Local Only. No Shipping.$5 tubersDahlia Tuber Sale
From August to October Dahlia’s are the backbone of my flower bouquets and buckets in Southern Ontario. They are big, bold, colourful blooms that evolve with the seasonal temperature changes.
Cafe au Lait
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Caitlin’s Joy
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Hugs N Kisses
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Jowey Mirella
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Linda's Baby
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Pure Perfection
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Sandia Brocade
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Cafe au Lait · Caitlin’s Joy · Hugs N Kisses · Jowey Mirella · Linda's Baby · Pure Perfection · Sandia Brocade ·
Varieties Available
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Cafe au Lait
Informal decorative / dinnerplate dahlia
6”-10” blooms
Creamy beige with blush pink tones
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Caitlin’s Joy
Ball dahlia
3”-4” blooms
Mauve-pink, raspberry, magenta tones
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Hugs N Kisses
Formal decorative dahlia
Petite up to 3” blooms
Lavender with magenta/purple reverse
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Jowey Mirella
Ball dahlia
3”-4” blooms
Rich deeper red
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Linda's Baby
Ball dahlia
3”-4” blooms
Peachy pink with warm yellow
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Pure (White) Perfection
Formal decorative / dinnerplate dahlia
8”-10” blooms
Pure white
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Sandia Brocade
Anemone dahlia
3”-4” blooms
Golden-orange to peachy cantaloupe
Sale Details
$5/tuber cash or e-transfer.
I am not shipping.
I am not doing holds for unpaid tubers.
I may be able to do pre-sale with a porch pick up model like I do with my bouquets if my schedule allows for it. TBC.
Tubers will be at the flower stand which operates on an honour system, cash or e-transfer model. Please maintain the incredible community vibes by respecting the honour system and not taking advantage of it.
Date for sale is still TBC as tubers need to be dug, divided and inventoried, but I am aiming for end of October. I will be in touch with individuals who have expressed interest in my tubers leading up to it.
There may be additional varieties added as I work through my inventory process.
Storage Tips
Dahlia’s are not reliably hardy to Southern Ontario and so they get dug up each Autumn, stored over the winter and replanted in the Spring. They are like fancy (expensive) potatoes and should be stored similarly. The internet is full of methods for storage and everyone you ask will have a slightly different way of doing it.
My first time, I was highly intimidated by the idea, so I dug the clumps up, shook off the excess soil, placed it in a bag and left it on my basement floor in the utility room. Out of sight, out of mind. There was some shriveling, but they made it to spring. Would I recommend this method, no, but it can be that simple.
I took a few years off dahlia’s after that and when I grew them again, I dug them up, shook off the excess soil, put the clumps into a 5 gallon bucket and left it by the back door. All. Winter. Long. (My family wasn’t thrilled by the sight of another one of moms half finished projects). Again, there was some shriveling but they survived until spring when I could replant them.
I still dig in the autumn, shake off the excess soil, but I don’t wash my tubers like some do. Now, I divide tubers rather than storing whole clumps to save on space. I store them in paper bags with a bit of vermiculite to help regulate moisture. All the little paper bags go into a bigger shopping tote or plastic storage tote with no lid to help move them easier. As a group, they go into my cold cellar. The catch is that as we get into January and February, my cold cellar can sometimes drop below freezing temps, so I do monitor the temperature in there. If it’s too close to freezing (less then 4C), I pull the totes into the basement and leave them on the cool floor until it’s safe for them to return to the cold cellar again.
Some varieties make beautiful flowers but have poor tuber storage life and it’s not you, it’s them; Dahlia’s are called diva’s for many reasons.
Most tuber sales occur in the Spring because even with the best practices, sometimes a tuber just does not make it to Spring and growers can have less disappointed customers by not placing the overwintering responsibility onto the customer. Many online sales start up February-April and shipping begins in April-May.
Growing Tips
If you want a head start on blooms, or if you want to take cuttings, you can wake your tubers up earlier by placing them into barely damp potting soil (we don’t want it wet so the tuber doesn’t rot) and placing them under lights indoors.
Otherwise sleeping tubers can be planted directly into the garden. I do not wait until last frost to plant mine. What I look for is soil conditions. Spring can be very wet and soggy in Southern Ontario so I am looking for soil that is moist, but like a rung out sponge. Not dripping. If the 14 day forecast is calling for a lot of rain I will hold off planting or I will cover the patch to deflect the water. Again, preventing rot. Once the tuber has roots and sprouts, the risk of rot begins to decrease. Do not water your tubers in when planting like you would a seed or seedling.
I usually plant in the first 2 week of May depending on the forecast that spring.
The deeper you can plant your tuber (6-8”), the more stable and sturdy it will be. A shallow tuber will need more staking to support the large growth. A deeper tuber will take longer to appear and possibly bloom.
If staking to support your dahlia, do it early so you do not accidentally pierce the tuber(s). I grow so many now that I use a ‘corralling’ method. You can also hill them up with soil as they grow and try not staking or supporting at all!
You can expect to have the first irregular bloom appear in mid to late July but they really hit their stride in mid August and continue right until Frost. They are often at their best in September and October. Dinner plate dahlia’s may not bloom until mid to late September as their large blooms require more time to develop.
Some years are incredible ‘Dahlia Years’ (2023!) and other years (2025...) are horrible. You may do everything right but the overall weather that year will play a large role in it being an epic or abysmal year.