30/05/2026
A guide, but remember it's American in old fashioned England! Better to use Metric in Australia - huh, that's debatable, isn't it!
I'll never understand why the US stuck with the 'Imperial' measurements and weights!
To me as a baker🧑🍳 and home cook to see recipes in ounces, lbs, pints, quarts and gallons is rather quaint😆🌸🌼
It's Dahlia Form Friday!
We promise to get into the details about different forms in the coming weeks, but before we talk about specific forms, it is important to understand the size classifications of dahlias as well.
Last week we introduced the 15 overall forms of dahlias. When talking about size, it can get a little bit confusing. Of the 15 forms, 6 of the forms split into 6 different sizes, 1 form splits into 3 sizes, and the remaining 8 forms (and Novelties) split into 2 sizes.
Formal Decorative, Informal Decorative, Semi-Cactus, Cactus, Incurved Cactus, and Laciniated forms all split into 6 sizes:
Giant (AA) over 10 inches wide
Large (A) 8-10 inches
Medium (B) 6-8 inches
Small (BB) 4-6 inches
Miniature (M) 2-4 inches
Micro (MC) up to 2 inches
Balls, Mini-balls, and Pompons have their own sizing system. These three are essentially the same form, with three different sizes:
Ball over 3.5 inches
Mini-Ball 2-3.5 inches
Pompom up to 2 inches
Finally, the remainder of the forms (Stellar, Waterlily, Peony, Anemone, Collarette, Orchid, Orchette, Single/Mignon Single, along with novelties) are split into only 2 different sizes:
Standard over 2 inches
Micro up to 2 inches.
How many sizes do you grow in your garden?
If you know the names of your varieties, you can look them up online on the ADS Classification guide, and learn more about all of the form, color, and size definitions.
The more you learn about dahlia forms and sizes, the easier it is to identify form and appreciate the wide variety of dahlias in the world.
https://www.dahlia.org/docsinfo/ocg/
