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Dahlias: How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Dahlia Flowers | The Old Farmer's Almanac

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Dahlias

pink giant dahlia flowers
Photo Credit
Junko Nishimoto/Shutterstock
Botanical Name
Dahlia spp.
Plant Type
Flower
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Bloom Time
Summer
Fall
Flower Color
Multicolor
Orange
Pink
Purple
Red
White
Yellow
Hardiness Zone
6
7
8
9
10
11
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How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Dahlias

Catherine Boeckmann
December 4, 2023
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Dahlias are breathtakingly gorgeous flowers that come in every color of the rainbow. The tubers are planted in late spring, and the flowers will bloom continuously from midsummer through fall. Learn more about planting, growing, and caring for dazzling dahlias in our Dahlia gardening guide.

About Dahlia Flowers

Picking a favorite dahlia is like going through a button box! The flowers can range in size from petite 2-inch lollipop-style pompoms to giant 15-inch “dinner plates.” Most varieties grow 4 to 5 feet tall. Dahlias grow in a wide range of beautiful colors, including white, yellow, orange, pink, dark pink, red, dark red, lavender, purple and black, light blend, bronze, flame, dark blend, variegated and bicolor!

Dahlia is a genus of tuberous plants that are members of the Asteraceae family. The tubers are planted in the ground in late spring (around the month of May) and generally flower from July to the first autumn frosts. Dahlias are perfect for a border garden and make lovely cut flowers. Growing vegetables? Put a row of dahlias on the border, where they will not shade your edibles.

Are Dahlias Perennials or Annuals?

Dahlias are tender perennials in their native warm climate of Mexico. In the U.S., they are considered a perennial in hardiness zones 8 and higher. See the USDA hardiness zone page. 

However, in colder regions (zones 7 and lower), dahlias are treated as annuals. That said, some gardeners have had luck keeping the dahlias in the ground in zones 6 and 7.

Luckily, cold-weather gardeners can also just dig up the tubers after the first fall frost and store them in their garage until spring. Learn how to dig up dahlias in the guide below.

dahlia flowers (pink, purple, and yellow) in a garden

Read Next

Planting

Dahlias thrive in 6 to 8 hours of direct sun, especially morning sunlight, and they benefit from protection from wind. Consider their size at maturity when planting. They grow best in rich, well-draining soil with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. Amend heavy clay soil with aged manure or compost to lighten and loosen the soil texture for better drainage.

When to Plant Dahlias

  • Dahlias will not tolerate cold soil. Plant when the soil reaches 60ºF (15°C) and any danger of frost has passed.
  • Planting dahlias a few days after tomatoes are planted in the ground is a good rule of thumb.
  • Some gardeners start tubers indoors in containers a month ahead to get a jump on the season. Medium to dwarf-size dahlias will do well in containers.

purple dahlia flowers in a garden

How to Plant Dahlias

Avoid planting dahlia tubers that appear wrinkled or rotten. Pink “eyes” (buds) or a little green growth are good signs. 

  • Plant large dahlias and those grown solely as cut flowers in a dedicated plot where they will be free from competition from other plants. Set tubers in rows spaced 3 feet apart. If you plant dahlias about 1 foot apart, they make an excellent flowering hedge and will support each other.
  • Plant medium- to low-height dahlias, usually in the 3-foot tall range, among other summer flowers. Set them 2 feet apart.
  • Plant the smallest bedding dahlias, grown from seed, 9 to 12 inches apart.

Start by digging a 6- to 8-inch deep hole to plant the tubers. It also helps to mix some compost and a handful of bonemeal into the planting hole. Otherwise, do not fertilize at planting.

  • Set a tuber into the hole with the growing points, or “eyes,” facing up. 
  • Do not break or cut individual dahlia tubers (as you would with potatoes).
  • Cover the tuber with 2 to 3 inches of soil. (Some say 1 inch is adequate.)
  • As the stem sprouts, fill in with soil until it is at ground level.
  • Do not water the tubers right after planting. This encourages rot. Wait until the sprouts have appeared above the soil, then water.
  • Do not spread mulch. Dahlias prefer sun on their roots, plus mulch harbors slugs.
  • Tall, large-flower cultivars require support. Place 5- to 6-foot stakes around plants and tie stems to them as the plants grow.
  • Dahlias begin blooming about 8 weeks after planting.

Growing Dahlias in Containers

Medium- to dwarf-size dahlias do well in containers that have drainage and are big enough to support the plant at maturity. Generally, a 12x12-inch container will suffice.

  • Use a soilless mix and co-polymer moisture-retaining crystals, per the package’s guidance.
  • Follow the depth requirements.
  • Cover the tuber with a few inches of soil-crystal mix.
  • Spray water on the tuber, if necessary, until growth starts.
  • Do not water if the soil is damp 1 inch below the surface.
  • Fertilize through summer as directed.
  • Add soil if the roots become exposed.

Check out our video to learn more about growing dahlias in your garden:

Growing

When dahlias are established, water 2 or 3 times a week and more in hot, dry climates. Be prepared to tend to plants before or after rain, when open blooms (especially large ones) fill up with water or take a beating from the wind.

  • After sprouting, dahlias benefit from a low-nitrogen, liquid fertilizer, such as 5-10-10 or 10-20-20. Fertilize every 3 to 4 weeks from sprouting in midsummer until early autumn. Do not over-fertilize, especially with nitrogen, or you risk small or no blooms, weak tubers, or rot.
  • When plants are about 1 foot tall, pinch out 3 to 4 inches of the center branch to encourage bushier plants and increase stem count and stem length.
  • For large flowers, try disbudding: Remove the two smaller buds next to the central one in a flower cluster. The plant will put all its energy into fewer but considerably larger flowers.
  • Bedding dahlias need no staking or disbudding. Simply pinch the center shoot just above the third set of leaves to encourage bushiness.
  • For more blooms, deadhead as flowers fade; deadheading keeps the flowers blooming for months!

White dahlias

Recommended Varieties

There are about 60,000 named varieties and 18 official flower forms, including cactus, peony, anemone, stellar, collarette, and waterlily. Here are some popular choices:

  • ‘Bishop of Llandaff’: small, scarlet, intense flowers; handsome, dark-burgundy foliage; 3 feet tall
  • ‘Miss Rose Fletcher’: an elegant, spiky, pink cactus plant with 6-inch globes of long, quilled, shell-pink petals; 4 feet tall
  • ‘Bonne Esperance’, aka ‘Good Hope’: dwarf variety that bears 1-1/2-inch, rosy-pink flowers all summer that are reminiscent of Victorian bedding dahlias; 1-foot tall
  • ‘Kidd’s Climax’: the ultimate in irrational beauty with 10-inch “dinnerplate” flowers with hundreds of pink petals suffused with gold; 3-1/2 feet tall
  • ‘Jersey’s Beauty’: 4- to 6-inch hand-size pink flowers in fall; 4 to 6 feet tall

We recommend checking out the National Dahlia Society for more information about specific varieties.

pink dahlias

Harvesting

The more you cut dahlias, the more they’ll bloom! For a bouquet, cut stems in the morning before the heat of the day and put them into a bucket of cool water. Remove the stems’ bottom leaves and place the flowers into a vase of water. Place the vase in a cool spot and out of direct sun. Check the water daily. Vase life is about 7 days.

Dig Up and Storing Dahlia Tubers

Dahlias are hardy to Zone 8; in these more temperate regions, dahlias can simply be cut back and their tubers left in the ground through winter, cover with several inches of dry mulch. In Zone 7, some gardeners claim their tubers survive winter in the ground; others have had varied results. It all depends on the severity of winter; native to Mexico, dahlias won’t survive freezing temperatures. → Find your USDA Hardiness Zone here.

In Zones 8 and north, dig up (lift) and store tuberous roots in late fall; tubers can be expensive, and this will save you the money that would otherwise go into buying new ones each year. See your fall frost dates 

  • Dahlia foliage blackens with the first frost. Take it as a warning to begin digging up the tubers. Complete the task before a hard frost.
  • Cut off blackened foliage, leaving 2 to 4 inches of top growth.
  • Carefully dig around tubers with a pitchfork, garden fork, or shovel. Avoid damaging them. 
  • Lift the clump and gently shake off the soil.
  • Cut off rotten tubers. 
  • Leave clumps outside in the sun upside down to dry naturally for a few days.
  • Pack them in loose, fluffy material (e.g., vermiculite, dry sand).
  • Store in a well-ventilated, frost-free space: 40º to 45ºF is ideal, 35º to 50ºF is acceptable.
  • Check on the Dahlia tubers occasionally over the winter. Remove any tubers that have started to rot before the decay spreads to healthy tubers.

Readying for Summer

In spring, separate healthy tubers from the parent clump and discard wrinkled or rotten ones. Plan to plant the survivors. Each tuber must have at least one “eye” or piece of the crown attached, or it will not develop into a blooming plant. The eyes are little pink bumps at the base of the stem. → See our gardener’s article on how to unpack and divide your stored dahlia tubers!

If this all seems like too much bother or you do not have the right storage place, skip it all and treat dahlias as annuals, buying new tubers in the spring.

Gardening Products

Wit and Wisdom
  • The dahlia was named after Anders Dahl (Swedish botanist), born on March 17, 1751.
  • Dahlias are a member of the Asteraceae family, which also includes sunflower, daisy, chrysanthemum, zinnia, and, of course, aster.
  • In the 16th century, dahlias grew wild on the hillsides in parts of Mexico. There, they were “discovered” by the Spanish.
  • Both dahlia flowers and tubers are edible. The tubers taste like a cross between a potato and a radish.
  • Dahlias were often grown in front of hollyhocks to hide their “shins.”

The Dahlia you brought to our isle
Your praises forever shall speak
‘Mid gardens as sweet as your smile
And colour as bright as your cheek.
–Lord Holland (1773–1840)

Pests/Diseases

Diseases: Botrytis blight; southern blight; crown gall; powdery mildew; smut; virus; wilt.
Pests: aphids, caterpillars, earwigs; nematodes; slugs and snails; thrips; spider mites

Flowers

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Comments

Kim in Michigan (not verified)

6 days 22 hours ago

My dahlias went through one hard freeze - can I save them by digging the tubers up now?

Hi Kim,

You typically want to dig up your dahlia tubers after the foliage has died back following a frost and before a hard freeze. With that being said, depending on the severity of the freeze your tubers might be okay. You should dig them up as soon as possible and inspect the tubers. If your tubers froze, they will need to be replaced. If the ground did not yet freeze to the level they were planted there is a chance they will be okay. If the tubers appear okay, store them for the winter in preparation for planting in the spring. There is still the chance the hard freeze killed the tubers, but you will not know until next year’s growing season.

Courtney Witherspoon (not verified)

1 month 1 week ago

When do you plant dahilia seeds? I'm in zone 8.

Hi Courtney,

While dahlias are typically grown from tubers, you can certainly be grown from seed. The only thing to know is that if you collected the seeds from a dahlia you grew, it will not grow true to what you had in the garden. Only tubers will stay true to type. Growing dahlias from seed is how new varieties have been created.

With that being said, you will want to check your last spring frost date for your Zone 8 location and plant the seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before that date. Once the threat of frost has passed, you can start by hardening them off (slowly introducing them to outdoor conditions) before planting in your garden or in a container.

In the fall, you can collect the tubers from your dahlia plants and store them over winter to be planted the following spring, as the tubers do not do well in cold winter conditions.

Katherine Ruth (not verified)

2 months 3 weeks ago

Is there a dahlia for zone 4. I live in Michigan

Hi Katherine,

Dahlias can most certainly be grown in Zone 4, but must be treated as an annual as the tubers will not survive your winters. Plant tubers after the threat of frost has passed in the spring and then lift the tubers to store for the winter following the first frost in the fall.

In terms of what dahlias to plant, you should discuss this with your local garden center to see what is available and/or contact your local cooperative extension to learn what varieties of dahlias thrive in your specific area.

Miriam (not verified)

5 months 1 week ago

I live in SE PA. Since I've been living here our planting zone has gone from 6 to 7. Usually by the beginning of June we have temperatures in the mid 80's into the 90's. The nights average 60 degrees F. This year we have had highly variable temperatures. Three days of 70's to the 80's with 45 degree nights. Then we got a run of 50–60-degree days with high 30's to mid 40's at night, Only in the last week of June did the temperatures even out. I just planted my dahlia tubers and it is July 1st. Will I get anything close to a bloom this year? This is the first time I have planted dahlias.

Spinnin Jenny (not verified)

7 months 1 week ago

Your article shows the most beautiful flowers but I wish you added the name of the variety to the description. I’d love to have the one at the top of the article but have no idea what it’s called. This goes for all your articles showing various plants.

B (not verified)

1 year 3 months ago

I live near Portland, OR. Do I need to lift my dalias?