2023 Dahlia March Madness
Tough competition and crowd favorites featured in the 2023 Dahlia Sweet 16.
The inaugural year of the Orchard Breeze Flower Farm Dahlia March Madness was a huge hit. Thanks for playing along and selecting the best of the best in each competitive round as we worked to find our 2023 Dahlia Champion. I intentionally remained quiet about the dahlias in order to allow unbiased voting. Each dahlia featured had it’s own set of attributes and flaws, but each had unique, beautiful features. Growing nearly 120 different varieties of dahlias in 2022 (that was intense), I had a hard time narrowing it down to 16 to feature in the 2023 Dahlia March Madness. These 16 varieties were some of my top performers, based upon vase life, coloring, tuber production, popularity with designers, and fan favorites. So, now that our champion has been crowned, let’s dig into each variety.
Dahlias defeated in the round of Sweet 16
The first round saw some major upsets, top dogs in the dahlia world fell to some stiff competition with crowd favorites entering the tournament.
Snoho Sonia
This light lavender ball dahlia is delicate purple perfection. She’s a prolific bloomer with strong stems on a sturdy, 4’ plant. Her only drawback is her color, as dahlias are a late summer/fall crop in our region and not too many folks are after lavender in late summer.
Black Satin
A maroon/deep red beauty, perfect for fall arrangements. Classified as a Formal Decorative, she cranks out blooms on strong stems. These deep red blooms were highly requested by designers as we transitioned into moody fall wedding palettes. There are not any black dahlias available, but her chocolatey goodness is pretty darn close to that desired fall tone.
Cornel Bronze
This babe is a staple in every flower farmer’s field; and for good reason! She cranks out the blooms on sturdy stems all season long and produces tons of tubers that store well. Classified as a ball dahlia, she has fantastic vase life and is perfect for market bouquets. I love her color!
Orsett Beauty
This pure white ball dahlia cranks out the blooms all season long. She’s early to bloom in the season and doesn’t stop until frost takes her out. I found she does have a tendency to produce weak stems, but deep cuts help throw up stronger stems.
Brown Sugar
A deep coppery red ball dahlia, gorgeous in fall palettes. She produces long, strong stems and is perfect for market bouquets and wedding design. She did tend to blow her centers in fall (yellow pollen centers), but she was still a stunner.
Peaches n’ Cream
Ohhh Peaches n’ Cream, she’s such a babe. With her warm peachy orange fading to white petals, she works in many palettes. Each bloom is different than the last, making each new stem a surprise. Classified as a Formal Decorative, she goes well in wedding design. I was surprised to see her go down in the first round, but she was defeated by the eventual champion.
Terracotta
One of the few cactus forms in my field, this soft orange stunner works well on her own or as a palette blender. Her color works perfectly in fall palettes, especially as earthy tones are all the rage.
Sylvia/Maarn
This orange ball dahlia is by far the most prolific bloomer in my field. She cranks out tangerine blooms on strong stems all season long. I relied heavily on her for market bouquets, especially to capture those fall color palettes. Fun fact: I didn’t realize Sylvia/Maarn are the same thing and bought both. She’s a great tuber producer, so I have plenty of stock for the 2023 season!
Dahlias defeated in the round of Elite 8
Things started to get intense here. Some gorgeous stunners fell to even more gorgeous stunners. A definite favorite color palette came out of this round.
Breakout
With petals that shimmer in the sunlight, this Informal Decorative stunner worked well in wedding work. With a creamy center fading to soft pink, twirling petals, she is a standout in the field.
Isabel
A beautiful deep lavender ball dahlia on super strong stems, I will always have a place for this beauty in my field. At first glance, she’s a solid purple, but her petals are highlighted by deep rosy accents towards the center of the bloom, giving her a glowing look. She’s a favorite for market bouquets and a fantastic tuber producer.
Ferncliff Copper
This Formal Decorative dahlia sits atop long, strong stems. Her coppery goodness is highlighted by smokey peach blooms, perfect for fall wedding palettes. She was a surprise favorite and I was thrilled to find a few extra mislabels strewn throughout my field.
Barefoot
A fairly prolific bloomer, this peachy cactus type dahlia is perfect for fall palettes. I loved her!
Dahlias defeated in the Final Four
Ohhh my sweet dahlias, things got interesting here! Some heavy hitters were taken out in this round.
Jowey Winnie
This gorgeous ball dahlia is a market and designer favorite! It’s no surprise as her warm peach undertones and dusty rose flowers sit on long, strong stems. She’s a prolific bloomer and definitely a staple in my field. All around goodness!
Café Au Lait
Known as the “Queen” in the dahlia world, she’s a favorite amongst brides and designers. Massive Informal Decorative blooms are a pale creamy blush, shifting throughout the season. She’s a little late to arrive to the party and not the most prolific bloomer, but her stunning blooms make up for her shortcomings.
Championship
Peach, peach, peach! Our championship round showcased two stunning peach blooms—fitting, as that color was a top request by designers during the 2022 season.
Runner up: Giggles
Giggles was a surprise favorite this year. She was slated to be culled from the field for the 2023 growing season, but y’all saved her in a BIG way. Collarette dahlias aren’t a huge favorite amongst flower farmers due to their short vase life and love by pollinators. Don’t get me wrong, I love pollinators, but once they’ve done their job, the flower is signaled to start making seed. However, this stunning beauty became a late favorite amongst designers for not only her gorgeous coloring, but also because she is so stinking cute!
Champion: Labyrinth
Ohhh, I loved Labyrinth all season. She’s a unique one with her curving, frilly petals. She proved to very prolific on strong stems. Her large Informal Decorative peachy raspberry stems sit atop dark colored stems, creating an aesthetically pleasing bloom for designers. She works well in a range of palettes, an all around winner!
Thanks for playing along for our inaugural Dahlia March Madness! How did your pick finish? Let me know your favorite dahlia! Look for these beauties to be featured in our Dahlia Share coming late summer. I can’t wait to share the beauty of dahlias with you!
