Dahlias That Stole the Show This Season

A Look at My Top Performers, New Additions, and the “Maybe” List

Dahlia season always feels a little magical here at Green Willow Gardens. Every year I tell myself I won’t fall head over heels for a new variety, and every year I’m proven wrong. This season brought some incredible blooms along with a few surprises. If you’re planning your own dahlia lineup for next year or you simply love scrolling through gorgeous flowers, this is a good place to begin.

Below is a look at the dahlias that rose to the top, the tried and true varieties I can always count on, and the ones that need one more season before I fully commit.

These were the varieties that showed up strong, produced well, and made it into buckets for designers week after week.

Salmon Runner - This variety changed its tone month by month yet never lost its beauty. It stayed productive all season with dependable stem length and strength. It proved itself and is sticking around another year!

Sylvia (Maarn) - Sylvia was the burst of bright orange I didn’t realize I needed this season. The color is bold without being harsh which makes it a standout in both mixed bouquets and monochromatic designs. What really impressed me was the growth habit. This plant gave me an abundance of blooms paired with long, consistent stems that made harvesting feel effortless. If I could copy and paste the structure of this dahlia onto every plant in the field, I would. It was sturdy, productive, and always ready with more. This one definitely earned its place going forward.

Rock Run Ashley - Not technically new, but it deserves to sit here because it once again proved why so many growers love it. The color shifts to work with so many others and has a glow that photographs beautifully. It works great in mixed bouquets and is a designer favorite.

A Surprise Purple Favorite - I say every year that I’m finally going to pull this one out, yet somehow it wins me over all over again. It came to me as a mislabel so I still don’t know its real name. I simply call it Purple. Since it’s the only purple dahlia I grow, it has never caused any confusion.

This plant earns its space with sheer determination. It grows tall and sturdy with blooms that are beautifully structured and never flimsy. It produces heavily from early in the season through the last round of cuts which makes it a dream for bouquets and wholesale orders. I dug and divided it this fall which means we will have even more of it next year, and honestly I’m excited to see what it does with a little more room to shine.

Dahlias I’m Giving One More Year

Every season has a few varieties that land in the middle. They don’t impress enough to earn a guaranteed spot, but they also don’t deserve to be tossed out. These are the plants that get another season to prove what they can really do.

Copper Boy - The color is truly beautiful but the plant stayed on the shorter side which meant I didn’t get many stems that were long enough to use. I know this variety is a favorite for many growers, so I’m not giving up on it yet. It deserves another year or two to see if it settles in and shows me what everyone else raves about.

Pink Pearl - This one is a heartbreaker because the color is a lovely soft pink and the blooms are big and substantial. The challenge is that the centers tended to blow open faster than I would like which made the window for harvesting pretty narrow. There is a lot to like here but I’m not fully convinced yet. I’ll grow it again to see if it performs better with a bigger plant and a fresh season.

Wizard of Oz - I wanted to love this one but the season made it tricky. It leaned more purple than I prefer and stayed quite short which limited how many stems I could cut for bouquets and wholesale orders. It produced plenty of blooms, so the plant clearly wants to work, but I need longer stems to justify the space. I’ll give it one more year to see if it stretches a bit and evens out in color.

Dahlias keep you humble. They keep you curious. And they never fail to surprise you. This season was full of blooms that reminded me why I grow them in the first place. I hope this list helps you dream about next year’s garden or choose new varieties with confidence.

If you want to follow along for next season’s field planning and first blooms, join me on Instagram or stop by the farm during our summer events.