11/05/2026
Here’s an introduction to a handful of the 1st year dahlias that made the cut and will be grown next year at the farm for continued observation.
Named and sold dahlia varieties are either tubers or cuttings, because these will produce an exact clone. But dahlia seed will almost always produce something new, so seed is how the breeding process begins. Hybridizers (🙋♀️) often grow hundreds or thousands of seeds to try and find an interesting new dahlia.
If something piques my interest in the first year, I’ll save its tubers and grow it the following season so it comes back true. The next few years will be spent taking extensive notes on plant and flower behavior, testing vase life of the cuts, and storage life of the tubers. I have a stringent set of criteria that a new dahlia needs to meet before I officially name it and send it out into the world. If at any point one of these fails to check those boxes in the coming years, it won’t continue on.
Which of these dahlias is your favorite? Questions about hybridizing or growing dahlias from seed? I’m all ears! Drop your comments below.
