I tend to be drawn to the peach / salmon colors, and particularly love the pom shape. Although Cafe au lait is truly spectacular! Such a dilemma to choose a favorite. I suppose the dream dahlia would be a peach colored Cafe au lait!

    Reply
  1006. Raylene on

    My dream dahlia? I’m a fan of the water lily shape, so that would be the first aspect. As for coloring, I’d love to see something with a contrast of light and dark. It’s hard to decide whether a light color with dark edging or vice versa would better. Some of the varieties I like are KAs Mocha Jo, Bluebell, and your Firefly! I would love to have Firefly.

    Reply
  1007. Leslie Marchman on

    My dream dahlia is a dinner plate pink with a yellow center. Or perhaps and ombre pinion that is also dinner plate in size. I have enjoyed you book and blog so much, and I look forward to your Instagram postings. Thank you for all the inspirations.

    Reply
  1008. Madison O'Brien on

    I think a teal or any blueish green would be amazing! this is my first garden this season and I am excited to see what dalhias I can grow from seeds this year! :)

    Reply
  1009. Aimee Thuen on

    A lavender ivory combo with darker purple outlines. Ruffled and textured. Medium sized. One that floats on the wind. Your excitement is inspiring! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  1010. Erin M Sullivan on

    I am a newbie and would love to learn from your experience and get started in beautifying my yard which is currently in need of HELP!

    Reply
  1011. Brooke Harrison on

    I would love a dahlia that is about 4 feet tall in bloom and doesn’t need staking, that has petals that are loose (maybe a double?), and has color that varies from yellow to coral or salmon.

    Reply
  1012. Jacki Baschmann on

    My dream dahlia would be a buttercream ball variety with peach accents. It would have long and strong stems, bloom early and be resistant to powdery mildew.

    Reply
  1013. Amelia Wyss on

    My dream dahlia would have mauve-colored petals that gradually turned into a lighter pink as they went in with a big orange anther. It would be about 5 inches in diameter with big petals on the outer edge! Wish I could draw it as I’m not that good with words! ;) I’m sooooooooooooo excited for spring!!!!

    Reply
  1014. Chloe on

    This is my first year growing flowers, and my family and I decided that we couldn’t grow dahlias because we couldn’t afford it. All the places we looked had dahlias I didn’t love or were too expensive. I have gotten your books Cut Flower Garden and A Year in Flowers and I deeply love them both! I would love to have a dahlia that was as big as Café au Lait, but had coloring like Apple blossom. Or a branching one that looked like the rose Distant Drums. Love you Erin + Floret team!

    Reply
  1015. Stacey Lee on

    I’m a Dahlia newbie & still thrilled when I have success. This has inspired me to try my hand at growing Dahlias from seed. Thanks for all of your beautiful and informative content. I always come away feeling like….I can do it! In regard to color, I’m a sucker for creamy yellow & peach.

    Reply
  1016. Jennifer Stewart on

    Thank you Floret for so lovingly sharing your exciting advances with Dahlia breeding! You are inspiring and I’m almost ready to take the plunge. For now I’m just working on Dahlia cuttings and my little packet of seeds from your book that I got last year. I’m excited to see what pops up from that!

    Reply
  1017. LJ on

    My dream dahlia would be one that stood tall, with it’s face gently lifted to the sun. It would look delicate with glistening petals of swirling colors that deepened slightly as it aged. It might look delicate, but it would have strength and inner beauty to stand to the toughest storms, and it would bring a soft sigh and gentle smile to everyone that saw it.

    Reply
  1018. Margaret Stokes on

    Thank you so much, Erin and Team Floret, for your inspiration, hard work, and passion. This is such a beautiful and interesting piece. Thank you for sharing such beauty!

    Reply
  1019. Katja on

    My dream dahlia would be a dark blue on the outside getting more pastel-lighter blue on the inside, it should look like a foggy March-morning on a lake.

    Reply
  1020. Kassandra McFarland on

    I would love to find a soft yellow with a green center, that does well in sandier soil. I have an area in my garden, and a bouquet of my dreams that is screaming for this combination.

    Reply
  1021. Elizabeth W. on

    My dream dahlia would be one that grows well in SE Texas with our heat and humidity. As far as appearance, a true lavendar pom pom would be amazing!

    Reply
  1022. Catalina Maldonado on

    I would be thrilled if I found a C162, 189 or a c144 growing in my garden! But honestly I would be amazed to find any of the gorgeous Dahlias growing, especially from seed because I have not attempted growing flowers from seed yet, just received my seeds I ordered from you and I am really excited to get growing! My dream Dahlia would have petals like c162 but the color inside of the 335. Thank you for all your hard amazing work 👏🏽

    Reply
  1023. Jana b on

    I have not tried growing Dahlia’s from seed yet and am just learning about this fabulous flower. I’m sure there is one like this out there but my favorite would be one that starts with a soft. buttery yellow that and morphs out to a soft peachy pink. Would like to try growing in pots that I can move around my garden. Thank you for sharing your love and expertise in all things Dhalias!

    Reply
  1024. Mandy Bergstrom on

    I think that my dream dahlia flower would be off the Peony type in a blue bird color with white tips. This is my first year to try the very few seeds that I was able to find at a farm store. I would love to win your book and learn from your work.

    Reply
  1025. Maélie on

    My dream dahlia would be a really big white dahlia ball with strikes of yellow and pink on the petals ! Like a big cake of sugar petals.

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  1026. Sandra Christiansen on

    My dream dahlia would look like the memory of my mom. Creamy apricot (her skin tone), add in some peachy pink (the blush on her cheeks) and just a touch of red (her lipstick). I may have to grow a few dahlias from seed and give it a try. Love your enthusiasm for new projects and ideas.

    Reply
  1027. Lisa on

    My dream dahlia would be soft pink petals that are edged in a brighter pink with a coordinating pom pom like center!

    Reply
  1028. Christina J Muhr on

    A waterlilly dahlia that brightens from yellow orange in the middle to a bright red on the petal tips.

    Reply
  1029. Becky on

    My dream dahlia would be bigger than my hand, better yet it would be the size of a salad plate. It would be black at first glance, but in the sun’s light it would show an ombré of deep purples to light maroon. The very edges might even be a dark pink. It would be fluffy and wild and glorious.

    Reply
  1030. Darcy on

    Mine would be a smaller compact that works in a patio garden. The shades of deep purple to light from the inside to the outer petals. The leaves would have a touch of white or gold along the edges reflecting the shades of purple as sunlight moves during the day. Such a plant would truly make one stop and breath in the moment.

    Reply
  1031. Lucinda Hansen on

    My favorite dahlia would be on a stalk over my head, a bloom as large as my Mac Book Pro, with a mass of spidery twisty petals in shades of orange with cinnamon, pink and magenta. It would be named Setting Sun.

    Reply
  1032. Jessica on

    My dream dahlia would be 3-4 inches, water lily, and maroon!

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  1033. Sarah McCormick on

    I had a big dahlia that was a dark apricot that I haven’t been able to find again! I would definitely try to get another one of those. I would be so happy to get some of your dahlia seeds, I missed my chance last year because even though I bought a copy of your book it was a gift so I didn’t get to grow any of the seeds.

    Reply
  1034. Janet J on

    Blue is my favorite color but there are so few blue dahlias that I would love something like a Creme de Cassis but blue instead of purple the dark on the back of the leaves with light blue blush petals <3 and maybe a ball dahlia in a french blue…did I mention I love all things blue

    Reply
  1035. Marie-France Côté on

    My dream dahlia? The one whose beauty would make me feel like the luckiest florist farmer having the privilege to admire it’s grace. Lime color with yellow undertones reminiscent of Key lime pie!

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  1036. Deborah Shimpock on

    I would love to find a beautiful apricot bigger than Totally Tangerine but in that firm.

    Reply
  1037. Hannah King on

    What a prompt! I love dahlias for the seemingly never ending range of rainbow color they possess. But, my first thought was– something of the sea, ethereal, mermaid like, mother of pearl colors, iridescent blue greens, pinks and creams, silver and golds and shimmering. I imagine I would spend all my time just watching it age, moving it around in different light, studying it, painting it, probably writing poetry about it hah! It would be the muse of all my dahlias!

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  1038. Carrie Dehen on

    Last year my daughter and I planted a small dahlia garden in my backyard. The flowers ranged from 1 foot tall going all the way up to 9 feet tall, there were hundreds of Beautiful blossoms. It was the most spectacular sight to see and gave me peace and comfort all summer and early fall. This year she is taking half of what we grew and is looking forward to sharing the same experience. My dream Dalia would be for her to have a field full of her favorite colors of pink dinner plate sized bursting out of the ground and reaching towards the sun. Blessings to you for starting this amazing adventure. Thank you. Carrie

    Reply
  1039. Chiara Dominguez on

    My favorite dahlia would be a mix of ombre soft colors, with round petals that vary in sizes and that has a life vase of 7 days.

    My dream to find in my seedling patch would be to have rare flowers with sunshine bright colors that remind me about the beauty of being different and that things will be ok.

    Reply
  1040. Brenda on

    Looking to try growing dahlias from seed this year. Would be thrilled to see multi colored ball dahlias in my garden.

    Reply
  1041. Diane Pilon on

    Dahlias are my favourite flower. They bloom through the summer and fall providing us with great JOY! They are also a great flower to cut for bouquets that I lovingly give to my friends and for long-term care homes. I love all colours and shapes. I have tried many times to keep them over winter but have not been successful even after watching your videos. Thank you for this opportunity and for all the work that you do to bring JOY into the world.

    Reply
  1042. Cheri Heath Fullen on

    My dream Dahlia would be a creamy mixture of pink and purple and I would name it, Lorraine, in honor of my Mom. Those were my Moms favorite colors. Our dream was to start a cut flower farm together. Before we had the chance to do that, Mom was diagnosed with Alzheimers. She passed away in July 2020. In March 2021, I brought a 10 acre farm and started our dream.

    Reply
  1043. Cris on

    I would love a large, single, light pink or white green leaved dahlia to sparkle in my evening garden!

    Reply
  1044. Liane on

    I love the English cottage garden look, so anything in shade of pinks ,blues or purples is what I like the most .
    Merci❤️

    Reply
  1045. Amber Haines on

    I’m leaning toward the star shapes with poofy centers, and any dash of a tangerine-y pink would make it perfect.

    Reply
  1046. Darla on

    My dream dahlia would be the one blooming in my garden! They are all so lovely, it is hard if not impossible to pick a favorite. I do especially enjoy those with delicate multi-colorations. What fun it must be to walk among the beds of blooms in their season. Thanks for sharing the photos in March when we are all hungry for green and growing and blooming things!

    Reply
  1047. Alyssa on

    One of my dream dahlias would be something shaped like Labyrinth, but smaller. Like 5 inches and purple!

    Reply
  1048. Reshma Kasim on

    Dahlias have a special place in my heart. I was blessed by a mass of them in all the varieties that I could imagine! I have always grown them from seeds and they never fail to surprise me. I let them be for the myriad buzzing pollinators, the tiniest of humming birds, and simply to enjoy the drunken bumble bees hanging in there sleeping. The amazing surprises that bloom have inspired my dormant painting skills. So much so that every season without them is unthinkable. It would be exciting to discover a bloom that has all my three favorite winning colors in a dahlia, orange, lavender, and yellow, why not with a dark magenta edging.

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  1049. Marshelle Tanner on

    I would love to win apple blossom , April Heather or break out. I over wintered my dahlias unsuccessful this winter. I am starting over.

    Reply
  1050. Kelly Booth on

    My dream Dahlia would be a star shaped mini no more than 1” in diameter with petals of apricot perfectly outlined in raspberry dotted with a white button center! I have the sweetest idea of a mommy and me set of bouquets that would compliment each other. If I found a tiny little gem like this in my garden it would for sure make my heart skip a beat!

    Reply
  1051. Rebecca McIntire on

    First- I just want to say thank you for sharing all of your beautiful flowers with the world! I recently experienced a death in my family and watching your show brought me a sense of peace I have not felt in a long time. The simplistic beauty and stillness of your flowers helped heal my soul and inspired me to try my hand at growing flowers from seed this year. With that said- my ideal dahlia would have the palest pink petals with peach champagne edges that would glisten in the sunlight and remind those who look at it to be still and appreciate the warmth of every sunrise.

    Reply
  1052. Brenda Morr on

    My dream dahlia would be a collarette, that is raspberry in color with apricot or orange

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  1053. Julia Chellew on

    I am going to try Dahlia’s this year! You have inspired me with your beautiful flowers!

    Reply
  1054. Connie on

    I’ve never grown dahlias but would like to try this year. The pink bouquet you are holding is a color that I really like! But all of the colors are gorgeous! It’s hard to choose just one! I also would like to see what the Pom pom shapes would look like in shades of blue. Is that possible with dahlias?

    Reply
  1055. Tina Cornett on

    The dream dahlia would have water lily petals, strong straight purple-tinged stems, and would range in color from punchy coral/peach to soft pale pink/cream. It would be prolific in flower production, tolerate some shade and would be despised by Japanese Beetles😊

    Reply
  1056. Emmy Husfloen on

    My dream dahlia would be a dinner plate bright white with yellow edges and orangish center like the brightness of the sun when you shouldn’t be looking at it.
    I want it to take my breath away while embracing it’s beautiful glory.
    Thank you Erin for this enchanting story of how you became the breeder you are today.
    I would also like to know how many staff you have at Floret and how you got your love of growing flowers.

    Reply
  1057. Marcia Goodsite on

    At 60 years old, I am returning to a little family plot of land (3 acres) to learn about growing flowers. I love pink and Little Miss Sunshine. Your evident love of the process and the joy you’re sharing is a breath of fresh air. The example of hard work and friendships around this venture is heartwarming. Thank you for sharing your flower adventures with us!

    Reply
  1058. Alice Vlasak on

    Where I live in the south, Camellias are considered the queen of the winter with highly varied flowers that bloom continuously from October through March. Dahlias are definitely the queens of the summer. The dahlia I envision would be a rendition of the “Cupcake” camellia which has a bloom with yellow center and small delicate coral pink tone petals that shade darker on the petal edges with occasional deeper pink stripes. The pink stripes and bloom size may vary in size among different flowers. Who would not love to grow a dahlia as sweet as a cupcake.

    Reply
  1059. Katie Estrada on

    Well actually I may have found my perfect tuber. This year I grew a few 100 flats of different seed, I even got some from Latvia off Etsy. As all these little gems start to come to life, I have one odd ball already that is tossing off little arms for CLIMBING!!!!! I love all coral colors and warm yellows a peach rimmed yellow would be my ideal maybe in a cactus variety.

    Reply
  1060. Leah Partridge on

    The dream dahlia!!! Ahhh! It would the lavender of sunrise with a hint of yellow on the tip of the petals. It would be a medium sized dahlia with an opened center. The opened center would start with a lush burgundy leading to the softness of the lavender. Oh, and it’s long stems and blooms are resistant to Japanese beetles!

    Reply
  1061. Mike Novik on

    I would try and develop a plant that doesnt need staking, produce strong flower stems long enough for tall arrangements. I am attracted to pastel and deep dark colors with interesting shapes and petal forms.

    I have been developing Hybrid Day Lilys and have many fun ones.

    Reply
  1062. Tammy on

    I have planted the seeds that came with your new book and I have to say that my dream dahlia would have a soft yellow center and transition to apricot with the outer edges a deep pink. It would have a double layer of rounded petals. The stem would allow it to sway in the breeze. I’m hooked!

    Reply
  1063. Joni Bunk on

    Soft pink and cream with ruffles, lots of petals, thinking along the lines on my favorite dahlia Breakout. I’ve been growing dahlias for more than 10 years but have never grown from seed, sounds like something I need to try!

    Reply
  1064. theresa L humes on

    My dream dahlia is dark dark blue petal with a deep red/burgundy center. I’ve never grown Dahlias before but I would love to wake up, walk out onto my deck and watch the sun creep over my flower garden with all the colors of all your dahlias…plus the one I described above. How could it be any better then that?

    Reply
  1065. Jennifer Leonard on

    I would love to see a dinner plate dahlia with a lime hue to play off some of the perennials in my garden. Thanks for all you do!

    Reply
  1066. Brenda Koshollek on

    I love, love, love Little Miss Sunshine … My husband and I had a greenhouse and landscape business with 7 greenhouses and recently sold that so I now have time to devote to “my” flowers and loving it ! I’ve been growing dahlias that I acquire from friends as tubers but will love growing the seedlings and see what comes from it ! Thanks for giving me this flower excitement ! Brenda

    Reply
  1067. Jill Rodriguez on

    I would love to see an orange and blue dahlia as crazy as that seems. I graduated from the university of Illinois and those are the school colors.

    Reply
  1068. Rebecca John on

    That C33/Floret is pretty perfect! It shows soft sorbet colors with a little fiery streak thrown in! I love the unpredictability of it!

    Reply
  1069. Melanie Miller on

    I love the colors in American Dawn. I am planting tubers for the first time this year. I am also trying a pompon variety indoor sown from seed. They look so lovely when they bloom. I am so excited.

    Reply
  1070. Donna on

    Dream dahlia would be the color of a perfect sunset in a combination of soft pinks, orange and yellow.

    Reply
  1071. Judy Allen-Phillips on

    I would love to see a blush outer petals with inner petals with mauve or darker pink coloration and dark yellow/gold center. But every dahlia is one I love so it’s hard to be picky! Thank you, Erin, for being so willing to share what you’ve learned with even the home gardener who just aspires to have beauty in the garden and in her vases.

    Reply
  1072. Shu-Jean on

    My dream dahlia would be a blue one, like true blue not purple. Alas, I know that can’t happen so I’ll take any. Cheers.

    Reply
  1073. Amy on

    Coral/peachy orange with green center. Lovely work – thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  1074. Kris on

    I like salmon runner. Also like the muted pinks.

    Reply
  1075. Maria Suarez on

    A dusty peach with loose, wild petals and a strong, conspicuous. center

    Reply
  1076. Jan Hedrick on

    I’m still learning about dahlias so haven’t developed any favorites yet! This will be my third year growing dahlias from my saved tubers so I want to try to harvest seeds this fall.

    Reply
  1077. Katie Ward on

    My favorite color is yellow, so I think my dream dhalia would have soft butter-yellow tones with a faint blush of pink or peach. It would be a ball type as I think those are whimsical in the garden.

    Reply
  1078. Anna Shepherd on

    I love peach/apricot and lilac tones-l would love a dahlia with both! My favorite type right now is anemone dahlias. I also love to watch my favorites fade into new shades as they age, so that would be an important feature!

    Reply
  1079. Stacy on

    Love them all. I think all dahlia lovers agree. In the end, would love the most funky and unusual. Big fan of interesting variations in pedals and wouldn’t it be cool if we could get interesting variegation in leaves! Always appreciate u sharing ur knowledge and passion with us.

    Reply
  1080. Dana Paradis on

    Two of my greatest flower lives are hydrangeas and dahlias! Blue Nikko hydrangeas are my absolute favorite. I would love to see a blue equivalent in the dahlia world. To fill my fall garden with the color I enjoy the most in my summer garden would be a dream come true💙

    Reply
  1081. Stephanie Schoenthaler on

    My dream dahlia would be a wispy, wild peony-type dahlia with a very soft, understated lavender / lilac color. I’m imagining it being almost iridescent, with the slightest hint of blueish-white in the petals. At the very end of a long summer day, when the daylight is almost gone, it will glow against the deep green backdrop of the garden. I would call it “Bedtime”, because when you see it glowing in the garden, you know it’s nearing time to head in for the night! Haven’t we all been there, squinting in the garden until way too late? These have also been such peaceful, beautiful moments for me.

    Reply
  1082. Joe Setnicar on

    I would love to be able to grow a two toned flower. One year a half yellow half red flower bloomed and I have no idea how that happened but everybody loved it. I took a picture of it and would love to show it to you.

    Reply
  1083. Liana on

    I would LOVE to have a true BLUE dahlia! Not purple, not periwinkle, BLUE!!!!! As blue as salvia patens! Size and shape wouldn’t matter because I’d just be so head over heals about it being blue, nothing else would really matter. If it could be 6-8 inches and ball shaped even better, but can you imagine……..a blue dahlia!?! I’d name it Sapphire Skies of course! What a beautiful garden row it would be! Rows of sapphire skies, indescribably beautiful!!!!!

    Reply
  1084. Madison Crowley on

    How do I begin to describe my dream dahlia? My idea of it changes monthly. Foremost, I would have to say a prolific producer is most important. I am an oncology/hospice RN and I use cut flowers in my garden to make bouquets for my patients. Secondly, I am really in love with ball dahlias for the moment. Especially those that are two toned and I always lean towards softer shades of pink and orange. I also really enjoy peony/single dahlias with open centers for the pollinators. Thank you Floret for this opportunity for a giveaway. It’s clear how much dahlias bring people joy!

    Reply
  1085. Melody De Santiago on

    My dream dahlia would be a big pink ball with different shades of soft pink! 💕

    Reply
  1086. Linda M. Welch on

    My favorites are ball dahlias, I’d love seeing a mixed color variety for fall. I’m beginning my journey this spring in the Dahlia world. I plan on a few raised beds in my small yard. I want to have my husband make me a flower cart to take our front of the house so I can share with my neighbors. I make crepe paper dahlias all winter and share….want to grow real dahlias to share. Just a newbie to the dahlia. I grow several cut type flowers in my yard.

    Reply
  1087. Jan Reynoso on

    I would love to see a Dahlia like its bursting from Heaven! In my mind I see a flower shaped like a star with bright white and pale pastel color petals. I’m so in love with Dahlia’s and would love to have the opportunity to watch them grow in my garden and lift their beautiful flowers to the sky!

    Reply
  1088. Raewyn Carr on

    It is the petal formations that attract me to dahlias. There are many different species of dahlias with unique petal patterns that just fascinate me. I would say the pompon dahlia is my favourite. They display an infinite swirl of florets with fold upon fold of
    incredibly flawless petals. Ah – the Fibonacci sequence shines through with this one. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to grow a dahlia with a new petal shape along with a gorgeous colour like a blush pink or salmon, creamy white or yellow.

    Reply
  1089. Carrie Stufft on

    I love to see how the bright shades of pink pop out among the varying blooms with the candy stripe blossoms. My daughter and I are just starting out this year with a cut flower project to add to the farmers market they go to each week selling their freshly grown produce. We both love growing flowers and discovered how dahlias are a great flower to include in all of our arrangements. So this year one of the wheat fields will be transformed and hopefully bursting with color ready to share with many others.

    Reply
  1090. Arlene M. Pepin-McConnell on

    My dream Dahlia would consist of a traditional red pompon style and deepened green foliage that stands about 4 feet tall. The same breed that my Mother use to have so I could envision her smile each time a flower blossomed to prove that she was content with what her hands had provided in the glory of hard work in progress and satisfaction that, “she did it!”

    Reply
  1091. Lyndal Todd on

    Peachy pink flowers with yellows and orange blended colours are stunning. But really, is it possible to pick just one. They are all just gorgeous. It’s amazing to see all the varieties, sizes, colours and shapes and must be even more exciting to discover new ones.

    Reply
  1092. Amanda Windsor on

    I would love to see a bird’s nest dahlia in a rich purple-y red.

    I hope these beautiful flowers stay a joy and escape for you and never a chore.

    Reply
  1093. Amy Dingler on

    My dream Dahlia? Raspberry that fades into peach as she ages. She would be a bit disheveled–nothing too formal looking, and have a big open center for the bees–so maybe something like a collerette or anemone. Not too tall, or too big, so I don’t have to give her too much support. She would beam out ‘Be happy! The world is still a beautiful place.’

    To be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s in your 215 already– so I can’t wait to see them all!
    Amy

    Reply
  1094. Dorset Dahlias on

    I would love the charming open friendly face of Apple Blossom combined with the glorious Pucci shirt sunset colours of Waltzing Mathilda – now that would bring a smile to the face.

    Reply
  1095. Anastasia Cofano on

    Anything that brings a smile to my face!! Or to my husband or daughter’s. I know it will have a ripple effect ♥️ But lately I’m really into pastel colors, and with another pregnancy, reminiscing on my childhood. The wonder of watching the passing clouds, the excitement and elegance of wearing the costumes when performing ballet.. saying hello to the creeping caterpillars, or the butterflies. Anything that keeps my heart inspired and motivated to keep daydreaming and pondering all the beauty, I know will bring joy to other people 🌸🌼

    Reply
  1096. Autumn Meadow on

    I would love to find a yellow tip turning into a purple center or a lime green turning into a magenta center.

    Reply
  1097. Teri Lucas on

    About 10 years ago my sister gave me one dahlia tuber and I planted in a pot. Neither one of us knew the name it was just a beautiful deep purple. After watching your videos this year I found out I could dig up the tubers and divide them! I mention all that to say I’m not picky! Any beautiful flower brings me such delight. My favorite color is yellow so I would be thrilled to see that color in any form. My dream dahlia would be the colors of a sunset with yellows, oranges and pink.

    Reply
  1098. Lisa Hill on

    I would love to see a fluffy yellow center with star like petals that start out pink and then fades into a purple tip.
    I would be thrilled to find muted pastels. Dahlias of every size and varying textures.

    Reply
  1099. Victorine on

    Difficult to say… Dahlias are so beautiful in the garden surrounded by all the varietes and colors ! Your field pictures are so inspiring, they are making me peaceful and happy. I am a drawer and I think flower gardens are one of the best inspirations for me. It’s like drops of rainbows everywhere. I guess my favorites would be soft pink, apricots, lilac and deep red. I don’t mind the shape there are all pretty. Thank you for your work !

    Reply
  1100. Kira on

    I hope to begin breeding dahlias myself soon! This is a dream project for me, and although I love so many different varieties for their many, varied colors and forms, I have to say that the anemone shape is my favorite in terms of form. There is something so sweet about those big, puffy centers and draping outer petals that I just can’t get enough. As for color, I really love apricots, pinks, yellows… all colors, really, but if I HAVE to choose, then those. So bright and happy! So, I suppose the ideal dahlia, combining all my favorites, an anemone shaped dahlia with a golden yellow center and apricot to lovely soft pink petals surrounding the edges! An ideal I didn’t know I had until now.

    Also, who else’s heart rate increased when looking at all this beautiful dahlia eye candy?! Whoo-wee!

    Reply
  1101. Echo Zhang on

    I want something pink and yellow. When people see it, they feel happy and cheerful. The yellow should be like sunshine, and the pink is soft and romantic. In this hard time, I hope there is a dahlia variety that can bring people a little bit of peace and remind us there is still hope and beauty. Of course, the vase life and stem length are very important also. Then we can admire her at home.

    Reply
  1102. Judy Neely on

    My dream dahlia would be a combination of the rich color of cafe au lait in the center and a deep purple/chocolate color in the outer area/petals. The result would be a little bit like a cup of hot chocolate with whipped cream on top.

    Reply
  1103. Cynthia on

    One of my favorite dahlias is Hollyhill Black Beauty. I would love to have a dahlia in the same deep color but in a waterlily form that is healthy and vigorous and reliable. Dahlias are so gorgeous in the garden and in my cut flower bouquets. I can’t wait to see what surprises will come from your breeding program. Thank you for giving so much to the world with your beautiful flowers.

    Reply
  1104. June Whiteman on

    My dear Erin, it would have to be yellow.
    Something big and sunflowery with bright yellow petals and a dark centre.
    Yellow against a blue sky to remind us that hope prevails and the sun will come out tomorrow.

    Reply
  1105. Karen McMinn on

    I love dahlias of all shapes and sizes but just cannot say what I love best – there are so many loves!!! A dahlia in softest creamy pink with slightly curled petals and one that makes me swoon and then smile and think of my mother who instilled in me a love of dahlias, would be just perfect!

    Reply
  1106. April on

    Learning about growing dahlias from seeds has opened up a whole new possibility for me. I live overseas but am from the NW and currently here through the summer and love dahlias. (I have them starting to grow in containers in our house so I can enjoy them before we head back overseas.) Tubers don’t make it through customs but seeds do, so I am excited for any dahlias to grow in my jungle garden. While I love the peachy anemone types, I think something bright and round would be fun against the green backdrop of banana leaves and creeping vines for my jungle garden. But honestly, the thought of any cut flower, especially a dahlia. that brings contrast to the green is exciting. So regardless of a giveaway, I will be bringing dahlia seeds back with me to see what blooms on the equator. It will be a fun adventure.

    Reply
  1107. Merilee on

    The idea of breeding dahlias makes me so excited! This is my first year growing them and I can’t wait to harvest seeds and see what I get next year. My ideal dahlia would be one that has the size and smooth creamy petals of the cafe au lait, but with a deeper blush pink center fading to a soft yellow. I’m a sucker for the sunset colors.

    Reply
  1108. Jody Rudrud-Grandorff on

    Oh goodness , how to narrow it down. A flirty little Pom that is pink with red tips like a peppermint. Yes, name it Peppermint! Because growing dahlias is like Christmas, waiting for a special gift to be opened!!

    Reply
  1109. Beth Mantey on

    I am so excited to finally put in a Dehlia bed. I got your book for Christmas and am so excited. I have grown diner plate Dehlia’s in the past that I mail ordered the tubers from. Safely after a number of years I lost the tumors to a early freeze while my daughter was in the hospital. Since then I was hooked. I always grab a bag of tuners from the garden store but nothing has lived up to those diner plate plants that made me fall in love. I am so excited to start them from seed this year. I have dog eared the book and would be thrilled with anything that grows. My other love is photography I am so excited to document my progress in my art journal.

    Reply
  1110. Lynne m on

    The perfect dahlia to me resemblances those beautiful morning sunrises in the pnw. later in the morning than the actual sunrise because sunrise for me is the first rays as they come up over the sumas mountain area. The color is a little peachy, some rich Amish butter color, and a salmon drizzle sprinkled with the icy crystals of winter. It feels warm and makes me smile even in the briskness of the morning. The dahlia itself will make me feel that warmth and bring on that smile that is perfect to start my day and greet the work ahead. I would call it winter’s morning.

    Reply
  1111. Danalynn Vanstone on

    Okay okay!!! You’ve officially inspired me to try growing dahlias from seed. I thought about it last year, but didn’t muster up the courage. I would love anything in the warm buff/peach/caramel color in a happy collarette form. I’ll be honest, anything in those colors will make me very happy!

    Reply
  1112. Cindy Plant on

    My dream dahlia would have either the star like petals, or the chrysanthemum like petals. Pink center with white, yellow, and blush ombre petals.

    Reply
  1113. Lois Patton on

    My daughter purchased Discovering Dahlias last Spring which led to the two of us buying, planting and growing these gorgeous jewels for the first time last summer! We’ve both already placed several orders for this year! I think I would most wanting to discover a medium sized dahlia that is soft peach to pink in color color and petals that would be twisting and swirling around the darker center. But who am I kidding – every dahlia that grew in my garden quickly became my favorite!! Love learning more inside details about your Dahlia breeding journey, Floret!

    Reply
  1114. Heidi Soehren on

    I compliment Floret! Amazing! I live in Eastern WA, last year we were surrounded by fire on July 15, Sunnyslope, Wenatchee, this year my son promised me a Dahlia Patch – I think it will consist of old whisky barrels from our distillery, but it warms my heart that he is willing to 1. get the barrels, 2. haul the barrels, 3. cut the barrels, 4. place and fill them with rich soil, 5. set up the irrigation, and 6. do it because he knows I love dahlias – bright pink, apricot, peach, white – all of them. From wildfires grow new grass, deer and coyote roam – our state WA.

    Reply
  1115. Kevin Thomas Wasilewski on

    I love all dahlia forms especially the open center varieties. Watching all kinds of pollinators visiting these flowers is always fascinating and rewarding knowing that I provided a safe place to enjoy some pollen, take a rest, and most of all, make me smile.Pure Joy.

    Reply
  1116. Leone on

    My dream dahlia would be a soft blush pink color with a hint of coral tangerine, a full orb of petals at 4 to 6 inches in diameter. I have just discovered the beauty and excitement of growing dahlias over the past couple of years, and have had the joy of planting a few varieties so far. The idea of a seedling patch sounds like a treasure hunt of beauty, which would be a wonderful experience not just for me, but to include my two young sons in as well. In my dream seedling patch I would be thrilled to find a rainbow of colors, to be able to mix and match the beauty and variety of creation in unlimited combinations.

    Reply
  1117. Hilda Banuelos on

    I came across your docu-series a few months ago and was so inspired by your journey and field of dahlias that I’m planting some tubers that I picked up at a local nursery. I’m excited to see them grow and bloom. The dahlias reminded me of the tissue pom-poms my sister and I used to make when we were young girls. While I like the rounded poms, I am drawn to the softer billowy flower similar to your variety C107 and C39 and to the softer colors. I would love to find a peaches and cream dahlia with a hint of darker shades running along the edges of the petals. I wish you continued success!

    Reply
  1118. Kim Todd on

    My dream dahlia would be a beautiful fusia and bright orange with frilly edges, medium to large in size.

    Reply
  1119. Sana on

    My dream dahlia would have rosy-lavender petals,huge flowers, long stems and blooms all season long 💜

    Reply
  1120. Alyssa on

    I think my dream dahlia would be 4-5 inches, with deep peachy-coral inner petals that fade to a lighter peachy-coral at the edge. It would also probably be an informal decorative. Though to be honest, I’m not even sure, because I have found way too many that I absolutely love. This is going to be my first year growing dahlias and I just can’t wait!

    Reply
  1121. Elizabeth DeGroot on

    My dream dahlia would be one that reminds me of summer evenings, right before dinner, warm breeze, and the sky painted shades of yellow, orange and redish pink. A flower that takes me back to a fond memory (or two) and can be a silent reminder on the table and in the garden. Like and orange pink collarette type flower. Your C108 reminds me of this memory.

    Thank you for publishing your great book and for sharing your wisdom on growing and breeding Dahlias! I’ve been able to start my tiny flower farm this year and have been diving into Dahlias, exploring all the textures, sizes, and colors. For a little sproutling who’s budding my breeding garden, you’ve given me a huge head start just in your books and online content alone! Thank you!

    Reply
  1122. Maureen on

    Last year was my first year growing dahlias. A neighbor shared three tubers with me and it was fun to be surprised at what would bloom. I would love a small dahlia that is dark red, almost black, with petals that were darker at the center, radiating lighter toward the edges. It wouldn’t be large, because I live in a tiny house.

    Reply
  1123. Roberta on

    Your dahlias are breathtaking. You are such an inspiration. I can’t begin to imagine all the hours and hours you have put into this project. Thank you so much for sharing.

    Reply
  1124. Charissa on

    My dream dahlia would be a light dusty blue with frilly petals!

    Reply
  1125. Amelia on

    I would love to find a large pom pom style dahlia with dark foliage with the petals being white with a dark red edging.

    Reply
  1126. Rochelle on

    When I dream of the perfect dahlia to discover I see her with a muted plum color in the center with each petal fading to dusty light rose. Each blossom would be 3 to 4 inches across in the most perfect ball shape. In a seedling patch that I grow I would like to see a rainbow of color and a variety of sizes and shapes.

    Reply
  1127. LeAnne Kile on

    My dream dahlia would be a 4-6 inch beauty with lots of long bushy petals that is a deep and dark red with variations of lighter red throughout.
    I’m a young gardener with dreams of a big garden and would love to grow some dahlias from seed! I just started working at a large plant farm in between my nursing shifts and love everything about it!

    Reply
  1128. Carina on

    Finding a dahlia that is a soft explosion of blush pink would be wonderful no matter the shape or size. Trying to appreciate all the small Blessings that nature so generously provides us in the best and trying times can be so gratifying. I try to find those moments even if brief to assure myself that there is always beauty to discover around us.

    Reply
  1129. Lisa Porria on

    I recently made the decision to use a portion of our vegetable garden for a dahlia patch. It’s going to help fulfill my dream of a cutting garden on our homestead. My dream dahlia would have a deep lavender center gradually moving to yellows, peach and cream. I’d call it Storm as it would remind me of what the sky sometimes looks like as rainstorms pass over our Pacific Northwest home. Congratulations on your first anniversary!!

    Reply
  1130. Jessica on

    First I would like to thank you for opening my eyes to dalhias. I remember a few years back when I was searching flowers that can grow in my zone and I typed in dalhias and your pictures popped up on the search feed. I was hooked, love at first sight. Dalhias are all so unique and special, unlike any flower. My dream dalhia is a rainbow of colorful seeded dalhias. The ability to experience the joy of the surprise of what the seeded dalhia can bring. To embrace the unknown and be gifted with a new creation nature has came up with. It revives the magic we felt as children. Thank you again. For all of your inspiration, knowledge!

    Reply
  1131. Judit Smalley on

    My dream dahlia would be the variety my husband chooses. I love soft colors, dainty look, can’t resist pink tones, ball shapes, but he would always choose what I would not choose myself: big flowers, two toned flowers, stronger colors… And because he had choosen it, it has to go in the garden, I will encorporate it in bouquets, I learn to appreciate something new and at the end I realize how good it actually looks and take care of it the most 😊
    I hope overseas/Europe commenters aren’t excluded, if so, just exclude me.

    Reply
  1132. Camille on

    Since I’m dreaming….. I’ll invent a small (3″ max) size blue anemone dahlia . It would have a big fluffy yellow middle (like platinum blonde) dark yellow in the center and fading to a softer yellow where it meets the true medium blue petals. This flower would grow on medium tall stems.

    Reply
  1133. Jillian on

    I’m a newer home gardener, and this is my first year growing dahlias. I bought the Floret seed packet. I have been so excited since I found out that I might be able to grow these from seed!! I cannot wait to see what comes up and have reserved the most space in my garden for this awesome project!! I don’t even know what I like yet. I would love the books so I can learn as much as I can! But do not need the seeds because I will not have room for them. I hope everything that grows in my tiny dahlia patch is so different than the next (and I also hope they actually grow haha), honestly so excited. Thank you for the seeds!

    Reply
  1134. Annabelle Koglin on

    My dream dahlia would be a rose- raspberry-russet-orange hombré “dinner plate!” At least 5” across. *sigh*

    Reply
  1135. Diana on

    I love yellow dahlias! I think a dahlia that blended yellow and apricot would be lovely.

    Reply
  1136. Jeannine Stump on

    My dream dahlia would have rows upon rows of burgundy petals surrounding a slightly golden center. I would take some cuttings from it inside my art studio in order to paint necklaces of them.

    Reply
  1137. Alice H Siebecker on

    I grew dahlias from seed two years ago and loved it, but I didn’t really try and save the tubers (my bad) Last July this one little dahlia bloom poked out between the other flowers, I am guessing it was from the year before – it was a collarette type, and totally tomato bisque in color – everything on the flower was…..I picked it and enjoyed it and went back to look for more. No more were found. So now I am inspired to try the seeds again and have fun with saving tubers etc. I think the original dahlia seeds were from Floret. Thanks for sharing all your insights into this absolutely absorbing part of gardening.

    Reply
  1138. Janice Impson on

    My dream dahlia would be a unique blossom with lots of lacy pedals of shades of pink, from light to dark, edged with yellow and a raspberry center. I would be thrilled to find this in my patch standing up high above the rest as if shouting here I am, come meet me.

    Reply
  1139. Gillean Dean on

    My dream dahlia would be a 4-5 inch water lily with magenta and bright orange center with yellow petals on the outside. It would fade to sift sherbet colors of mauve or soft pink, peach or apricot with soft cream outside petals. A strong healthy vigorous bloomer with stems ideal for arranging. Thank you for the opportunity to sit down and think of and share my dream dahlia.

    Reply
  1140. Elena Hemphill on

    I think my dream Dahlia would be any Dahlia that I grew myself. Whether it be pink, yellow or orange the idea of growing something like that myself and watching it bloom would seems like a small miracle because I’m new to this and seeing it would mean that I had succeeded somehow.

    Reply
  1141. Allison on

    A dream dahlia for me would be one with spiraling petals, each with a twist, and swirling out in the same direction. Like a blooming pinwheel, it would be mesmerizing to watch its petals dance in the breeze.

    Reply
  1142. Laura Shepherd on

    My dream dahlia is probably not even possible, but it would evoke a sunset. The outer petals would start as a dark purple then transition to a beautiful magenta. The small inner petals would be a soft pink surrounding a bursting yellow center. I would love to see a flower match the beautiful paintings in the sky.

    Reply
  1143. Jeanette Oberlin on

    My dream dahlia…
    Like most commentors so far, narrowing down that list is nearly impossible!! I fell deep down the dahlia obsession hole last June, after seeing some amazing photos of Labyrinth! Part of every day since then has been spent learning, dreaming, planning, (24 dahlia darlings on their way so far:) and coming back to life after some difficult, dark days. This year I will grow from tubers, next year will add on cuttings, and seeds saved from my first year, ( off course if I were able to acquire some seeds this season, would love to have a naturalized patch of completely unique beauties to check on every morning!)
    Planting Morning Glories last year for the first time truly saved me, every single day I was up before or with the sun to see which flowers were blooming that day! I planted 12 varieties, and each day I was in awe of the endless variation even within a single type. That was the first time in my 58 years that I had planted something not knowing what was going to bloom. The pure, daily, joy and excitement of the anticipation and then the wonder of seeing something even more beautiful with each new day, was indeed priceless!
    My goal is to sell cut flowers this summer for the first time, but ultimately, I will always give away a large portion of anything I grow. Having ramped up a lifetime of gifting flowers using every conceivable source during last spring, summer, fall and even throughout this winter, I am more convinced than ever that flowers can not only bring a temporary smile, but also restore joy, hope, purpose, and even allow you a path to fulfill your destiny!
    I know that so many of the wonderful growers who will respond to this gracious giveaway are also living and giving this reality daily!
    Be blessed in everything thar you sow and reap:)
    Thank you for reading this, and for blessing untold multitudes with all that you do!- Jeanette
    (Since sunset is my favorite color, I would tend to choose seedlings that combine the orange, salmon, pink, and yellows, especially in the more uncommon forms such as anemone, collarette, possibly stellar, or waterlily…ohhh the choices!!)

    Reply
  1144. Kathi Scanlon on

    My dream dahlia is more of a front of the border small to medium height, glowing rose color with abundant production.
    I’m can only say that I’m in awe of the amount of work, artistry and determination to create that you display not only with dahlias but all the flowers you raise at your farm. There are so many choices available but your emails and mini classes have greatly increased my knowledge but I’m amazed at the variety and quality you display. I have been afraid of raising dahlias but finally tried some last year and was thrilled with what I got. However, I tried to harvest the seeds but was not successful. I want to try again and hope to have more success. I know you have inspired many and wish to applaud your achievements.

    Reply
  1145. Sharon Brorson on

    My dream dahlia would be a raspberry red with cream toward the center. My Mom grew raspberries in our yard in Minneapolis and we loved vanilla ice cream or real cream with fresh berries. Her name was Dahlia and she also grew dahlias in our yard. I love all dahlias and think of her everytime I see a dahlia in print or in a vase or growing in a garden. They are a gorgeous and showy beauty of a flower…just a delight.

    Reply
  1146. Elizabeth Anderson on

    I’m trying to imagine just ONE? Oh, that’s difficult. Okay, I close my eyes and I’m in the garden with my grandparents, in the early 1960’s. This little kid sees a starburst of a flower, way up high, with spikey vermillion petals, atomic, like fireworks ! And I’ve been looking for that dahlia ever since.

    Reply
  1147. Jennifer Daniel on

    A big plummy, jammy, purple—red beauty with tremendous depth of color and crazy petals like Labyrinth.

    Reply
  1148. Sandy D. on

    I spy with my little eye, a hidden gem in my dream garden. It’s a very healthy dahlia plant smothered with large anemone shaped blossoms supported on long strong stems. This dahlia has the coloring of sugar maples in the fall. Its outer petals fade from vermillion to tangerine and surround a fuzzy yellow center, streaked with a hint of green. Its name is Autumn Blaze.

    Reply
  1149. Christina B on

    I think a peach and white blend like peaches n cream but in a stellar form.

    Reply
  1150. Carolyn on

    Every year I seem to fall in love with something different. Last year the white and a bright butterscotch caught my eye. I think creamsicle. Usually I my home I love the fall colors of ambers and orange and a bit of something dark and something light thrills my heat. Like so many Cafe Au Lait is the one that made me want to grow them. They continue ie to be a heart breaker.

    Reply
  1151. Lynn Piraino on

    My dream dahlia would be soft yellow or soft apricot with a big bright burst of yellow in the middle… fading to white or a creamy color perhaps. I say this because the light color is just such a good generic color in the garden; it will set off any other flowers around it. For floral arrangements it will “own” a vase with other pastel colors or serve as a good back drop for a few other more dramatic colors like deep red or purple. a big yellow center is also a draw to so many different types of pollinators. They might be attracted to the yellow center and will then find their way to other flowers in the bed. The light and bright yellow combo would make me and the “bugs” happy. I’d also love a tuber that is resistant to some extended moist soil. I live in Portland, OR so often my dahlias rot even when i try to get them out of the soil before it seems possible. I have a special raised dahlia bed where I overwinter a few tubers but it’s very well drained. Anything I plant in other beds, i must pull and dry out… provided I’m faster than the torrential rain and the slugs!

    Reply
  1152. Jennifer K. on

    They remind me of those hostess snowballs which I never liked eating but they are pretty to look at -so perhaps a fluffy pink snowball pom or a buttery yellow pollinator ! I’d be happy with any though. I just bought your first book and I’m already looking for the second

    Reply
  1153. Caris Zimmerman on

    My dream dahlia would be an all white dahlia with a tiny rim of dark maroon around each petal. The shape would be more like the 8-10 petal flowers with a lime green center instead of yellow.
    Is this even possible?
    For seeds, I love anything white, coral, peach, or Pom pom shaped! So cute!

    Reply
  1154. Abigail on

    I love white dahlias , there so pretty . I would love to walk out in the garden and see a big healthy plant full of big white dahlias.

    Reply
  1155. Kailey G on

    My dream dahlia would have a fluffy full yellow center like Little Miss Sunshine with coral/peach full leaves that grow in color towards the ends of the petals. Lots of texture and brightness that makes an arrangement light up the room.

    Reply
  1156. Gretchen struve on

    My dream dahlia would be at my eye level, which is five feet and one inch tall.

    It would be a deep gold in the center and have tiny spirals of gold that furl out into a lighter slightly iridescent shade of gold. Those spirals would overlap on pedals of a dusty rose that have golden tips. The petals of dusty rose with golden tips would be supported by the largest petals, another layer of iridescent mother of pearl and apricot blended in a variety of scale.
    I would be thrilled to start any variety of dahlia by seed. As I have been growing my patch (which is becoming increasingly exciting every season) by tubers only and would love to experience growing by seed!

    Reply
  1157. Connie Carroll on

    The Bellevue Botanical Garden’s display bed by the gift store last fall included a dahlia named River Dance. It was a stunning red but sadly not found on any searches to date. Your red dahlias C9 an B50 remind me of the rich deep red color and I will hope you offer them one day.

    Reply
  1158. Chrystal on

    My ideal dahlia would be a large formal decorative in a soft cream color with a solid dark raspberry center

    Reply
  1159. Carlee Schaefer on

    I think my favorite discovery would be a bronze/brown dahlia with lots of fluffy petals that faded into lavender with a dark almost black center. Sort of like the Koko Loko rose petal colors with a panda anemone center. I love the metallic looking coloring on flowers, so strong looking yet so soft and buttery.

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  1160. Meagan Gill on

    My dream dahlia would be salmon colored with lots of spiked petals that curve upward.

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  1161. Cassie Beaman on

    A white + a hit of forget me not blue giant dinner plate dahlia with a fluffy Floret dahlia center seems like a dream to me! Working in the wedding industry blues are hard to come by, especially a soft blue! But really though, are there blue dahlias out in the world?! Love to see this dream come to life, now I’ve gotta start my own breading patch to make this a reality!

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  1162. Rachel C on

    Wow, what a question! I think I would be excited to see any large, long stem dahlia from seed. Especially if it was a pompom :)

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  1163. Tracey Culver on

    Amazing. I’m wild about Firefly, C9, B50 and C72.
    My favorite dahlia for growing in the garden and for cutting is American Dawn. My dream dahlia would have all of that one’s characteristics, but flowers the color of your B50 and the shape of Cafe au Lait, with green centers. Five feet tall, long, strong dark stems and foliage, please. I bet you can do it!

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  1164. Shannon on

    My dream dahlia would be large, informal and the perfect coral to blush fade. I have loved following y’all so much, I’ve been and remain so inspired!

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  1165. Allyson on

    If we are dreaming, I’d say a pompom dahlia with each row of the pompom a different color. A pink center and slowly transitioning each row to a purple/maroon base.

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  1166. Emily Renda on

    I am just starting to learn about dahlias, but I’m envisioning a large bloom with pale, warm pink petals that fade into champagne.

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  1167. Angela Hogue on

    My dream dahlia would be an amazing ball/decorative type that ombrés from lavenders to pinks to peaches!!

    I would just be thrilled to find ME in my seedling patch!!! I think it would be amazing to watch a dahlia seed grow from seedling to beautiful blooms! am so compulsive now with checking seedlings several times a day of other types I could only imagine if they were of my favorite flowers!!! To have a gift of creating beautiful flowers from a seed is truly the ultimate gift from nature!

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  1168. Emily Senski-Taylor on

    This is my first year starting a fresh cut flower field and I’m so excited to add Dahlias to the mix. These flowers are absolutely captivating and will add so much beauty and elegance to the bounty. In my seedling patch, I would love to see a variety similar in color to Cornel Bronze or Cafe Au Latte because both of these are breathtaking. As for shape, I’m obsessed with star petals so my dream dahlia would definitely hold this form.

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  1169. Alinna on

    Oops, sorry for posting twice; I did not follow the directions. I get excited about ANY flowers growing; I’m pretty new to growing and cannot learn fast enough. What I have learned is that I like rounded petals (not cactus-style) with LOTS AND LOTS of petals and unusual coloring — either like picotee style or like bi-color like Creme de Cassis. But really, any flower just really makes my heart sing. Nature is pretty rad.

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  1170. Jacky Surber on

    My dream dahlia would be a multi colored crazy shape with a water color faded effect as it matures changing color everyday. I would love to plant a breeding patch!

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  1171. Ruma Chakravarti on

    I would love to discover a deep purple dahlia with a pale lavender to blush coloured puffy centre. You have made me fall in love all over again with these amazing flowers that we used to grow in the winter months of my childhood in India. Thank you!!

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  1172. Alinna S on

    Wow, this is a giveaway I gotta cross all my fingers for. :) This post was serious serious eye candy. Melts my heart.

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  1173. margaret on

    light to medium pink with petal edges a bit darker giving even more visual depth. somewhere between a cafe au lait, an appleblossom and the new floret. But really — any one that makes me smile and find that joy. which could be so very many!!!

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  1174. Laura Miner on

    This is my first year growing dahlias. I bought your book several months ago and love it. My ideal dahlia would be any shade of pink, and any shape. I’ve bought a few tubers to try this year…..maybe I’ll try seeds next year! So much fun learning about flower growing!

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  1175. Suzy Hardin on

    I would love to grow a peachy dahlia with some deep pink or reddish edges. I also love the look of the edges that curl in so slightly.

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  1176. Adam azizah on

    Je m exprimerai en français car
    C est ma langue. J adore les fleurs et faire des bouquets. J ai un jardin dans une île tropicale. J aimerai tant faire pousser des dahlias , surtout les innombrables variétés de votre ferme! Mes couleurs préférées sont les pêches, rosées.. Erin m a fait aimer plus cette catégorie de fleurs depuis que je lis ces posts!

    Reply
  1177. Trish on

    My dream dahlia would have peach and cream petals with a more starlike shape.

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  1178. Elle on

    My dream dahlia would probably be anemone shaped in a Peaches n Cream color.

    Waiting for the first flower to bloom on a dahlia grown from seed has me like a kid on Christmas morning, so full of anticipation and excitement! I think I saved all of the tubers of the dahlias I grew from seed last year.

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  1179. Hope on

    My dream dahlia would be a lemon lime green. Not super tight petal, but mid sized. Ideally more lime towards the center and chartreuse yellow in the unfolded petal tips. Also produces lots of healthy tubers for dividing and a string stem. Ideal!

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  1180. KC on

    Pink with a soft duckling-yellow, definitely water lily form.

    Reply