Dahlia Information

As part of Delaware Dahlia's mission, below you will find general information on Dahlias as well as Delaware-specific information. The information you find here will be a quick introduction about dahlias, help you learn why buying local dahlias benefits you the consumer as well as your local economy, fun facts on how dahlias grow, and get you excited about dahlias as a cut flower with the thousands of varieties that will make you fall in love with this flower over and over again! While you will learn about all the above, most importantly, you will also discover how this flower is being offered by growers right here in Delaware!

Growing Season

Dahlias are planted after the dangers of the last frost in the spring, in Delaware, this is mid-to-late April. With 90 days to maturity, Dahlia blooms can be anticipated by consumers starting in July and extending through the first frosts of fall and winter. While first frost dates may be hard to predict, in Delaware we use November for planning purposes.

Growing Conditions

Dahlias love the sun and prefer at least 6 to 8 hours of sun. Dahlias also prefer soil temperatures of at least 60 degrees or warmer. When farmers are growing in traditional outside settings you can not expect to purchase Dahlias in December.

Dahlia Varieties

Dahlias come in all sorts of varieties and unique combinations of shapes, sizes, and colors with tens of thousands of cultivars. There are growers in Delaware with over 25 varieties!

How Dahlias Grow

Dahlias can be grown from seed or tuber. Tubers look sort of like a bulb, and are made up of three main parts, the body, neck, and eyes. If you grow dahlias from seed, you do not know what variety will grow. To grow specific varieties, you need to plant the tuber from the desired dahlia plant or take cuttings.

Shipping Dahlias

Most likely, you have not had many opportunities to purchase dahlia cut flowers at larger commercial outlets, as traditionally dahlias do not ship well. By purchasing local flowers one of the benefits is not only access to fresh cut flowers but also access to more unique flower varieties including dahlias.

Enjoying Dahlias

Buying local means that you are buying flowers that are more recently harvested which means you will be able to enjoy more time with your flowers. This is important for dahlia-cut flowers due to their potentially shorter vase life.

Local Cut Flowers

When you buy locally grown cut flowers you are supporting your flower farmer as a small business, which in turn benefits your local economy.
In supporting your local flower farmer, you are also able to learn about their growing practices as well as work environment. Locally grown flowers tend to be more sustainably grown in farming practices and done so with a healthier work environment.
Supporting your local flower farmers also benefits all our pollinator friends, like bees.
Buying locally grown flowers also allows you to be 100% confident of where the flowers you enjoy are coming from, right there from the grower in your area!