The Most Beautiful Dahlia Varieties: 60 Photos with Names and Descriptions

General description of the flower

The dahlia (or dahlia) owes its two names to the renowned botanists George and Dahl. The flower is represented by 42 species, comprising approximately 15,000 varieties. In the wild, the plant can reach a height of 2.5-6 meters, but bushes grown in gardens rarely exceed one and a half meters.

Dahlias are distinguished by the complex, unique structure of their inflorescence, called a calathidium. It consists of reflexed marginal petals, collar-shaped tubular flowers, and buds that form the core. Dahlia rhizomes are tubers that resemble cones or thickened roots.

Classification of dahlias

Since there are more than 10 thousand species of flowers, and this number grows annually, botanists have introduced a special classification of dahlias. This system helps to classify varieties according to different parameters.

Grouping by inflorescence size

Depending on the size of the baskets, dahlias are divided into five groups:

Grouping by height

Dahlias are also classified by stem height:

International Classification of Dahlias

The international system's "birthdate" is considered to be 1962, when the classification was officially adopted in Brussels. It is based on flower shape and is divided into 10 groups:

• non-terry;
• anemone-shaped;
• collar;
• peony-shaped;
• decorative;
• spherical;
• pompom;
• cacti;
• semi-cacti;
• transitional (mixed).

Some countries use their own system, in which the number of subgroups can vary significantly.

Video "Popular Dahlia Varieties"

This video shows images of different varieties of garden flowers.

Simple

This group includes plants no more than 0.6 m tall with heads 100 mm in diameter. The inflorescences typically consist of small tubular flowers bordered by a single row of large ray florets.

Agnes

A bedding dahlia, it features small, rich burgundy-colored blooms.

Anna Karina

During flowering, dahlias produce miniature, simple flower heads. The flowers are snow-white with a bright yellow center.

Murillo

The bush is low, distinguished by flowers of a delicate pink color, which become a rich purple towards the center.

Romeo

A flowerbed hybrid characterized by bright scarlet-red or light-burgundy small inflorescences.

Lower

Low bushes bloom with miniature snow-white baskets with a bright, contrasting yellow center.

Twinings Smarty

This low-growing bush is distinguished by its inflorescences, which consist of bicolor petals – snow-white and magenta.

Yellow Hammer

A low-growing plant that blooms in clusters of lemon-yellow hues. The flowers are miniature or small.

Anemone-like

Dahlias in this group got their name from their resemblance to anemones. The center is densely filled with tubular, elongated petals, bordered by one or more rows of large marginal petals.

The height of the bush can reach one meter, and the diameter of the basket rarely exceeds 100 millimeters.

Blue Bayou

A low-growing plant. The center is a rich beetroot color, and the marginal petals are purple-pink.

Brio

A miniature flowerbed hybrid. The buds are uniformly colored, rich coral, without any unnecessary blotches.

Lambada

Low-growing dahlias with two dominant shades. The outer petals are pale lilac, while the center is creamy yellow.

Phantom

A medium-sized bush with small flower heads. The center of the bud is dark purple, and the marginal flowers are purple-pink.

Honey

Flowerbed hybrids characterized by small buds, creamy pink at the edges and lemon-yellow in the middle.

Collar

Dahlias belonging to this subspecies have an unusual structure. Small tubular flowers are surrounded by a distinctive contrasting "collar," followed by large marginal petals. Dahlias reach a height of 1.2 m, and the heads are approximately 10 cm in diameter.

Alpen Marie Lloyd

The bush is medium-sized and produces small flower heads. The petals are white and lilac in varying intensities.

Impression Fantastico

The maximum plant height is 0.8 m. The flower heads are medium-sized, raspberry-red, with a white "rim." The center is bright yellow.

Night Butterfly

A low-growing bush with small inflorescences. The marginal petals are dark burgundy, and the lemon-yellow center is surrounded by snow-white "tongues."

Flamenco

These dahlias bloom in clusters of large, dark-red petals, surrounded by a creamy-yellow rim.

Fashion Monger

A medium-sized dahlia characterized by medium-sized blooms. The color is snow-white with broad lilac strokes.

Nymphaeaceae

Dahlias in this group are double varieties with lush, lotus-like inflorescences. They consist of seven rows of large petals, forming a head with a maximum diameter of 200 millimeters. These dahlias grow to a height of 0.4 to 1.3 meters.

Angela

Mature bushes produce medium-sized, spherical inflorescences during flowering. The petals are creamy, with pinkish-lilac tips.

Bahama Red

This hybrid is a medium-sized variety. Its large buds are a bright scarlet color with snow-white tips.

Seduction

An adult plant is characterized by medium-sized inflorescences, light lavender in color with a thin purple border.

Sugar Cane

The tallest dahlias in this group. Large, light-orange flower heads with snow-white tips.

Decorative

A class that includes varieties up to one and a half meters tall. These dahlias are characterized by large buds with a maximum diameter of 250 mm.

This group is considered the most numerous, and decorative dahlias are the most popular among florists.

Victoria Ann

The dense bush blooms with medium-sized "caps." The petals are snow-white, with broad strokes of soft purple at the tips.

Lucky Numbr

A medium-sized dahlia characterized by inflorescences of a uniform pink color with a slight purple tint.

Painted Madam

A low-growing hybrid with medium-diameter flower heads. Petals are yellow-orange, covered with red-burgundy stripes.

Prince Carnival

A tall variety with medium-sized "caps." The color is delicate, lilac-pink with dark cherry highlights.

Tartan

The bush blooms with baskets about 20 cm in size. The wavy petals are dark beetroot-colored with a snow-white stripe in the middle.

Spherical

Dahlias of this class are characterized by a perfectly spherical shape. The inflorescence diameter of a mature plant can range from 80 to 150 mm. The stem length is no more than 1.2 meters.

Aikun

The bushes grow small, and the size of the "cap" is about 10 cm. The color is sunny yellow, dark burgundy at the tips.

Annushka

A medium-sized plant with lush, small inflorescences. Lavender petals of varying intensity.

Zorro

The hybrid blooms with heads of maximum diameter. The color is uniform, rich red with a carmine tint.

Lady Darlene

A tall shrub characterized by large flowers. The petals are soft yellow with red-orange tips.

Pagoda

A low-growing variety with 200-millimeter-long "caps." The flowers are snow-white, with a slightly light green center.

Rocco

The bush grows to a height of no more than 0.9 m. The inflorescences are small, almost miniature. The color is uniform, purple-cherry.

Silvia

Dahlias bloom in small clusters, characterized by delicate salmon-colored petals with an orange tint.

Spartacus

A tall-growing plant. Flowers are 200-250 mm in size. The color is uniform, burgundy-cherry.

Pompom

Dahlias in this group are characterized by small, double, perfectly spherical heads. Their diameter is approximately 50 millimeters, and the outer petals are curled into a tube. These dahlias grow up to 1.2 meters tall.

Acrobat

The variety blooms with miniature "caps" measuring 5-6 cm. The color is lilac-pink of varying saturation.

Albino

This hybrid grows just over a meter tall. The small flower heads are a uniform snow-white color, free of any foreign matter.

Andrew Lockwood

The plant blooms with spherical "caps" 4-6 cm in size. The color of the petals is uniform, soft purple.

Anke

A medium-sized dahlia with small, regular-shaped inflorescences. It is characterized by a coral color with a slight scarlet tint.

Bantling

The variety blooms in "balls" about 6 cm in diameter. The petals are peachy-orange, with red blurry strokes.

White Aster

A medium-sized dahlia variety characterized by small, uniformly colored, snow-white flowers.

Little Robert

The hybrid blooms with small flower heads about 7 cm in size. The petals are white, turning deep purple towards the tips.

Cacti

These unusual dahlias resemble cactus flowers. Their petals resemble long, thin needles and form large inflorescences measuring approximately 250 millimeters. These varieties can reach a height of up to one and a half meters.

Blutenteppich

A medium-sized bush distinguished by small buds. The color is uniform, fuchsia-colored, without any unnecessary blotches.

Black Bird

This hybrid grows up to 1.1 m. The outer petals are light burgundy, turning into a darker shade towards the center.

Windhaven Highlight

A low-growing cactus dahlia that blooms with large, lush, lemon-yellow buds.

Jessica

A tall plant with large inflorescences. The petals are soft yellow, with dark red tips.

Caproz Josephine

The bush blooms with 12 cm long baskets. The color is creamy white with a yellowish tint, the tips are pinkish-lilac.

White Star

The maximum stem length is one meter. The buds are snow-white, uniformly colored, and quite large.

Suga Diamond

This low-growing dahlia produces 20 cm flower heads with pinkish-lilac petals.

Semi-cacti

These dahlias differ from the previous group in that they are less needle-like. They also grow up to 1.5 meters, and their inflorescences are approximately 250 mm in diameter.

Adlerstein

A medium-sized bush with delicate orange, copper-colored buds. They can reach 20 or 25 cm in size.

Aitara Success

This dahlia grows up to one meter tall. The inflorescences are medium-sized. The color is creamy yellow, with delicate lavender tips.

Ice Princess

A tall dahlia with medium-sized flower heads. The color is uniform, snow-white, without any unwanted inclusions.

Andrew Mitchell

The bush grows tall and produces medium- to large-sized flower heads. The petals are a bright scarlet hue.

Baltic Gull

The variety is characterized by medium-sized inflorescences, 17 cm in diameter. The color is snow-white, without unnecessary inclusions.

Omega

A low-growing dahlia with large salmon-orange flowers with a yellow center.

Transitional group

Of all the dahlia varieties, there are some that cannot be classified into any particular class. Based on this, a transitional, or mixed, group was created.

Bishop of Llandaff

This medium-sized bush blooms with small heads of large petals. The flowers are dark crimson with a burgundy center.

Firebird

The plant is short and produces very large flower heads. The petals are wavy and burgundy-cherry in color.

Pink giraffe

This variety's stems are over a meter long. The unusually shaped, medium-sized buds are colored in shades of white and lilac.

Lilliputians

Miniature annual dahlias have not earned a place in the International Classification, but are distinguished by flower growers as a separate group.

White Lilliputian

The bush grows to a height of no more than 0.3 meters. The tiny flower heads are snow-white, with a bright yellow center.

Funny guys

This variety grows to a maximum height of half a meter. The inflorescences are very small and feature a variety of uniform colors.

Figaro

This hybrid grows only 25-35 cm tall. The flowers are lush, 70-100 mm in size. The color can range from yellow to burgundy.

There are over 10,000 varieties of dahlias, and it would take years to cover them all. Each dahlia has its own unique characteristics, so any gardener can choose the variety they like.