Create a Stunning Bridal Bouquet with Dahlias

Dahlias may lack fragrance, but they more than compensate with deep, rich colors and eye-catching forms—frills, splashes, and stripes that make every bloom a small masterpiece. For bouquets, choose varieties with long, strong stems and flowers 3–4 inches across that angle slightly upward rather than sideways. Avoid most single dahlias, which tend to drop their petals (though 'Bashful' is an exception).

Favorite Bouquet Dahlias

• 'Angel's Dust' (5 ft.) – White, water lily-shaped blooms brushed with lavender.
• 'Bashful' (2½ ft.) – Deep purple single blooms with lavender tips and golden centers.
• 'Bliss' (4½ ft.) – Rose-mauve water lily flowers with soft yellow centers.
• 'Chilson's Pride' (5 ft.) – Pink blooms with white centers.
• 'Pink Gingham' (4½ ft.) – Bright lavender-pink petals with white tips.

Getting Started

• When to plant: March in mild areas; April or May in cooler regions.
• Bloom time: July to early October.
• Start from: Tubers (buy at least a dozen per bouquet) or nursery plants in summer.
• Where to buy: Nurseries in early spring; for best variety, try specialists like Sea-Tac Dahlia Gardens (206/824-3846) or Swan Island Dahlias (800/410-6540).

What Dahlias Need

• Soil: Well-draining; amend with compost before planting.
• Exposure: Full sun.
• Planting: Dig 1-foot-deep holes. For large dahlias (>4 ft.), make holes 1½ ft. wide; for smaller types, 9–12 in. wide. Space large varieties 4–5 ft. apart; small ones 1–2 ft. apart.
• Staking: For tall varieties, drive a 5–6 ft. stake off-center in the hole. Place tuber horizontally with growth bud pointing toward the stake.
• Water: Begin irrigating when growth reaches 6–12 in.; keep soil consistently moist thereafter.
• Fertilizer: Mix low-nitrogen fertilizer (e.g., 10-20-20) into soil at planting.
• Grooming: Deadhead spent blooms regularly.

With proper care, these dahlias will yield armloads of spectacular stems for bouquets all season long.