Below are some dahlia varieties that we have grown in 2020 - within their colour groups. We realised afterwards that we left a lot of varieties out of these colour comparisons. The photos were originally taken just for fun when we were playing around with colour combinations. We weren’t intentionally gathering all the similar colours together for a comparison blog post. Some varieties are notably absent even though they are available in the 2020 tuber sale but hopefully this information is still helpful. We’ve also included some varieties not included in the photo comparison for your reference as well.
Purple and Dark Pink Colour Comparison
Coorabell Zoe - A new addition to the farm this beautiful flower is a pale lavender with white tips. The nicest flower we have tried in a pale lavender-purple so far. It’s showing a lot of promise. Not available for sale in 2020 as we are multiplying our stock.
Devon Challenger - Medium pink flowers borne on strong, dark stems. A strong plant. Flowers seem quite dense with tightly packed petals however despite heavy flowers they do not hang their heads.
Devon Choice - Pinky-purple flowers. Petals have pointed tips. Darker stems are a lovely feature to contrast against the foliage.
Devon Desire - Pale purple flowers. Petals have pointed tips. A shorter grower in our experience. Not included in the photo comparison but slightly smaller than Devon Choice pictured above.
Devon Saigon - Pinky purple flowers. Quite productive. New to the farm and still under evaluation. The plant habit is healthy and strong.
Devon Ultimate - A new addition to the farm this year. It is a beautiful dark purple/cyclamen toned flower with paler reverse of petals. Quite striking. Flowers are quite large and are borne on a shorter plant. Not for sale in 2020 as we are multiplying stock.
Florelie Boysenberry - This one caught my eye from the very first flower that opened in the seedling row. Darker towards the center and edged in pale purple the flowers are very dramatic. It is a smaller flower and a miniature decorative in form. A personal favourite. Released 2020.
Florelie Cafe Violette - The largest flower in this comparison study. She was grown from a seed collected from the famous Cafe Au Lait and has the same ruffly petals and variation in colour as her mother. Flowers vary in colour from almost cyclamen to a pale violet colour. It is slightly later to flower than Cafe au lait on our farm and is a taller plant. Released 2020.
Florelie Jeanette - Beautiful flowers in shades of purple. Even the darker petals are edged with pale purple which gives it a striking appearance. Slightly shorter plant. Released 2020.
Florelie Novice - Purple ball shaped blooms. A seedling we selected in our very first year growing dahlias from seed. Very tall, vigorous plant. Not included in the photo comparison however it is similar in size to Devon Saigon, perhaps a little larger. Released 2020.
Florelie Strawberry Shortcake - This plant throws a combination of semi double and fully double flowers. Flowers are a combination of pale pink and lemon. If you like a cottage garden type feel or want more delicate, wild feeling blooms these might be just what you are after. Released 2020.
Florelie Watercolour - Petals appear as if they have been hand painted in watercolour. Some blooms have more white on them and others more pink or purple. Released 2020.
Gambier Jane - White with purple tips. Good long stems for cutting.
Gordon Lockwood - Not included in the photographic comparison. The same shape and size as Worton Willo without the paler reverse on the petals. Productive bloomer.
Jenny’s Treasure - One of the best pinks we have trialled to date. Medium pink petals with gold tips. Flowers face slightly more upwards on their stems than a lot of varieties which makes it ideal for including in bunches. Dark stems are an attractive feature. Bred in Australia by Jenny Parish from Country Dahlias.
Kiara Pompadour - A pale purple bloom. A slightly shorter plant in our experience.
Lavender Beauty - A pale purple bloom. Plants produce a mass of lavender flowers. A very productive plant.
Pride of Place - Dark burgundy-purple pompon.
Worton Willo - Cyclamen coloured pompon with white on the reverse of the petals
Peach and Orange Colour Comparison
Carlos Watermelon
A large watermelon coloured bloom with wavy petals. It’s a real standout in a vase or floral installation. Definitely a keeper for cut flowers and that wow factor. Has been sold as Buckajo Watermelon in the past.
Beautiful blooms which almost seem to be glowing with their golden undertones. We find this variety to be quite productive and it has lovely long stems for picking. Definitely recommend for cut flowers. Flowers can be more peachy or golden at different times throughout the season.
Bracken Glenda - Golden apricot blooms. This variety has been a staple for us since we started growing dahlias.
Breannon - There seem to be a few different strains of Breannon floating around in Australia. Some have a tendency to throw a combination of double and semi double blooms while other stock produces double flowers consistently. We originally had the stock producing mixed blooms but have swapped to stock which reliably produces the fuller flowers that we prefer and are more suited to cut flowers.
Florelie Fruit Tingle - A warm toned bloom in shades of coral, gold and peach. Blooms can be any combination of these colours with some being entirely gold and others the eye catching combination of colours. Released 2020.
Florelie Harmony - Lemon overlayed with peachy pink. Good stems for picking. Released 2020.
Florelie Mallacoota - Variegated flowers. Petals are orange with red flecks. Released 2020.
Florelie Oracle - Dusty pink with little gold tips. Excellent cut flower. A personal favourite. Released 2021.
Florelie Raspberry Cheesecake - Flowers are a dusty lemon with burgundy streaks. From a distance they have a brownish appearance. Early to start flowering on our farm and consistently productive throughout the season. Great cut flower. Released 2020.
Florelie Seastar - Coral and orange blooms. Long flowering season, often both the first and last flowering on our farm. More suited to the garden than commercial cut flowers. Released 2020.
Florelie Strawberry Shortcake - This cultivar throws a combination of semi double and fully double flowers. Flowers are a combination of pale pink and lemon. If you like a cottage garden type feel or want more delicate, wild feeling blooms these might be just what you are after. Released 2020.
Formby Quest - More watermelon pink than peachy. This one is showing promise in our trials. We are still building up stock.
Glenmarc Sahara - Large, rusty orange flowers. Perfect for those autumn toned arrangements.
Granite Peachy - Warm orange and gold toned flowers.
Merton’s Peach Single - Single peachy coloured flowers with a delicate, cottage garden style feel. Released 2020.
Parklea KB1 - Warm rich peachy toned flowers.
Salmon Joy - Pale salmon coloured blooms. Tiny gold tips on the petals. Always a popular colour with florists.
Stevan’s Lindy - Solid peachy coloured blooms.
Tropical Dream - Gorgeous flowers in salmon and white. Popular colour with florists. White tips can have a tendency to burn in the sun. Possibly more suited to a partially shaded position.
Yellow Colour Comparison
Are you a yellow lover? We have found yellow tones to be quite polarising since growing cut flowers. Some people LOVE their bright, cheery faces and others specifically ask for no yellow. Whenever we have made up bunches to sell at our local Ballarat Begonia Festival we love to include yellow in them as it really brings the bunch alive and draws people’s attention. We find that mixed, bright colours generally sell the best at markets. During the first lockdown period of 2020 due to COVID-19 we found that bright bunches with yellow were amongst the most requested.
Bracken Glenda - Decorative. Yellow towards the center with apricot towards the edges. Reliable, productive. Good cut flower. We harvest from this one often and it is a current staple on the farm. The colour does vary quite a bit throughout the season and we find they are more yellow towards the end of the season. When they are at their peak they are more the colour shown in the photo here.
Coorabell Astrid - A beautiful pastel toned bloom in lemon and apricot with hints of pale pink. We were so excited about this one because of it’s lovely colouring but have had to pull and discard all stock due to it showing signs of virus.Coorabell Heather - A lovely yellow dahlia, productive and good for picking. Unfortunately we had to pull and discard all stock due to it showing signs of virus. No individual photo pictured here.
Florelie Dandelion - Informal decorative. A golden yellow with unusual fringed petals. It’s fluffy appearance is reminiscent of a dandelion. Straight stems. Productive. An unusual bloom which we expect would do quite well at a market due to its appearance and eye catching colour. Good cut flower. Released 2020
Florelie Fruit Tingle (named 'seedling' top of comparison) - Decorative form. A warm toned bloom in shades of gold, coral and peach. Flowers are highly variable in colour. Some blooms are entirely gold while others display the eye catching combination of colours. Released 2020.
Florelie Lemon Drop - A tiny bright yellow flower. Flowers are held atop long slender stems. Flower form is consistent and they hold their center very well. Not classed as a pompon due to the shape of the petals although it is the same size. Great cut flower and it looks really cute in bunches. Released 2020
Florelie Toffee - Miniature decorative. Dusty lemon with blush overtones. Early flowering and productive throughout the season. Some flowers are more lemon and others are more blush. Mass of flowers. Released 2020.
Florelie Winter Sunshine - Classified as a small decorative even though it is the largest bloom in this comparison. Very pale creamy lemon with darker lemon tips on each petal. Blooms start off the season more lemon and pale to cream over the course of the season. Released 2020
Glenbank Honeycomb - Pompon. Golden yellow. Sometimes with an apricot blush. Great form.
Pink Colour Comparison
Pinks are eternally popular for both tubers and flowers - we never seem to have enough. It's no wonder. They are certainly beautiful!
Florelie Morello - One of our favourite colours on the farm. We haven't been able to find another dahlia with such a beautiful dusty look. Not recommended as a commercial cut flower but beautiful in the garden.
Formby Quest - More watermelon pink than peachy. This one is showing promise in our trials. We are still building up stock
Winkie Truffle - This is a mesmerising bloom on a short plant. A beautiful dusty colour.
Carlos Watermelon
A large watermelon coloured bloom with wavy petals. It’s a real standout in a vase or floral installation. Definitely a keeper for cut flowers and that wow factor. Has been sold as Buckajo Watermelon in the past.
Formby Monarch
Juliet
Pink Suffusion
Little Peaches - a larger pompon. Great versatile colour with prolific blooms.
Florelie Guava (Seedling 20.2.14) - Released in 2022. A large watermelon bloom with dark stems
White and Blush Colour Comparison
Boundary Snowflake - Of the plants included in this comparison Boundary Snowflake is the tallest, most vigorous variety that we grow. We love this variety for that reason alone! It’s a great tuber maker too and had consistently large clumps in the 2020 dig. It is a creamy white with lemon hints which is not always ideal for wedding work if you are after a pure white bloom. This one remains a staple on our farm due to its plant health and long stems which are ideal for picking.
Cafe Au Lait - Is there a dahlia grower who hasn’t come across this variety yet? She has been affectionately called the ‘queen’ of dahlias and we can absolutely understand why. Large, fluffy blooms in shades of latte, palest pink, ivory and soft apricot. A must grow for anyone in the wedding industry. This was the dahlia that hooked me (Lorelie) at the start and was the first one I ever owned (you can all see how addicted I have become since then! haha). I nearly squealed in excitement when I found out we could get it in Australia! I immediately bought some and grew them in pots at our rental before we even moved to our farm. Large informal decorative blooms stop people in their tracks to admire her petals and delicate colouring. A must grow for cut flowers and garden beauty
Clara Thora
Clara Thora has beautiful blooms which open white and the outer petals turn blush pink as the bloom opens. It is a shorter plant in my experience. Flowers sometimes have a downward tilt which can be frustrating as a commercial cut flower grower but the colour is beautiful!
Coconut Ice - Large, fluffy blooms in white with a pale pink blush. The colouring on this one is truly beautiful. A good sized plant and healthy tuber maker. The official ID of this bloom is unknown, we purchased our initial stock from Celine at Floral by Nature.
Coorabell Alpine - A new addition to the farm we are still evaluating this one’s potential. It is a clearer white without lemon/creamy tints. We look forward to seeing it again next season.
Coorabell Francis - Medium sized blooms in a pure white. We have found this one is prone to more open centered blooms.
Devon Casper - Large white petals with a touch of cream at the base of them. A slightly shorter plant.
Devon Seattle - A large pale pink and white bloom. Beautiful flower form. Flowers are sometimes more pink and others are more creamy-blush.
Glenmarc Margaret - A productive variety with miniature flowers on the pale lavender end of the spectrum. Great stems for harevsting. We think this one is a beauty and are currently multiplying our stock.
Joy Burkitt - A waterlily form with large white flowers. A tall vigorous plant which requires staking. The variety isn’t pictured in the comparison photo however it would be a similar size to Devon Casper and Clara Thora
Megan Dean - Ball shaped bloom overlaid with a touch of blush, sometimes more lavender than pink. A very elegant bloom and perfect for weddings. Shorter plant in my experience.
Burgundy Colour Comparison
I (Lorelie) am a sucker for dark red and burgundy flowers. I always have been. It doesn’t matter what the flower type is – roses, tulips, peonies, dahlias – the dark reds have my heart. I don’t know if it’s the association of romance, or the dramatic colour palette… I just know that I LOVE them! I dream of breeding a burgundy dahlia with a similar form to a Cafe au lait or Carlos Watermelon one day. Can you imagine it? *sigh*
Florelie Magpie - A new release in 2020 these blooms are a very dark burgundy with the occasional white petal which remind me of a magpie’s colouring. It is a decorative form and a good cut flower.
Florelie Midnight - The darkest burgundy we have seen to date, Florelie Midnight boasts large dark burgundy, almost black, ball shaped flowers. A new release in 2020, we have high hopes for this one as a commercial cut flower.
Florelie Pendulum - A small dark red flower on long, slender, straight stems. Flowers are not as dark as most of those included in this study. It is a good cut flower and a productive plant.
Ivanetti - A dark burgundy-cylamen ball shaped bloom. Some years we have planted it with my purple blooms, other years with our burgundy ones. If you are looking for a darker bloom to coordinate with purple flowers this may be the one for you. Flowers are tightly formed which results in good vase life. Shorter plant.
Jessie G - Very similar to Steve’s Choice, sometimes we find it difficult to tell these two varieties apart depending on the stage of bloom. Petals are generally tighter and curl in on themselves making little tubes which open up with the flower. A lovely dark red variety which isn’t prone to fading in the sun. Excellent cut flower variety.
Moorplace - A very dark burgundy pompon, the darkest pompon that we know of. A productive plant. In my top 3 favourite poms that we’ve tried so far.
Not Karma Choc - A large flower which opens dark red and fades to a medium red as the flower ages. A highly recommended plant for beginner growers as tubers divide and store well. Very healthy tuber maker. If you are dividing and can’t see any eyes, don’t throw those ones away – store them and check them again in spring as we have been surprised by just how many of the ones we thought would never grow sprouted eyes in spring! Tubers have very little ‘neck’ and eyes often sprout even when it looks like you didn’t leave enough of the original stalk in my experience. An excellent garden variety.
Pixie Rose - Flowers open dark burgundy and fade on the edges as they age giving it a pretty ombre appearance. A slightly shorter plant than Steve’s Choice. A good garden variety as plants are a little shorter so you may not need to support it. We don’t stake on our farm and we haven’t had a problem with this one falling over.
Pride of Place - A burgundy pom with a purple tinge to it. A productive plant. In our top 3 favourite poms that we’ve tried so far.
Steve’s choice - We love Steve’s Choice. We find it to be an excellent performer as a commercial cut flower. It’s one of our top performers here on the farm. Long straight stems for cutting and consistently productive throughout the season. Not prone to fading like Pixie Rose and a larger flower. Very similar to Jessie G however petals are slightly more cupped rather than tubular and the plant is a little taller.
Red Colour Comparison
We’ve been looking for the perfect red dahlia to offer for Valentines Day for a while now and here are some of the varieties we have trialled in our hunt.
Cherry Valentine - We've grown Cherry Valentine for a number of years now. It is a lovely bright clear red with flowers that age well. The flowers hold their tight center for a long time before revealing their pollen to the bees making it a great performer for cut flowers. We find it a more challenging variety to divide the tubers though and it is slower to increase. The mother tubers are usually very large!
Devon safari - This variety isn’t included in the photo comparison however it is a rich red with a slight purple hue. The reverse of the petals is paler than the front. The flowers hold their shape and center well.
Florelie Aunty Maz - This is the earliest flowering red dahlia we have grown so far. It currently holds the most potential as a Valentines day bloom for us as many of our other reds haven't begun blooming yet. The flowers are on the smaller side however they are larger than those in the pompon category. It is a productive plant although shorter in height. New release in 2020.
Florelie Neon - This is the brightest shade of red dahlia we have grown to date. It reminds us of a fluoro red highlighter! The shade of red leans on the orange side of the spectrum. Flowers are a miniature decorative on long dark stems. Good stems for picking. Would make a lovely addition to market or roadside bunches as they are bright and attract attention. New release in 2020.
Florelie Ponyo - A new release in 2020 Florelie Ponyo is a red ball leaning on the orange end of the spectrum. It is a prolific plant with flowers that age well. We have found that ball shaped blooms make excellent cut flowers and their vase life is often slightly longer than the decorative forms.
Glenmarc Delia - Glenmarc Delia is a new addition to the farm and the flowers are reliably symmetrical. It is a bright red leaning on the orange side of the spectrum.
Red Royal - The smallest bloom in this study, Red Royal is a true pompon. Pompons are the smallest size category of dahlia flowers and plants are generally shorter than those from other groups. Red Royal boasts dark stems which contrast nicely with its coral-red round blooms. There is some colour variation in the blooms and some flowers have individual petals which are paler and others which are more saturated.
Seedling 1.46 (Released as Florelie Rosetta in 2021) - This seedling holds promise and we are continuing to evaluate its potential on the farm. It is a clearer red without the orange tone. Flowers are a ball form which age well and hold tight centers. If it continues to perform well we hope to name and release it for sale in 2021.
Tango - Tango is a later variety to start flowering in my experience however it is quite prolific towards the end of the season and I (Lorelie) can clearly remember harvesting a whole bucket of blooms off one plant my first year growing this variety when I only had the one tuber. It is a clear red. It is too late to harvest for Valentine’s Day here on our farm. The first flowers are buried quite low in the plant and are not able to be harvested for cut flowers so you need to wait for the lateral buds to bloom.
Winkie Rhubarb - Winkie Rhubarb is the palest shade of red we have included in this comparison. It was bred in Australia by John and Anne Menzel of Winkie dahlias. It was named this because the colouring was similar to a bowl of rhubarb and custard.
At the end of the season blooms actually change to more of an apricot tone on our farm. It is a larger flower than the others included here which makes it a good feature flower. It is also surprisingly versatile and blends well with a number of other coloured blooms.
We hope that these comparisons have helped you to see subtle differences between colour, shape and characteristics in these dahlias and identify which ones you might be most interested in growing. You can purchase tubers for most of these varieties in the online shop sometime between September - November each year.
If you have a question that we didn't answer please send us an email at hello@florelie.com.au and let us know, chances are there are others who are wondering the exact same thing and we can include it in the FAQ section below for future readers.
Happy growing!
Lorelie