New Dahlia Varieties We're Growing at PepperHarrow in 2022: Round 1
f you've been following our flower farming journey, you know our dahlia collection has grown into a vibrant array of varieties. Good news – they'll soon be available for purchase! Here's a sneak peek at some standout new dahlias, from the blush tones of Bloomquist Compare to the bi-color beauty of Aitara Diadem. Stay tuned for more as they blossom in our garden! 🌸 #Dahlias #FlowerFarming #NewVarieties
If y’all have been following along with our flower farming journey thus far, you know we’ve grown our selection of dahlias into a collection of really great varieties and have are known as some of the best dahlia growers in the us. This wasn’t intentional, but more the product of being a 100% plant addict and dahlia lover. Self control goes out the window when I see a gorgeous new dahlia variety I need to get my hands on. BUT it all works out in the end, because it means that all of our new varieties will be available for purchase to all of YOU!
We’ll be offering our dahlia varieties online coming soon, first to our Big Dreams Family on Patreon, which can be accessed here if you haven’t already. General availability for dahlia tubers for the public will go online on 1/1/23.
Here’s a look at some of our first round of our BEST new dahlia varieties we’re growing! We’ll share more soon, because they’re all starting to show off out in the garden!
XX Jenn
Bloomquist
Compare
A beautiful new addition to our collection from Triple Wren Farms. It serves as a nice blush color for weddings and local florists. It grows about 5’ tall and has nice long, tall, sturdy stems for bouquets.
Observations: A prolific bloomer, perfect for specialty cut flower growers. Susceptible to powdery mildew.
KAs Mocha Jo
Who are we kidding?! We love ALL of the KAs varieties, but especially this one. It’s the ‘blendy pen’ of the dahlia world and because of this, it’s is a great dahlia to use for design work, because it bridges many colors.
Observations: Small, bushy growth habit. Doesn’t appear to produce a ton of tubers
Irish Ruffles
Never have we grown such a beautiful white dahlia. It has a large bloom with petals that look soft and fluffy, giving this beauty its name. It’s definitely a favorite of ours.
Observations: Needs to be staked due to the heavy bloom and tall stems the plant produces. Not a prolific tuber producer.
Aitara Diadem
Wow! I’m usually not really a fan of bi-color dahlias, but this bloom has stood out as one of the best in the garden. The 6’ blooms are some of the first to be cut to include in bouquets, because they’re so remarkable.
Observations: Tall, bushy growth habit with large leaves. Very healthy, vigorous plant.
KAs Bella Luna
Sourced from StoneHouse Dahlias as a rooted cutting and wow, has it exploded with growth. The bloom starts off as white and finishes with an unexpected burst of blush in the center. Just gorgeous!
Observations: Hardy, vigorous growing plant and blooms. 4’ tall with nice sturdy stems.
Quiet Splendor
This bloom was totally unassuming until it really started to open and I was struck by the blush variegation in the leaves. Must day, it’s a keeper! It’s taken lack of rain and terribly hot conditions and has thrived.
Observations: Tall, workable stems perfect as a specialty cut flower.
Normandie Wedding Day
Who doesn’t love dahlia cultivars from the UK? The unique, blush bloom on this beauty is just incredible. We’re not known for growing cactus varieties, which this one is, but this one was too pretty NOT to grow.
Observations: Prone to powdery mildew. Tall, sturdy stems.
Clearview Jennae
Wine or magenta? Either way, we’re obsessed with this gorgeous, prolific dahlia and will be adding more to our growing stock.
Observations: Incredible, tall growth habit, 5’ tall. Strong, sturdy stems perfect for specialty cut flowers.
Blush Dahlias We Grow on the Flower Farm
Explore the elegance of blush dahlias with our top picks! From the truly blush-colored Bloomquist Tory P to the stunning 'dinner plate' dahlias like Cafe Au Lait, these varieties add sophistication to bouquets and gardens. Meet Tahoma Kellie with its perfect bouquet size, early-blooming Pink Pearl, must-have tuber Sweet Nathalie, and the delightful Narrows Ryder offering a touch of white. Elevate your floral experience with these captivating blush dahlias! 🌸✨ #BlushDahlias #FloralElegance
Blush dahlias are a popular color among our florists and customers as a cut flower and it’s also a popular color with gardeners who purchase dahlia tubers as well! We want to share the list of our fav blush varieties we grow here on the flower farm. We’re always looking to add more, but these are staples for us each and every season.
Bloomquist Tory P
This is THE truly blush colored dahlia. It’s the perfect bloom to match a request for blush from a local florist or wedding couple. It’s also highly sought after as a tuber variety.
Cafe Au Lait
This large, beautiful bloom is just stunning. Their blooms are so large, they’re referred to as ‘dinner plate’ dahlias.
Tahoma Kellie
The bloom is smaller than most, but because of the long, sturdy stems and smaller bloom size, it’s perfect for bouquet work.
Pink Pearl
Another great shade of blush and a nice, long lasting bloom. She also blooms early in the season, helping to fulfill dahlias orders early.
Sweet Nathalie
This is a MUST have tuber for blush. The blooms are easy to work with and on the medium to large side in size. She can take on a bit of a mauve hue.
Narrows Ryder
Although a little on the white side, this is one that’s passable for blush and has nice tall, sturdy stems to work with.
The Great Dahlia Dig
Bid farewell to the dazzling dahlias in their last harvest before the frost bite. With an impending drop to 18 degrees, our team of three spent a day unearthing and securing thousands of tubers. The abrupt shift from fall to winter, a typical Iowa weather quirk, propelled us into action. The smaller dahlia field, boasting unique varieties, added complexity to the six-hour task. Cleaning, drying, and dividing the tubers for storage proved physically demanding, prompting thoughts of core strengthening for future endeavors. Stay tuned for our online dahlia tuber sale, unveiling these captivating varieties. Good luck to us in this intricate dance with the dahlias! 🌸❄️ #DahliaHarvest #PepperHarrowFarm #TuberSale
We love our dahlias dearly here at PepperHarrow and they’re one of our featured flowers we grow.
I mean, just look at these gorgeous blooms, our last harvest of dahlias before frost. Dahlias in every shape, color, size. Just absolutely stunning!
But all good things must come to an end and that’s where we are right now. We recently spent a 10 hour day, with 3 people, out in our largest dahlia field, digging up all the dahlia tubers and getting them into our heated space before an anticipated low of 18 degrees.
It’s crazy how our Iowa weather always seems to go from just lovely fall weather, to an abysmal wintery mix overnight. That’s exactly what happened this year, just like it’s happened the last few years. We should be used to by now, right?!
Below is a great photo that shows an after look of what our field looked like after all the tubers were dug up. Not too bad!
The following day, Adam, our two sons and myself (Jenn) worked on our smaller dahlia field with our ‘special’ dahlia tuber varieties pulling them out. We spent about 6 hours in the smaller field, but were only able to get it half completed. It was a bit more difficult for various reason, but for right now, I’m blaming the pathways we added with landscaping fabric. It was a crazy, wet, cold, mess that day.
I’ll admit, I’ve been dreading the great dahlia dig. I started thinking about having to do this in early September with a sliver of dread stirring in my heart. Not gonna sugar coat this for y’all, it’s some seriously hard, dirty, body breaking work to get all of these tubers out of the field and inside.
But that’s not all! We also spend hours on our feet after that, cleaning, drying, and dividing them up for storage. There’s a lot of standing and my lower back is starting to get real angry with me. Need to work on my core next year to help with this.
The specialty dahlia field
Wish us luck as we further divide the thousands of tubers this week to get them into storage. We’ll be getting them all tucked away, then will be announcing our dahlia tuber sale online soon. We can’t wait to share all of these gorgeous varieties with you.
XX Jenn
Adventure at the Wedding Show
Prepping for the Des Moines Wedding Show was a whirlwind as I delved into researching trends, creating a setup, and gathering flowers and props. Despite the challenges of C19, the show was a success, allowing me to connect with lovely brides. Gina, from the show, asked for a mauve-themed exhibition table, and I gladly accepted the challenge. The last-minute dash to Home Goods and Hobby Lobby resulted in a stunning display featuring cut glass, silver place settings, and pops of blue, complemented by beautiful flowers. It was a delightful showcase at the Scottish Rite Consistory, and I'm thrilled with the outcome!
An Adventure at the Des Moines Wedding Show
Our setup at the Des Moines Wedding Show at the Scottish Rite Consistory
I spent the week preparing for the Des Moines Wedding Show that was held last Sunday. This was my first wedding show since C19, but I’ve decided that we have to learn to still carry on with our daily lives, but take precautions to protect ourselves and others. It was a great success and I met with tons of wonderful prospective brides.
The amount of time researching trends, coming up with idea for setup, number of flowers , props, vases, etc, is just staggering. Prep for the wedding show actually started two weeks ago, by pulling together a portfolio of my work, as well as a portfolio
Gina, one of the team members who coordinate the Des Moines Wedding Show, reached out to me a few days before the show and asked me if I’d do an exhibition table, telling me that the table should lean towards mauve tones. How could I say ‘no’?
I broke out allll the cut glass I could muster, as well as silver for place settings from my personal stash of fancy things. I made a last minute dash to Home Goods to grab some napkins, and plates, as well as Hobby Lobby for candles. I’m pretty excited about how everything turned out! The flowers are stunning and I love the way the candles look with the ribbons tied around the napkins. The pops of blue were everything!
Table Setting at the Des Moines Wedding Show