Dahlias come in a wide variety of forms, colors, and sizes. Some dahlias are reminiscent of delicate waterlilies, others are a massive explosion of petals, and many are perfect spherical blooms. There’s a dahlia for every gardener, every flower arranger, and even for the dahlia nay-sayers. The key is in finding the one that’s right for you.
Formal Decorative: Formal decorative dahlias have dense, double flowerheads. They have broad, flat, evenly spaced petals with rounded or slightly pointed tips that gradually recurve toward the stem.
Informal Decorative: Informal decorative dahlias have double blooms with wavy, twisted, or curled petals. They have a softer more relaxed appearance than their formal counterparts and bring lots of personality and pizzaz to flower arrangements.
Semi-Cactus: Semi-cactus dahlias have double flower heads. The pointy petals are broad at the base, straight or incurved, and reflex toward the stem in a regular and uniform arrangement.
Straight Cactus: Straight cactus dahlias have fully double blooms. Their straight, narrow petals are uniform in length and look like tubes. Their petals reflex toward the stem radiating uniformly in all directions from the center.
Incurved Cactus: Incurved cactus dahlias have fully double blooms that look like a bad case of bed head. Their narrow, pointed petals are uniform in length and arrangement and either curve up toward the bloom face, or arc down and then up, and may swirl horizontally around the bloom circumference.
Laciniated: Laciniated dahlias have double blooms and their petals split and twist at the tip giving them a frilly, fringed appearance.
Ball: Ball dahlias have fully double flowers that are sphere shaped or slightly flattened at the face. Generally, the petals grow in a spiral pattern and have blunt or rounded tips. The blooms must be 3.5 inches or greater in be in this class.
Miniature Ball: Miniature ball dahlias are the same form as ball dahlias. However, they are smaller in size at 2-3 ½ inches in diameter.
Pompon: Pompon dahlias have fully double flowers that are similar to ball dahlias but more globular and smaller in size at about 2 inches in diameter. The petals are full all the way back to the stem forming a nearly perfect ball.
Stellar: Stellar dahlias double blooms look like stars. They have smaller petals towards the center and longer petals towards the back of the bloom. Their sharply edged petals recurve toward the stem and are often spaced farther apart than formal decorative dahlias.
Waterlily: Aptly named, these double dahlias look like delicate floating waterlilies. Their symmetrical flower heads look like flat saucers. They have four to seven rows of open-faced petals with a closed, domed center. Waterlily dahlias bring a delicate feel to arrangements and look right at home floating in a bowl of water.
Peony: Peony dahlias have two, but no more than five, rows of petals surrounding an open disc center. The petals closest to the disc may be twisted or curled.
Anemone-flowering - Anemone-flowering dahlias have one or more rows of petals surrounding a center of elongated tubular disc florets. These disc florets create a domed, pincushion appearance reminiscent of scabiosa.
Collarette - Collarette dahlias have single flowers with a row of tiny petaloids surrounding the center disc flower. These dahlias are loved by bees and butterflies and pump out the blooms all growing season. Since their blooms are short lived in the vase, it’s best to enjoy their alluring beauty in the garden.
Single - Single dahlias are open faced with a single row of uniform, evenly spaced petals in a flat plane surrounding the disc flowers. Many single dahlias have beautiful dark colored foliage which adds contrast and dimension to the garden.
Mignon Single: The same form as a single dahlia, but under 2 inches in diameter.
Orchid: Orchid dahlias are open centered with a single row of evenly spaced petals in a flat plane surrounding the disc flowers. They resemble a pinwheel or spokes on a bicycle.
Orchette: Ochette dahlias combine the involute characteristics of the orchid dahlia form with the petaloid characteristics of the collarette form.
Novelty Open: Novelty open dahlias have open-centers and are distinctly different from other forms. The disc center will be proportional to the petals.
Novelty Fully Double: Novelty fully double dahlias are distinctly different from other forms. They have good symmetry, a closed center, and petals arranged differently from other forms.
Micro Stellar, Micro Waterlily, Micro Novelty Fully Double, Micro Peony, Micro Anemone, Micro Novelty Open, Micro Collarette, Micro Orchid, Micro Orchette: A micro version of these classifications with blooms that are up to 2 inches in diameter.
ADS Website - www.dahlia.org/docsinfo/ocg/
Shop our complete selection of dahlias - www.longfield-gardens.com/dahlia
16 фев 2023
