Underrated Dahlias Worth Growing
Some dahlias get all the attention.
They’re on every wishlist, sell out quickly and cause a lot of perfectly rational people to lose all self-control (myself included!).
But some of the best dahlias in the field aren’t always the most hyped. They’re the ones that flower well, cut beautifully and earn their spot over the season.
This is a little appreciation post for those varieties.
Not necessarily the rarest or most popular. Just good dahlias that performed well here at Thistle & Weeds in the Dandenong Ranges and that I feel deserve a bit more attention.
What makes a dahlia underrated?
For me, an underrated dahlia is one I keep reaching for, even if it doesn’t have the same name recognition as the big favourites.
It might have useful colour, good stems, strong flowering or just be one of those varieties that makes the rest of the patch easier to work with.
Florelie Novice
Florelie Novice was an absolute workhorse this season.
Soft lavender tones deepen toward the centre and the stems were tall and strong. It was one of those varieties that kept proving itself every time I cut from it.
Why it’s worth growing:
- soft lavender colouring
- strong stems
- generous flowering
- useful for cutting
Xanzu Maddie
Xanzu Maddie is a pale pink with deeper pink tones through the centre.
It has a soft ombre effect that gives the flowers more depth than a standard pale pink. Beautiful with blush, cream, mauve and deeper berry tones.
Why it’s worth growing:
- pale pink with deeper centres
- soft but not flat
- lovely in romantic arrangements
- easy to pair with other colours
Portlight Pair Beauty
Portlight Pair Beauty Dahlia Tuber
Portlight Pair Beauty is a gorgeous alternative to US Peaches n Cream.
Warm peach, cream and golden tones make it really useful in softer palettes. It deserves attention in its own right, not just as an alternative to something more hyped.
Why it’s worth growing:
- warm peach and cream tones
- beautiful blended colour
- useful in soft arrangements
- lovely with blush, apricot and cream
Parklea KB
Parklea KB is a lovely copper ball dahlia and very useful for bouquet work.
It has that warm copper tone that bridges peach, coral, rust and blush beautifully. Ball dahlias also add structure without taking over the whole arrangement.
Why it’s worth growing:
- warm copper colouring
- neat ball form
- great for bouquet work
- pairs well with soft and rich tones
Sunset
Sunset is a warm, ruffled pink with large peachy-pink blooms on strong stems. A pretty alternative to West Coast.
It has softness, but still enough presence to stand out in the field and vase. A really useful variety if you like warm pinks and peach tones.
Why it’s worth growing:
- warm peachy-pink blooms
- ruffled form
- strong stems
- useful in soft and warm palettes
Miss Aylah Van
Miss Aylah Van has rich apricot-orange colouring with a lighter reverse on the petals.
It’s warm, interesting and stands out without being harsh. A great option if you love apricot, caramel, peach and copper tones.
Why it’s worth growing:
- rich apricot-orange colour
- lighter petal reverse
- good vase life
- beautiful in warm palettes
Isabel (or Isobel)
Isabel throws a lovely range of pinks and purples that almost glow in the field.
The colour shifts a little across the blooms, which makes it interesting to grow and useful to cut. Bright, but not sharp.
Why it’s worth growing:
- pink and purple tones
- beautiful colour variation
- useful in mixed bunches
- adds brightness without feeling harsh
Glenmarc Divine
Glenmarc Divine has the most beautiful pale blush-lavender colour.
It’s soft, unusual and hard to describe properly, almost a dusky mauve. A lovely one for softer palettes where you want something quiet but still a little bit special.
Why it’s worth growing:
- pale blush-lavender tones
- unique soft colouring
- beautiful with cream, mauve and blush
- lovely in romantic arrangements
CK Faye
CK Faye bloomed abundantly and did not stop all season.
It has a neat ball form and soft tones that make it extremely useful for cutting. Exactly the kind of variety I like having in the field.
Why it’s worth growing:
- abundant flowering
- neat ball form
- soft, useful colour
- excellent for cutting
Christie Leader
Christie Leader is a warm, ruffled dahlia on dark stems and it bloomed profusely all season.
The colour sits somewhere between orange, peach and copper, with enough depth to make arrangements feel rich and seasonal.
Why it’s worth growing:
- warm ruffled blooms
- dark stems
- strong flowering
- useful for earthy, autumnal arrangements
Heart Strings
Heart Strings was new to me this season and bred by Wild Violet Flower Farm.
It impressed me all season with soft colouring, delicate form and strong dark stems. A beautiful option if you want pale dahlias that still feel interesting.
Why it’s worth growing:
- soft delicate form
- strong dark stems
- beautiful for cutting
- useful in pale and romantic palettes
Otway Gem
Otway Gem was one of my favourite yellows of the season.
It’s difficult to capture accurately in photos, but it glows beautifully in the field. Soft enough to be useful, but still brings warmth and light.
Why it’s worth growing:
- soft glowing yellow
- beautiful field presence
- easier to use than brighter yellows
- lovely with cream, peach and apricot
Sheval Megan
Sheval Megan arrived here by accident as a mislabelled variety, but turned out to be one of the happiest accidents of the season.
Rich purple-red, great stems and fantastic for cutting. It adds depth to softer palettes and looks beautiful with pinks, creams and peaches.
Why it’s worth growing:
- rich purple-red colouring
- great for cutting
- useful contrast variety
- adds depth to arrangements
Trevallyn Pink Lady
Trevallyn Pink Lady Dahlia Tuber
Trevallyn Pink Lady is a clean pink that bloomed beautifully all season.
It was one of my most reached-for varieties for cutting. Not trying to be unusual, just genuinely useful.
Why it’s worth growing:
- clean pink colour
- strong flowering
- excellent for cutting
- easy to use across many palettes
Why these varieties are worth a look
It’s easy to build a wishlist around the dahlias everyone is already talking about.
But if you want a patch that’s actually useful through the season, make room for the quieter performers too.
The ones with good stems.
The ones that keep flowering.
The ones that make arrangements easier.
The ones you reach for again and again.
A good dahlia patch needs more than unicorns. It needs workhorses too.
Planning your dahlia patch?
Our dahlia tubers are grown in the Dandenong Ranges, Victoria, then lifted, divided and checked by hand before release.
If you’d like first access when our next dahlia tuber pre-sale opens, join the Dahlia Tuber Waitlist.
Join the Dahlia Tuber Waitlist
You can also browse the dahlia tuber collection to see the varieties planned for release.
Want more dahlia growing notes?
I’ve pulled together a Dahlia Growing Resources page with practical guides on choosing, growing, digging, dividing and storing dahlias.
It’s a good place to start if you’re building your wishlist, planning your patch or trying to work out what to do with your tubers at the end of the season.
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