Dahlias originated in Mexico and are named for botanist Dr. Andreas Dahl. Today dahlias are found in 19 forms and 15 colors, flowering from July to frost in the northeast. As a subtropical plant, dahlias cannot withstand New York winters. Tubers must be dug and stored for winter or plants should be grown as annuals.
Plants range from 12 inches to greater than 5 feet in height. Unique blooms vary from 1" to over 10" in diameter. Grown from seeds, cuttings and tubers, dahlias are fun and easy to grow. They can be grown in containers, as bedding plants, cut flower bouquets, as exhibition specimens, dried flower arrangements and incorporated into potpourris.
The different forms include: Formal Decorative, Informal Decorative, Semi-cactus, Straight Cactus, Incurved Cactus, Laciniated, Ball, Miniature Ball, Pompon, Stellar, Waterlily, Peony, Anemone, Collarette, Single, Mignon Single, Orchid, Novelty Open and Novelty Fully Double.
There are 15 color classifications for Dahlias. Within each classification there is a wide spectrum of colors. When identifying a dahlia with the new 4-digit classification number, these 15 numbers will remain the same regardless of the the form or type of bloom.
For example: A dark red (7), "A" - size, Formal Decorative bloom will have the number: 1007.
A dark red (7), Waterlily bloom will have the number: 7307.
Note that the number for both blooms, that are Dark Red, end with "07". This holds true for each color in the new numbering system.