Lilac Mist Dahlia Bulbs

Lilac, and not much else. No blue cast, no pink flash — a flat, soft lilac that holds through the day. The inner petals stay curled toward the center even when the flower is finished opening, which gives it a slightly ruffled, informal look compared with the formal doubles here.

What you get

• Graded tubers with a visible eye, packed in peat.
• Blooms 4–5 in with a small warm center.
• Plants 30–36 in tall, with enough stems for cutting without stripping the plant.

Cutting garden note

Don’t cut more than a third of a plant’s stems at once, and always leave at least two sets of leaves below the cut. Dahlias feed the tuber from those leaves; cut too hard and next year’s tuber comes out smaller.

Planting

• Wait for warm soil. Plant two weeks after your last frost date, once the soil holds 60°F / 15°C at 4 in deep. Cold soil rots tubers before they wake.
• Set them 4–6 in deep, eye facing up, with 2–3 in of soil over the crown. Space 15–18 in apart so air moves between plants.
• Water once at planting, then hold off until shoots break the surface — a soaking wet tuber with no roots has nowhere to put the water.
• Full sun, 6+ hours. Stake at planting if you want straight stems; adding supports later breaks roots.

Season & hardiness

• Blooms 8–10 weeks after planting and keeps going until the first hard frost.
• Hardy in USDA zones 8–11. In zones 3–7 lift the tubers after frost blackens the foliage, or grow as an annual.
• Pinch the center shoot at about 12 in to double the stem count; more stems, smaller blooms.
• Deadhead spent flowers every few days. Left to seed, the plant stops producing new buds.