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Ordering Dalia Tubers
Ordering dahlia tubers –
Right now I am receiving garden catalogs, many with dahlias to sell.
In the past I have searched both on-line sources and catalogs to find a particular dahlia tuber that I wanted to plant.
Often no luck.
It seems to me it is better to choose from the selection offered than spend time looking for a particular variety. There are, after all, over 10,000 registered dahlias.
Dahlia History
American gardeners have been ordering dahlias since the early 1800s.
Nineteenth century Rochester, New York seed company owner James Vick (1818-1882) had over 500 dahlia varieties in his trial fields.
He sold named varieties and his own hybrids for that time.
The flower has had its ups and downs since the beginning.
Now you might say there is a Renaissance of interest in growing dahlias. We like everything about this flower.
If the popular dahlia shows in September are any indicator, there are a lot of people today who love dahlias.
Price
The price of a dahlia tuber can vary quite a bit.
Take ‘Bishop of Llandaff’ as an example. With its dark leaves and bright red flowers, it is one of my favorite dahlias.
The least expensive online price for one tuber is $3.25, and the most expensive $11.95.
Quite a difference.
Vick offered ‘White Aster’ in his catalog of 1880 for 25 cents.
You can still buy ‘White Aster’ today, but, of course, at the current rate.
I can see why Vick wrote in his seed catalog: “The Dahlia is the grandest Autumn Flower we have.”
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We love Dahlias! That’s why we at National Garden Bureau has designated 2019 as the Year of the Dahlia!
Hi Gail, in the next few weeks I will give a talk called “The History of Growing and Selling Dahlias.” I had planned to include in my introduction your choice of dahlia as flower of the year. Thanks so much.