Dahlia flowers are available in a wide range of sizes, shapes, and colors. According to the American Dahlia Society, there are about 10,000 different registered dahlia varieties! Let’s look at 25 of the most popular dahlia varieties and see which ones might be a good fit for your garden.
1. Café Au Lait dahlia
The Café Au Lait dahlia is likely the most popular dahlia variety. This voluminous dinner-plate-sized beauty is a favorite of both flower gardeners and florists. Café Au Lait is a creamy rose color with a hint of peachy beige towards the center. The blooms are usually 6″-8″ wide but occasionally reach up to 10″ wide.
Café au Lait is one of the easiest dahlia cultivars to find. The popularity of the Café Au Lait Dahlia has led breeders to introduce variations of this gorgeous flower. Dahlia ‘Café au Lait Royal’ is a soft pink color, while Café au Lait Rosé is a brighter pink hue. There is even a newer ‘Café au Lait Twist’ available. These natural sports (mutations) of the original Café au Lait generally retain the same shape and size. Their petals form a spiral arrangement.
The Café Au Lait dahlia variety is classified as an informal decorative dahlia with pink petals and a medium flower size of 6″-8″ wide (NDS classification number 2104). Read more about different types of dahlias.
2. Labyrinth dahlia
Dahlia ‘Labyrinth’ is a popular informal dinner-plate decorative variety with pink petals. Labyrinth is known for its unique bicolor appearance, which blends vibrant pink and coral peach to create a highly sought-after flower. Labyrinth dahlia produces flowers that grow to reach 8″-10″ wide (20-25 cm).
“Trying to put the beauty of this magnificent variety into words feels almost impossible. The vigorous, dark-leaved plants produce a staggering number of large peachy-raspberry flowers that are like nothing else we’ve ever grown.”
Dahlia Sizes, Floret Farm’s Discovering Dahlias: A Guide to Growing and Arranging Magnificent Blooms, by Erin Benzakein
3. Cornel dahlia
Dahlia ‘Cornel’ is one of the most popular red dahlias and also one of the most popular ball types of dahlias. This variety is known for its richly-hued cherry red petals that are neatly arranged in concentric layers around the center of the flower. They are stunning in a flower bed.
Cornel Dahlia flowers are typically about 4″ wide. Cornel is classified as a ball dahlia with dark red petals and is given the classification number 6007.
4. Cornel Bronze dahlia
Dahlia ‘Cornel Bronze’ is a sport variation (natural mutation) of the popular original Cornell Dahlia. Cornel Bronze is an orange-pink variety with the same size and hardy characteristics as the original red version. This bronze ball dahlia is given the classification number 6011.
5. Break Out dahlia
Dahlia ‘Break Out’ is a newer pink-petalled Informal Decorative dinnerplate dahlia variety. The huge 8″-10″ flowers are a soft pink hue with tones of creamy yellow-white towards the center. Break Out dahlias are also known for their strong, sturdy stems, which hold up the heavy blooms well on the plant and in fresh floral arrangements.
6. Kelvin Floodlight dahlia
Dahlia ‘Kelvin Floodlight’ are very popular dinner plate dahlias with golden-yellow petals. These blooms grow 10″ wide with beautiful pointed petals. The heavy blooms of this variety mean that this plant requires staking.
The Kelvin Floodlight Dahlia is classified as a Formal Giant-type Decorative dahlia with yellow petals. Kelvin Floodlight is given the classification number 0002.
7. Thomas Edison dahlia
Dahlia ‘Thomas A. Edison’ is a classic Informal Decorative purple dahlia variety. These plants grow to 7″-8″ wide with a richly-colored bright yellow center. Thomas Edison dahlia plants are also quite productive and are sometimes used in border gardens due to their landscaping appeal. The Thomas Edison dahlia is classified as 2109 by the ADS.
8. Peaches and Cream dahlia
Dahlia ‘Peaches And Cream’ is a spectacular orange-yellow dahlia variety. Sometimes, the tips are nearly white, making the triangular petals look almost like candy corn. These bicolor flowers are about 5″ wide. Peaches And Cream Dahlias are within the specialty types of dahlias but are becoming more available with each growing season.
9. Spartacus dahlia
Dahlia ‘Spartacus’ is a dark-red velvety dahlia variety. This stunning flower is classified as an Informal Decorative dahlia, with large blooms that usually reach 9″-10″ wide. The Spartacus Dahlia is in Class 1107.
10. Myrtle’s Folly dahlia
Dahlia ‘Myrtle’s Folly’ is a unique yellow-orange-pink dahlia variety with twisted petals and deep green foliage. The petals are so narrow that they sometimes tend to curl around themselves making the flowers extra fluffy. Myrtle’s Folly Dahlias are classified as dark-blend medium-sized (6″-8″ wide) Laciniated-type (Class 2513).
11. Crazy Love dahlia
Dahlia ‘Crazy Love’ is an elegant white dahlia variety with purple-edged petals. These flowers are creamy-yellow in the center but the majority of the flower is white. The colorful edges are a Fuschia-lavender shade. Crazy Love flowers are an Informal Decorative variety that grows to about 4″-5″ wide each. The Crazy Love dahlia is given classification number 3101 by the ADS.
12. Fleurel dahlia
Dahlia ‘Fleurel’ is one of the most popular large white dahlia varieties. The flowers reach 7″-9″ wide each. The Fleurel Dahlia is classified within the large-sized Informal decorative types of dahlias (Class 1101).
13. Emory Paul dahlia
Dahlia ‘Emory Paul’ is one of the largest dinner plate dahlias available. These giant fluffy pink-purple blooms grow between 10″ and 12″ wide. The Emory Paul Dahlia is an Informal Decorative-type categorized as Class 0109.
14. Jowey Winnie dahlia
Dahlia ‘Jowey Winnie’ is one of the most popular pink ball dahlias available. The petals of this flower are a rich pink shade. Most flowers are about 2″ wide each. The Jowey Winnie Dahlia is in Class 6005.
15. RIP City dahlia
Dahlia ‘RIP City’ is a popular dark red dahlia variety. This Informal Decorative type has a dark burgundy center with velvety petals. These are smaller flowers that grow on prolific plants. The RIP City Dahlia is given the classification number 3107.
16. Mystery Day dahlia
Dahlia ‘Mystery Day’ is a spectacular bicolor red and white variety. This Formal Decorative type has rich red petals at the base that turn white at the tips. These plants grow in the range of 4″-6″ wide each. The Mystery Day Dahlia is in Class 3015.
17. Islander dahlia
Dahlia ‘Islander’ is a gorgeous pink dinner plate type. This variety has dark pink petals that fade to softer pink towards the edges. The stunning Informal Decorative-type plants that grow 8″-10″ across. The Islander Dahlia is in Class 1105.
18. Firepot dahlia
Dahlia ‘Firepot’ are unique bicolor yellow and dark-orange waterlily dahlias. This variety has broad outer rings of petals with sunshine-yellow centers and orange-red tips (flame blend). The Firepot Dahlia is in Class 7312.
19. October Sky dahlia
Dahlia ‘October Sky’ is a peach-yellow bicolor dahlia variety. These gorgeous flowers have layers of yellow blooms in the center surrounded by cheerful salmon-pink petals around the outside of the bloom, giving them an ombre effect. October Sky Dahlias tend to grow about 5″ wide.
20. Big Brother dahlia
Dahlia ‘Big Brother’ is a new Informal Decorative dinner plate variety with yellow-gold petals. The broad petals of this introduction are slightly streaked with a dusky orange shade. Big Brother Dahlias typically bloom in the range of 8″-10″ wide.
21. Bluetiful dahlia
Dahlia ‘Bluetiful’ is a unique purple dahlia with cool blue undertones. These small Informal Decorative-type dahlias grow to 5″-6″ wide. The lavender shade of the flowers is much cooler than other purple dahlia varieties, making this one a favorite. Bluetiful Dahlias are in Class 3109.
22. Strawberry Ice dahlia
Dahlia ‘Strawberry Ice’ is a pink dinner-plate dahlia variety with yellow tones towards the center of the 8″-wide flower. Classified as a large Informal Decorative type, this variety is prized for its voluminous flowers and sturdy petals that tend to curl slightly outwards. This dahlia is in Class 1104.
23. Gerrie Hoek dahlia
Dahlia ‘Gerrie Hoek’ is a popular pink heirloom dahlia variety. These waterlily dahlias are known for their bright, almost-tropical pink shade. The Gerrie Hoek Dahlia is in Class 7304.
24. Tartan dahlia
Dahlia ‘Tartan’ is a specialty bicolor dahlia with striped red and white petals. The sides of each petal are a dark burgundy shade, while the center of each petal is streaked with a pure white stripe. This Informal Decorative variety can grow up to 8″ wide. The Tartan Dahlia is in Class 2115.
25. Pulp Fiction dahlia
Dahlia ‘Pulp Fiction’ is a specialty mini dahlia with bright red flowers and dark purple foliage. This is a Mignon Single-type variety with flowers about 2″ across. Plants grow to reach only 10″-12″ tall, making this a wonderful variety for growing in flowerpots. They have miniature flowers and are in Class 9707.
Which is better ..to plant in a pot or in the landscape? I usually plant in pots around our pool, but they don’t seem to get very big.
My dahlias always seem to do better in the ground than in pots. It’s so much more convenient to plant them in big pots, but the roots that I plant out in the garden almost always develop into much larger, more vigorous plants with more flowers. I think its worth trying the same variety in a few spots to see how it does in your landscape.