Guide Note

The dahlia, a native of Central America, Mexico and Colombia, is a bushy perennial plant that is extremely popular in North America due to the many different shapes and vivid colors.

The dahlia plant grows in a range from 12 inches to 8 feet, while the flower itself can be as small as 2 inches or as big as a foot. The American Dahlia Society acknowledges 19 different blooms.

Fast Facts

1. Named after the Swedish botanist Anders Dahl
2. There are [36] recognized species and thousands of varieties
3. National flower of Mexico
4. Official flower of the city of Seattle

Popular Dahlia Varieties

1. Embrace
2. Valley Porcupine
3. Camano Pet
4. Kelvin Floodlight
5. Duet
6. Thomas A Edison
7. Park Princess
8. Bishop of Llandaff
9. Pam Howden
10. Spartacus
11. April Dawn
12. Camano Sitka
13. Taratahi Lilac
14. Akita
15. Appleblossom

The Mahalo Top 7

1. Wikipedia: Dahlia
2. American Dahlia Society: Growing, Showing, Enjoying Dahlias
3. National Dahlia Societies: About the Dahlia
4. My Web Garden: A Comprehensive Look at The Garden Dahlia
5. The Flower Expert: Dahlias
6. National Gardening Association: All About Dahlias
7. Iowa State University: Growing Dahlias (242 KB)   

Dahlia Information and History

• Harvard University: The Dahlia: An Early History (964 KB)  
• Botanical.com: Dahlia Information
• Ohio State University: Growing Dahlias
• North Carolina Education: Dahlias for the Home Landscape
• University of RI: Dahlias FactSheet
• The Flower Bulb: Dahlia Profile

Dahlia Images

• Dahlia.com: Dahlia Pictures
• Google Image Search: Dahlias
• Yahoo! Image Search: Dahlias
• Flickr: Dahlias Photographs
• MSN Image Search: Dahlias

Dahlias Gardening Tips

• • Mahalo's Guide to Gardening
• Garden Guides: Dahlia Garden Basics
• University of Vermont: Dahlia and June Gardening Tips

Dahlia Planting

• eHow: How to Plant Dahlias
• Colorado Dahlia Society: Planting Dahlias in the Garden Bed
• Snohomish County Dahlia Society: How To Plant Dahlia Tubers
• Mid Island Dahlia Society: Planting Dahlia Tubers & Plants

Dahlia Maintenance

• National Gardening Association: Plant Care Guides
• Dahlia Guide: Dahlia Care
• The Garden Helper: Planting, Growing & Caring for Dahlias 
• Penn State Dept of Plant Pathology: Dahlia Disease Symptoms & Management
• Wikipedia: List of dahlia diseases
• eHow: How to Care for Dahlias

Dahlias Buying Guides

• Dahlias Net: The Dahlia Buyers Guide
• Almanac: Tropical Bulbs

Dahlia Retailers

• Dahlia Barn: Dahlia Barn Online Catalog
• Endless Summer Flower Farm: Dahlia tubers, bulbs, and flowers
• Swan Islan Dahlias: Dahlia flower, bulbs, seeds
• Lynch Creek Dahlias: Dahlia Bulbs, Dahlia Flowers, Growing Tubers

Dahlia Seeds

• Colorado Dahlia Society: Growing Dahlias from Seeds
• Neseed: Dahlia Flower Seed for Home, Garden and Professional Growing

Online Dahlia Florists

• • Mahalo's Guide to Online Florists

• FTD.com: Exquisite Red Dahlia
• USA Florist: Dahlia
• The Enchanted Florist: Teleflora's Dazzling Dahlias

Dahlia Blogs and Forums

• Gardenweb Forum: Dahlia Advice
• Garden Forum: Dahlias in the Garden Forum

Dahlias in Culture

• American Dahlia Society: National Flower of Mexico
• National Library of Medicine: The medicinal and nutritional properties of Dahlia