If color matters to you, or you have ever purchased a dahlia tuber that gave you a bloom with a different color than promised, please read. Quick read, less than 2 minutes.
I can be very picky about dahlia color. I love the peachy corals, and lemon yellows. I prefer a deep black red and not a purple red, if I can help it. If you have gardens set by color, as I do, check the background color of the leaves in the photo of the dahlia tuber you are looking to buy. I find many sellers will color adjust to make a dahlia seem a rarer color than it actually is. Or, perhaps a new seller may not pay attention ensuring a color is true when they throw up a photo of the dahlia for sale.
Additionally, look for a photo of the dahlia in bloom on the plant. Sun directly shining on a cut bloom facing up is generally not how a bloom will be facing on the plant or in a vase. Direct sun and shade absolutely impact color.
Why is bloom color important to me? I have a blue garden, a peachy coral garden and a yellow garden to honor my grandmother . A soft lemon yellow was her favorite color. Yellow is so lovely and cheerful; I want our yellow garden to be her yellow, not gold, not lemon-lime. I prefer my blue garden to be blue/lilac/periwinkle, not purple. I am an Eagles fan, I can’t have vikings purple in my yard. ~ha, jk!
Another reason is cost. The most important reason to be picky, for most of us. Dahlia tubers are spendy and add up fast in that shopping cart. I wish I could afford a ton of dahlia bulbs every season, but I can’t. I only have the budget for a few, so I need to be discerning to get the best value for my dollar.
My favorite dahlia, Labyrinth, is generally $15-25 for ONE tuber. You bet your butt I am being picky about every aspect of dahlia buying.
To Demonstrate What to Look For re: Tone
Another Example of Color Comparison
If anyone out there is as picky as I am for their garden, I hope this helps. I learned this lesson the hard way, to check background foliage for color. I purchased a Hollyhill Orange Ice dahlia from Bear Creek Farm (years ago, they are on my Never Buy list). In the Bear Creek Farm product photo, the dahlia was this lovely peachy coral, a rare color I had never seen before. Purchased and grew the dahlia. Nope, it was actually bronzy orange, nothing like the product photo. Now I actually check all the dahlia tubers I buy, doing an image search for a photo of the dahlia with the correct leaf color in the background. I am always thrilled with my blooms.
The End