Dahlias are among the most varied flowers you can grow in the garden. Hundreds of cultivars include different shapes, petal types, and sizes that range from petite and simple to dinner-plate-sized blooms bursting with petals. To enjoy these beautiful cutting flowers, look for the most prolific dahlia varieties.
Most dahlias have been bred to be productive, but some yield more flowers and longer-lasting blooms than others. Productive varieties come in all types, from balls to anemones. Choose the types of dahlias you like best and that will give you the most flowers all season.
Choosing the Best Dahlias for More Flowers
Whether you’re looking for large dahlia flowers, smaller types, or anything in between, you want the most bang for your buck. Choosing productive varieties helps, but you can also improve flowering by ensuring good dahlia care. Dahlias need full sun, plenty of water, and fertilizer – ideally a bloom-boosting formula, such as Miracle-Gro Flower Food, available at Amazon. And, don’t forget to deadhead dahlias to get a rebloom and extend flowering time.
Some varieties were simply bred to be more productive, especially those with ball-shaped blooms. These stunning options might give you more flowers in one go, while others keep blooming all season or rebloom throughout the summer and fall.
1. Cornel
‘Cornel’ is very reliable and one of the most productive dahlias with very strong stems that grow up to four feet (1.2m) tall. Cornel is a ball flower type in a deep shade of red. These striking flowers bloom prolifically in summer and fall. You can also find a similar type called ‘Cornel Brons’ with a peach color that darkens to bronze in the center of the flower. Cornel will bloom repeatedly with deadheading.
Cornel and Cornel Brons tubers are both available on Amazon.
2. Chimacum Night
This variety is similar in color and shape to Cornel. The ball-type flowers are a slightly lighter shade of red and a little larger. Like the Cornel varieties, ‘Chimacum Night’ is highly productive. It will keep blooming throughout summer and well into fall, especially if you deadhead it regularly. The medium-sized flowers grow on strong stems up to four feet tall.
Find Chimacum Night at Under the Sun Flower Company.
3. Café au Lait
The flower shape of ‘Café au Lait’ is called decorative, a group that encompasses various shapes that don’t fit into other types. Café au Lait blooms steadily and will give you plenty of cut flowers with a dense cluster of flat, broad petals the color of milky coffee. Slightly darker at the centers, these are big dahlia flowers, known as dinner plates. Growing on five-foot (1.5-m) stems, they can be as big as ten inches (25cm) across.
Buy Dahlia Cafe au Lait tubers from Easy to Grow via Amazon.
4. Intrigue
This is a beautiful dahlia that exhibits an intriguing color shift. The four-inch blooms begin a bright watermelon pink and change to a deeper raspberry or red color in fall. It’s productive and gives you an abundance of flowers that look different from one season to the next. ‘Intrigue’ grows about four feet tall. The flower shape is a loose ball.
Order Dahlia Intrigue from Swan Island Dahlias.
5. Terracotta
Another unique variety, ‘Terracotta’ is a semi-cactus type flower in a rich, peach-brown color. ‘Terracotta’ is very productive and will give you plenty of flowers in summer and fall. It responds well to deadheading and will continue to bloom. The plant is large, growing to five feet tall, and the flowers can be up to five inches (13cm) across.
Order Dahlia Terracotta from Three Acre Farm.
6. Suncrest
If you want a productive yellow dahlia, ‘Suncrest’ should be your go-to choice. The four-inch ball-shaped blooms are the perfect shade of canary yellow but also have a peachy blush on the petal tips. It produces a lot of flowers throughout the season, especially with deadheading. The flowers also last particularly long on the plant and resist damage in bad weather.
Find out more about Suncrest dahlias at Floret.
7. Blue Bayou
This is an example of an anemone-type dahlia that produces prolifically throughout the season. The outer petals are a light pinkish-lavender, while the curled central petals are a deeper purple. This is a smaller dahlia plant than others on this list, so it’s suitable for smaller spaces. ‘Blue Bayou’ only grows to about three feet (90cm) tall, but with numerous, four-inch flowers.
Order Dahlia Blue Bayou at Swan Island Dahlias.
8. Clearview Peachy
This pretty ball-shaped dahlia is a prolific bloomer. It also has long-lasting flowers that still look good even two weeks after being cut. The color is a pinky peach with some yellow at the center of each flower. With deadheading, you can get plenty of flowers from ‘Clearview Peachy’ well into the fall. The plants grow up to five feet tall and each flower is about four inches across.
Order Dahlia Clearview Peachy at Mountain Roots Produce.
9. Jomanda
One of the most productive of all dahlias is another ball type. ‘Jomanda’ flowers are a unique rusty orange color and about four inches across. They bloom for a long time, and the flowers really last in cut arrangements. Keep deadheading this dahlia to encourage even more flowers well into fall.
