Dahlia Tuber Sales….what’s all the fuss?

If you’re a serious dahlia lover, like we are, you’ve probably heard the term “dahlia wars”. If you’re not, let me try to explain. This phenomenon has taken social media by storm. Flower farmers and dahlia addicts (there’s an actual group called that, along with a website!) alike are busy every fall digging up and dividing their tubers, then storing them for the winter. Those dahlia tubers that survive storage and winter then are posted for sale and dahlia growers will flock to those sites to get the coveted “unicorn” varieties from a reputable supplier. These are NOT the same tubers that you can get commercially at your local big box store (in fact, we kind of recommend you NOT buy those, because they often have a type of dahlia virus called “gall” and it will cause all sorts of issues in the soil you’re growing in). There are professionals who grow dahlias for a living (like we do) and then there are gardeners who just love dahlias. What’s not to love, right?

So, in these social media groups and followings, us flower farmers will sell our extra dahlia tubers to other farmers. It’s a beautiful community of like-minded, beauty appreciating, and gardening loving folks. And, let me tell you that these are some of the nicest people on the planet. Until…..the dahlia wars commence. Because, there are only so many of the newer and most beautiful varieties of dahlias, and sometimes, there are only certain farmers licensed to sell these newer types. Think of it like Black Friday when Cabbage Patch kids first came out (if you’re not old enough to know what that reference mean, then we don’t know how to help you, but the internet might.) Websites crash. People get things removed from virtual shopping carts without them even knowing, and prices skyrockets for something that looks like a cross between a russet and a sweet potato. And, because of all this, there are very few winners of the dahlia wars and most of us, we have to say it….we’re losers in the Great Dahlia Wars.

Here at Flowers on Summit, we’re just observers of the Dahlia Wars, but we hear about it often from other growers. We’re still building our stock of different varieties to offer our customers, and our business hasn’t grown to the point where we’re going to spend insane amounts of money for one single dahlia tuber. However, if you know of anyone who has the “Missis Amy” dahlia, we think we might have to break our rule on what we’re willing to spend! It’s probably the single most beautiful dahlia ever produced, with the “Bloomquist Mark B” being a very distant second place winner. Full disclosure, though, we’re completely biased about these, just because of their names!