I have recently became obsessed with dahlias, so I ordered a lot to start my dahlia patch for the 2021 growing season. I planted them on the bottom right garden bed in the Tiered Garden, which is not the original location I had planned for them. They were to be in raised beds on the lower tier, but I did not want to invest in raised beds if we were to be moving within a year. So they went into the Tiered Garden for the summer 2021 growing season.
This was not the most ideal location for the dahlias, especially the right side of the bed. A lot of the dahlias on that side did not do well this year because I feel it was shaded too much of the day. I planned the layout of the dahlias in Microsoft Excel, based on the height they were to grow.
The names in bold died either before sprouting and growing or during the growing season. The names that are italicized did not bloom this growing season and all were first year tubers.
Here are the ones that did bloom this year.
Half Pint: This one only produced a couple blooms during the growing season.Crazy Legs: Lots of flowers on this one once it got going!Bitsy: This one was a pleasant surprise. It put on quite a few flowers during the season.Rebecca Lynn: This was probably the most disappointing, but that was my fault for not looking at the bloom size when purchasing. It’s a very small bloom. I will still grow it next year.Jitterbug: Another small dahlia, but I love the coloring!Hollyhill Black Beauty: The best performer in my garden this year with lots of flowers throughout the whole season. Pictures do not do it justice!Sunny Reggae: This dahlia did wonderful in a pot the year before but did terrible in this location this year. I just tossed it when I dug up tubers.Zakary Roberts: I was not impressed at first, but this one has grown on me, so I’ll plant it again in 2022.Sunshine Dahlia: I’ve had this one a couple years, and with all the other varieties, I am going to sell this one.Pink Perception: The first to bloom in the patch, but it did terrible throughout the season and produced very few flowers. Will try again in my better location next year.Summer’s End: Lots of flowers throughout the season – very pretty!Teddy: This one was okay. It only gave me about 5-6 flowers the entire season though. Will see how it does next year.Karamel Korn: I am so in love with the coloring of this dahlia, and it gets prettier as the blooms fade. My only complaint is the blooms tend to hang down rather than stay upright so you can see them better.Mystic Illusion: This one is okay. I’ve had it and will probably plant it in my pollinator garden for 2022 rather than the dahlia patch. The ants really love this one.Day Dreamer: Another pretty one, but it was on the right side of the bed and didn’t do as well as I’d hoped.Fluffles: Another one on the right side of this garden bed, so it didn’t do very well. I think it only produced 2-3 flowers the whole season.Pacific Jewel: This is one I had already, and it did not do as good as it did in 2020. Again, on the right side of this garden bed, so maybe not enough sun.Bliss: Another that struggled through the season due to its location.Chilson’s Pride: Not what I was expecting, but I am going to grow it in a better location next year and see how it does.Mikayla Miranda: Loved the coloring on this, especially as it faded, but it only produced 1 flower due to its location.Iceberg: The last one to bloom for the season (late October), but so worth the wait! It’s in my top 5 favorites right now!
I have already started buying more tubers to add to the collection for next year. When I dug these up, I let them sit in my garden cart in my garage for 2 days, and when I went to wash them off for storing, a lot of them were soft. Not rotted, just not that nice, firm feeling you want with dahlia tubers. I am so worried that I may end up losing all of the above tubers before winter is over. We shall see… if not, well, I already have 22 more tubers ordered (and counting ?) for 2022’s season.
