My romance with the dahlia family has flourished for years. It began with the massive, bold-colored dahlias in the city. Since they could not cross the city street to me, I made the first move and crossed over to them. Then I made a commitment, to spread “dahlia love.”

Let’s get right down to why they are so lovable.

Reason one:

The abundance of flowers especially in August, September and October, when so many perennials have dropped the curtain on their shows for the season. Dahlias are hitting their stride at this time. They will carry color and flowers through for you until the first-hard-biting frost. If you want some “heavy hitters” in your ball park, dahlias are your players.

Reason two:

There are many different dahlia characters. Ever-so-perfectly-ball-shaped flowers, large-flouncy-decorative flowers, artistic anemone and collarette-shaped flowers, novelty-cactus shaped flowers and more all arising from lush green foliage or burgundy foliage. The foliage alone could fall into a reason for growing dahlias if you are keen on foliage and texture in your garden.

Reason three:

Dahlias don’t mind moving, in fact, every year I move mine. In Maryland they are “lifted” in late Fall and stored until mid Spring and then planted out again. Most perennials don’t like to be disturbed too much but dahlias don’t skip a beat if they are placed in a new location the next season. They stay dormant stored in a cool location, but back to business as normal, when planted out again as the soil warms up. How many plants have those attributes and carry on as if nothing happened?

Reason four:

Dahlias are standouts in bouquets in an array of different color tones for your home or office decor. It’s satisfying to step outside and cut a few flowers that you have planted and bring them indoors. Dahlia flowers are edible, both the leaves and flowers, so there is no need to worry about toxins in your library or on your dining room table. Dahlias are popular with brides in table centerpieces and stunning, bridal party bouquets. A bride always wants a memorable floral bouquet for her wedding day. Dahlias help deliver it.

Reason five:

If you love tropical-vibe flowers but live in a colder zone choose dahlias to grow. They look like they hale from some exotic locale or from an arboretum but dahlias can easily be grown in your own garden. It has never been so easy to bring the tropics to your yard and table. Some dahlia flowers can grow to a width of twelve inches with masses of flower petals. There are some five-footer dahlias available as well as shorter front-of-the-border dahlias. The genes in the dahlia family pool, are diverse.

Soon you’ll be spreading “dahlia love” if you aren’t already. So many good dahlia relationship stories.

Until tomorrow…Tell someone about the many dahlia virtues.