By Debra Kaye
Arriving just as one begins to say goodbye to summer, miraculous dahlias join in concert with our collective senses when they are most heightened to nature. (Think of the dizzying colors—azure-domed skies, and foliage that begins to hint at a dramatic exit.) Dahlias are late summer romance and autumn glory. Make no mistake; these flowers woo.
Begin with one humble-looking tuber and plant in May. By the end of the growing season, you will have produced an unmatched abundance of multiple blooms. Highly productive, the more flowers one cuts from a dahlia, the more productive the stem. Think caterpillar to butterfly. Bonus: you will have 3-10 tubers that develop from the original plant.
While many are familiar with the bright, saturated dahlia colors, it’s worth noting that many are drawn to the more subtle hues—from blush to tender peach.
Dahlias come in six sizes, 20 forms (tightly spaced petals to cactus to a loose, lush look), and offer upwards of 50,000 varieties. From a perfect ball shape to a giant flower bigger than a face, to a lollipop pom pon, the diversity of dahlias is staggering. So seemingly endless are the blooms, that those gazing on beauty may not even recognize that the object of their affection is a dahlia. Perhaps more so than other flowers, dahlias flirt, inspiring play.
To enjoy Bear Creek Farm’s award-winning, magnificent dahlias, try a flower subscription, at the pickup location of your choice. Bear Creek Farm CSA Flower Subscription
For gardeners, Bear Creek Farm sells the largest variety of dahlia tubers in the Northeast. Sales begin in December. Bear Creek Farm Dahlia Tubers