Lifestyle

Demystifying dahlias: 20 stunning dahlia varieties for the ultimate home decor

Byforwomenmagazine January 17, 2026January 17, 2026

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Exploring Dahlias: 20 Beautiful Varieties for Home Decor

Renowned flower farmer and florist Erin Benzakein shares insights on these stunning flowers in all their varied forms. Among all the flowers I’ve cultivated, dahlias hold a special place as my favorite. These gems are beloved and widely grown for cutting due to their vibrant colors, abundant blooms from midsummer to autumn, and the vast range of shapes and sizes available.

Beyond their popularity as cut flowers, dahlias have an unmatched ability to multiply during the growing season. Starting with a single tuber or rooted cutting, you can end up with a full clump containing three to ten new tubers by the season’s end. Similar to a sourdough starter, once you have dahlias and care for them, you’ll have a steady supply to share and plant each season.

Dahlias come in a dazzling array of forms, sizes, and shades. Some are perfectly symmetrical with tightly spaced petals, while others have a loose, lush appearance. They may feature different petal styles and lengths, with open or closed centers. Preferences for dahlia varieties vary widely; some prefer cactus types, while others favor informal decoratives. Personally, I’m drawn to the unique varieties, including anemone, stellar, incurved cactus, and orchette types. Over time, you might find yourself gravitating towards particular classes, and understanding their differences will aid in selecting new varieties.

Dahlia Varieties

Informal Decorative: These blooms have a soft, romantic quality with lush, billowy petals, making them beautiful and useful for arrangements.
Formal Decorative: With fewer varieties, these blooms are showy and refined, perfect for large arrangements.
Stellar: Featuring striking, textural blooms with sharply edged petals reflexed back towards the stem, resembling shooting stars.
Peony: This class has few varieties with flowers featuring a ring of petals encircling a single, open center.
Ball: Medium-sized, long-lasting, and weather-resistant blooms, popular among those growing dahlias for market.
Miniature Ball: Similar to ball varieties but smaller, these blooms are long-lasting and weather-resistant.
Pompon: Petite, ball-shaped flowers the size of large marbles, ideal for adding texture to bouquets.
Orchid: Long-stemmed, star-like flowers with inward-rolling petals, loved by pollinators and perfect for bouquets.
Orchette: Similar to orchid types but with a fluffy collar of inner petals, adding a delicate, romantic touch to bouquets.
Single: Daisy-like flowers with a cheerful addition to arrangements, featuring a striking single center.
Mignon Single: Miniature single blooms with rounded petal tips, under 5cm in diameter.
Semi-Cactus: Popular with breeders, these blooms are similar to straight cactus varieties but with less defined, more relaxed petals.
Straight Cactus: Spiky, textural varieties that are striking in the garden but can be fragile.
Incurved Cactus: Featuring twisted, tubular, feather-like petals, these blooms add a fun, conversational piece to the garden.
Fimbriated: Shaggy, fluffy blooms with delicate outer petals, adding wonderful texture to gardens and vases with extra protection.
Water Lily: Flowers borne on long, strong stems, resembling floating water lilies, loved by flower arrangers.
Anemone: Novelty varieties with unique appearances, featuring a ring of reflexed petals surrounding a domed center.
Collarette: Single blooms with a collar of ruffled petals encircling glowing centers, lovely for bouquets.
Novelty Open: Rare varieties with single centers proportionate to the ring of outer petals.
Novelty Fully Double: Varieties with closed, tight centers and proportionate petals.