The dahlia is staging a comeback as queen of both the cutting garden and the centerpiece. Once considered old-fashioned, she’s now the darling of hip designers and Instagram’s floral rock stars. Flower lovers can’t get enough of this alluring bloom, which practically arranges itself, making every customer a savvy designer.
These flowers have been called luscious, breathtaking, decadent and bewitching. Design attributes are many, thanks to the dahlia’s symmetrical form, versatile sizes, vivid color ranges and tendency to bloom prolifically.
Dahlia flowers range from compact pompons to frilly water lilies to aptly-named dinner plates — so large that a single flower measures 10-inches across. Once cut, dahlias generally have a three- to four-day vase life, and the smaller ball-shape varieties last even longer.
Here is an inspiring gallery of 27 dahlia-themed floral design from the Slow Flowers Community of flower farmers, farmer-florists and designers.