Dahlias: best for making bouquets

XXL flowers or mini pom-poms?

With their sturdy stems, all dahlias make excellent cut flowers that last over a week in a vase. Cut without guilt: the more you cut the flowers from the dahlia, the more the plant produces new ones.

XXL Flowers: Huge Capitula!

• The flowers of Giant Dahlias are as large as a plate (15 to 35 cm)! Very double, sometimes very frizzy, they are perfect for creating impressive, generous, large colourful bouquets, either uniflorous as they stand alone, or by combining them with other varieties. The colours are very varied, ranging from the subtle ‘Café au lait’ to the more intense, ‘Myrtle’s Folly’. The flowers can also be bicoloured (‘Contraste’).
• Among the large ones, measuring 20 to 25 cm in diameter, are the graphic Pom-Pom Dahlias and Cactus Dahlias which bear very large, frizzy, rounded, very double, very full flowers.

Miniatures and Contrasted

• The small ones (Collarette Dahlias, Anemone Dahlias) have inflorescences of 10 to 15 cm and are certainly among the most contrasted! They add a lot of originality to bouquets.
• Miniatures, less than 10 cm: Here we find the flowers of Pompon Dahlias which are the miniature version of Ball Dahlias. Their sturdy stems hold up very well in a vase and their small, tightly packed, honeycomb-like flowers are well suited for cutting.

A choice of shape

For graphic round bouquets

• Ball or Pompon Dahlias (‘Burlesca’) and Pompon Dahlias with their perfectly spherical flowers are highly sought after for creating compact, round bouquets. The mini ‘Pompon’ add a punctate touch to a composition and must be paired with various more bushy varieties. They come in vibrant colours ranging from corn yellow (‘Icoon’) to warm pink and scarlet red.

For fresh and romantic bouquets

• Decorative Dahlias (‘Gerrie Hoek’): their large, ample, full, and very double flowers, sometimes reminiscent of a water lily or camellia, have excellent vase life and are therefore highly prized in bouquets. Dahlias ‘Seduction’ and ‘Babylon Rose’ are among the most beautiful and allow for variations in shades of pink and mauve.

For soft and wild bouquets

• Cactus Dahlias: their tousled flowers with a vintage charm give bouquets a carefree air, infusing a sense of freedom. They are very colourful (‘Encore’), often bicoloured or in subtle gradations (‘Bora Bora’).

To add contrast to a bouquet

• Anemone-flowered Dahlias, characterised by large flowers with flat petals contrasting with a very double centre of frizzled petals. They offer an unprecedented palette of colours; gold/rose (‘Blue Bayou’) or surprising gradations of orange and pink (‘Floorinoot’).
• In the case of Collarette Dahlias, the crown is often a different colour, sometimes very contrasting.

What to pair them with?

Due to their opulence, dahlia flowers often stand alone, but they also harmoniously combine with other seasonal flowers such as roses, lilies, and more structured flowers like asters, with the grey-green foliage of eucalyptus, or for a more contemporary touch, with the feathery inflorescences of grasses, perfect for lightening and providing a contrast of texture in bouquets.

The right cut for the right fit!

To make your bouquets last longer:

• pick the flowers early in the morning,
• choose those that are just starting to open,
• cut the stems cleanly with a sharp pruning shear,
• place them quickly in a vase of cold water.