Every season our dahlia patch brings its own magic, and we’re always refining how we document and share each flower’s color, texture, and personality. These are the varieties we rely on for bouquets, pollinator patches, and bold pops of color. A few have now earned permanent spots in our rows. Below, you’ll find bloom details and notes on what makes each one shine here at Prairie’s Edge Garden.

**Allen’s Starfire**

**Bloom Size**: Medium
**Form**: Cactus
**Color Story**: Ember red with molten orange undertones; warm, fire-kissed petals that glow in sunlight.
**Best For**: Statement blooms, cutting garden
Striking shapes and bright tones draw the eye

**Black Satin**

**Bloom Size**: Small
**Form**: Formal Decorative
**Color Story**: Deep wine-black with velvety richness; moody, dramatic, and beautifully saturated.
**Best For**: Moody arrangements
A striking contrast bloom for bold palettes

**Blizzard**

**Bloom Size:** Small
**Form:** Decorative
**Color Story:** Clean snowy white with cool undertones; crisp, elegant, and luminous in cloudy light.
**Best For:** Mixed bouquets
Bright white makes other colors pop

**Blyton Softer Gleam**

**Bloom Size**: Small
**Form**: Ball
**Color Story**: Peach-blush pastel with soft warm highlights; gentle, romantic, and dreamy.
**Best For**: Everyday bouquets & high production
A reliable workhorse with great vase life

**Buttercream**

**Bloom Size:** Medium
**Form:** Decorative / Formal Decorative
**Color Story:** Smooth creamy yellow with warm vanilla tones; soft, sunlit, and painterly.
**Best For:** Bouquets
A go-to bloom for sunny, cheerful bouquets

**Camano Mordor**

**Bloom Size**: Small
**Form**: Ball
**Color Story**: Dark ruby-mahogany with smoky depth; rich, smoldering, and dramatic.
**Best For**: Fall palettes & market bouquets
Strong stems and consistent productivity

**Castle Drive**

**Bloom Size:** Medium
**Form:** Decorative
**Color Story:** Blush-pink with glowing melon undertones; cheerful, modern, and sunset-inspired.
**Best For:** Cutting garden, seasonal bouquets
Dreamy sun-kissed coral, plays nicely with others

**Ferncliff Copper**

**Bloom Size:** Medium–Large
**Form:** Decorative
**Color Story:** Burnished copper-apricot with antique bronze shadows; warm, earthy, and richly layered.
**Best For:** Multiplying stock, warm bouquets
Classic favorite that gives off that golden hour glow

**Fire Magic**

**Bloom Size:** Medium
**Form:** Decorative / Formal Decorative
**Color Story:** Vivid orange with fiery golden highlights; bright, bold, and high-energy.
**Best For:** Statement blooms, late-season color
Lights up a bouquet like a spark

**Hollyhill Bill M**

**Bloom Size:** Small
**Form:** Stellar
**Color Story:** Bright amethyst-purple with jewel-tone saturation; lively, playful, and electric.
**Best For:** Garden pop, early blooms
Prolific bloomer that seems to race Blizzard to be the first to flower every year

Jax

**Bloom Size:** Large (8″+)
**Form:** Laciniated
**Color Story:** Deep red-maroon with blackened undertones; sultry, bold, and high-contrast.
**Best For:** Cutting garden, large arrangements

Unique shaggy appearance looks otherwordly

**Nicholas**

**Bloom Size:** Medium
**Form:** Waterlily
**Color Story:** Soft melon-orange with warm honey notes; mellow and sunny.
**Best For:** Bold arrangements, focal flowers
Some of the largest, sturdiest plants each year

**Roque Starburst**

**Bloom Size:** Large (8″+)
**Form:** Decorative / Semi-Cactus
**Color Story:** White with creamy pink centers and a hint of sparkle; whimsical, radiant, and full of movement.
**Best For:** Bouquet focal
Stunning in the garden and large arrangements

Pollinator-Friendly Open-Centered Varieties

Best For: Pollinator rows & garden color
Note: We often plant these varieties as whole clumps to support bees and beneficial insects. Their open centers offer easy access to pollen and nectar, making them absolute bee magnets. We had some out front at our house that were covered in bees all summer long.

Do You Know This Dahlia?

There’s one big, bold dinnerplate dahlia in our garden that continues to stump me. For years I assumed she was ‘Spartacus,’ but the color just isn’t right. She leans more pink-magenta with frosty white streaks on the petal backs. She’s a powerhouse bloomer, easily hitting 6"+ with some flowers easily as large as my face. Around here, we’ve been calling her Raspberry Frost until we can learn her real name.

Recognize her? Comment below if you have a guess—we’d love your help!

Note: Not all varieties are pictured.

In our first year, we struggled with labeling and lost track of a few of the original tubers we were gifted. Over the years, we’ve put extra time and care into clearly labeling every variety, especially at the end of the season and throughout the dividing and storage phases, to ensure we can reliably grow and multiply true varieties for seasons to come.

Our Dahlia Collection

Allen’s Starfire

Black Satin

Blizzard

Blyton Softer Gleam

Buttercream

Camano Mordor

Castle Drive

Ferncliff Copper

Fire Magic

Hollyhill Bill M

Jax

Nicholas

Roque Starburst

Pollinator-Friendly Open-Centered Varieties

Do You Know This Dahlia?

Dahlia Growing Guide