Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions about Dahlias

What is a dahlia?

As it’s most basic definition, a dahlia is a perennial plant native to Mexico and Central America that grows from a tuber. (not a bulb, yes they are different) But dahlias are deceptive little things. There are all kinds of different shapes, sizes, and colors of dahlias. (More on this later) Some appear to have hundreds of petals and form Dr. Seuss inspired balls. While others only have 6 ‘petals’ that harken to plucking petals off of daisies…. When we look at dahlias we think we see a flower made up of petals on a stem with leaves coming out of the ground. If you’re nodding along right now, sorry…but you’re wrong. (It’s okay. I was wrong too) What we’re ACTUALLY seeing is hundreds of itty bitty tiny flowers amassed around a single, central head at the top of a stem. That’s right, what we are truly seeing is a giant grouping of hundreds of flowers (or florets to be specific) on a central stem. Totally weird. And in my opinion, totally cool.

How do you grow them?

This is a question for the ages. I have grown dahlias a lot of different ways as dahlias are extremely resilient and adaptable. You can grow them in ceramic flower pots, directly in the ground, in raised beds, and in felt grower bags. I have tried them all. And all of them worked and failed in different ways. I always hate advice like this, but you have to decide your method of growing and then embrace the Pros and Cons of that method because they’re all a little different. Regardless of your chosen method though, here is what you need:

  1. Dirt that is at least 2x as deep as your tuber is long.

  2. Minimum of 6 hours of sunlight everyday. (I’ve had mine in 10+ hours of sunshine and they did great)

  3. Consistent watering (Keep direct sun in mind. More sun = more water)

  4. A way to support your plant so it won’t fall over as it gets taller. And some of these guys get to be over 6 FEET TALL!


What the heck is Dahlia Gall?

If you’ve spent any time on the internet reading about dahlias, you’ve probably heard about dahlia gall. Gall—in all its forms—is a menace to dahlias. It causes callused growths on the tubers (they look like bad cauliflower), and those growths trigger excessive plant growth in the form of multiple stems. At first, that doesn’t sound so bad. More stems = more blossoms, right? No, not in this case.

Dahlias with gall don’t produce tall, healthy stalks for each stem. Instead, they develop clusters of short, stunted mini-stems that never flower. All pain and no gain. All your time , love, and effort goes into an infected tuber that will never give you a flower. What makes this even worse? The disease spreads through soil that comes into contact with an infected tuber. That contaminated soil can then spread gall to otherwise healthy tubers. If you think you have gall- throw away the tuber and DO NOT plant a tuber in the infected dirt.

What are all these (FD), (DR), (BB) things?

Each Bloom Shape, Color, and Size I have listed correlates with a one or two-letter abbreviation shown in parenthesis. These abbreviations are the identifying codes used by the American Dahlia Society to accurately identify the literal THOUSANDS of dahlia varieties. I have these abbreviations listed for the dahlia lovers out there that are tracking that sort of thing. No judgement, I do it too. But these details aren’t necessary unless you are going to start developing your own dahlia blooms and colors. Or if tracking and organizing data like this brings peace to your heart (like mine!)

General Questions about Orders

When will you ship?

It is my goal for you to get your order in late April. By then for my area the fear of freezing has passed and for the majority of other growing zones as well. But if we get a late cold snap- orders will be delayed. I would rather delay your order rather than risk it freezing during transit.

Do you test for disease?

I do not test each individual plant for disease. My growing operation is small enough that I am able to monitor all my plants each season while growing and if something doesn’t look right during growing- that plant gets pulled. Similarly, while digging, if I see something that looks suspicious of gall or anything “weird”- that clump gets thrown away. Likely, I probably throw away things that are just fine. But I’m not willing to risk it. Even with those precautions though, dahlia disease can and will happen anyway.

Do you accept returns/refunds/exchanges?

I do not accept returns, nor do I administer refunds or exchanges. If something happens to your tubers during transit please email me. Each situation is unique and I will tailer my approach individually. If you believe you have received the wrong order please email me within 5 days of receiving your order.

How will my order be packaged?

Tubers will be sent in cardboard boxes with tubers individually bagged. Each bag will labeled as to its’ contents along with some pine shavings for packaging. Tubers of the same type potentially will be sent in the same bag.

General Questions about storage

Why do you store tubers in the winter?

Simply put? BECAUSE THEY’RE EXPENSIVE!!! When each tuber you buy can cost you between $8-$50?! You want to save these babies from year to year, right?! Especially when you find that ONE random beauty that you LOVE, but have no idea its “real name” is and now there no hope of being able to identify and purchase again? It happens. I have several unknowns that I grow each year because they’re pretty and fun and I love them. But I have not a clue what their true names are (outside of my names given to them like “pink frilly one”, “over-productive orange ball one”, or “can’t kill it if I tried purple one with white tips.”)

What is your strategy for storing tubers?

I would like to point out the nature of this question. Not “How to store tubers”, but rather “What is MY strategy.” This is completely intentional and this is the part that drives people crazy. My winter storage situation and option(s) available to me are completely different than yours. There is no ONE perfect way to store tubers over the winter. I have left them in the ground (some survived, most rotted.)I have dug clumps and divided in the fall and stored individual tubers in my garage (some shriveled, some were fine.) But the best system I have found that works for me and my life is this: I dig between Thanksgiving and Christmas. By then we have had a few good cold days and my tubers are FOR SURE dormant. I knock off the bulk of the dirt and I do not divide the clumps. I leave them whole with about a 4-6” stem “handle” because it’s just a practical way to move the clumps around without damaging the dangling tubers. My clumps go in plastic totes with pine shavings. I layer the pine shavings and dahlia clumps like some frenzied gardener’s lasagna- 3-6” layer of shavings on the bottom, dahlia clumps (packed close together, but not quite touching), next layer of shavings (enough to completely cover the clumps and have at least an inch in-between each clump layer) and repeat this layering process until my tote is full. I have done this method with huge wheeled totes as well as small 18 inch x 30 inch totes. I usually store my totes in my shed outside. It is unheated and uninsulated. But for me in Western Oregon- we do not experience any long or hard freezes in our winters. So keeping my stored tubers from freezing is not my main concern. I struggle more with moisture and keeping them dry and not molding.

Key Points for Storage?

  1. Wait for the “Goldilocks Zone” of timing to dig your tubers, that window of time unique to you where tubers are dormant but not yet at risk of freezing from cold or rotting from wet.

  2. Find a location where tubers can be kept dry and relatively cold (40*-45*F is what I look for)

  3. Package tubers in SOMETHING. I wish I could give you THE sure-fire solution, but all I can say is this: Pick a container that works for your tuber quantities and pick a dry packing medium (pine shavings, vermiculite, etc...). The goal here is to protect and insulate your tubers from temperature swings. Temperature swings = mold, and Mold=rotten tuber. Keep tubers from drying out too quickly, and keep them from molding from too much moisture. It’s a balancing act that is best found by trial and error.

  4. Check on them. It doesn’t have to be 24/7, but when you think about it- open the lid of your container and see how they look. If you don’t see a change- call it a win. If they start to look like a shriveled old raisin- they need some moisture. If they start to feel squishy or are growing mold- they need more air flow.

  5. Accept there WILL be losses. Even with a perfect storage situation, monitoring, materials, etc… you will still lose some tubers every winter. It is sad, but it’s the nature of the game. And it is also okay to take some time to mourn your favorite dahlia that didn’t survive your winter storage. Let me know and I will send you a hug and I will mourn with you, because it does suck.