Flower Spotlight: The Magnificent Dahlia

November 7, 2014

If you’re looking to dazzle visitors to your flower garden, the dahlia is the perfect flower for you. These gorgeous perennials come in an amazing array of bloom shapes and striking colors.

Some dahlias can grow up to 4 feet high with large, intricate blooms. But don’t let their exotic beauty fool you–dahlias are relatively low-maintenance and will grace you with their beauty yearly as long as they get plenty of sun and basic TLC.

Read on to discover some gorgeous dahlia cultivars that will make perfect additions to your flower garden!

Barbarry Banker

Barbarry Banker is a gorgeous ball dahlia with vivid pink blooms (see photo above). Mature blooms have a hint of yellow in the center and have a diameter of 6 to 8 inches.

Barbarry Banker dahlia plants reach a height of about 4 feet, so you will need to stake the plants as they grow to give them support. These dahlias are perennials in USDA hardiness zones 8 through 11, which include the Southeast US, Texas, and most of California.

Bishop of Llandaff

The Bishop of Llandaff is a very popular dahlia cultivar, and it’s easy to see why. Its vivid red blooms with golden centers pop against the plant’s super-dark foliage (see photo above). Blooms reach a diameter of about 4 inches, and plant height reaches 3 to 4 feet.

This dahlia also attracts butterflies and makes beautiful cut flowers. Bishop of Llandaff dahlias are perennial in USDA hardiness zones 9a through 11a.

Bodacious

“Bodacious” is the perfect name for this dahlia. These dahlias boast huge blooms with diameters of 10 inches or more.

They come in vivid red and yellow with striking ruffled petals. Plants grow to a height of about 4 feet, so these flowers require good staking to keep them upright.

Like most dahlias, the bodacious is perennial in USDA hardiness zones 8 through 11. However, this cultivar responds well to being lifted and stored for the winter, so gardeners farther north can enjoy this eye-catching beauty.