Majestic Dinner Plate Dahlia

Last Updated on September 8, 2023 by a Friendly Gardener

Dinner plate dahlias are unrivaled in their majesty and exquisite beauty. With their impressive size and stunning beauty, dinner plate dahlias are gorgeous and are certain to be the showstoppers in any summer garden.

What Are Dinner Plate Dahlias?

The American Dahlia Society does not classify the dinner plate dahlia as a type of dahlia. Instead, it is any plant that produces huge blooms having a minimum diameter of 8 inches at least. Belonging to the family Asteraceae, these heat-loving perennial plants grow very tall and their sturdy stems can reach up to 4 feet in height.

Dinner plate dahlia plants start blooming in the mid-summer and bloom continuously for several weeks adding color to your garden like no other plant. These spectacular and eye-catching flowers come in many forms, a wide range of gorgeous colors, and different petal shapes including cupped, quilled, twisted, or shaggy.

Dinner plate dahlias make great cut flowers for floral arrangements and bouquets. And, some of the popular varieties include:

• Café Au Lait: This variety produces creamy-white or peach-colored flowers with precisely cupped petals.
• American Dream: This plant produces big pink-colored blooms with stripes in darker pink.
• Taiheijo: The flowers in this variety have twisted petals and they are streaked with white and pink.
• Contraste: The flowers in this variety are deep red with white tips.
• Mick’s Peppermint: The variety produces lilac and white-colored blooms.
• Babylon Bronze: Produces pale orange-colored double bloom.

If you want to know everything about growing dinner plate dahlias and all about dinner plate dahlia care, in this article, we will discuss all this, and more, in-depth.

Planting Dinner Plate Dahlias

Commonly referred to as dinner plate dahlia bulbs by gardeners, actually, these plants are propagated from tubers. Plant the dinner plate dahlia tubers during spring, when the ground temperature is constantly above 60°F and frost is no longer a threat.

Plant your dinner plate dahlias in an area that has sun throughout the day or at least 6 hours of bright sunlight and where the plants will not dwarf your other plants. To plant the dinner plate tubers, dig a hole in the soil around 4-5 inches deep.

Plant the tubers around 3 feet apart as they need room to grow and spread. Fill the hole with soil up to the base of the stem and let the stem remain above the ground. Add more soil gradually as the plant grows. This will help to make the dinner plate dahlia plant stronger as it grows and becomes heavier.

The stems can grow up to a height of around 4 feet and each tube can produce around 10-12 flowers. If you live in the northern parts of the country, then it may be a good idea to plant the dahlias in pots and then transplant them to the ground in your garden later.

If you live in the USDA hardiness zone 8-10, then the dinner plate dahlia will come back every year, but if you reside in USDA hardiness zone 7 or lower, then you must dig up the dinner plate dahlia tubers and store them over the winter.

Soil Requirements

These plants are not very particular about the type of soil and grow in soil with neutral, acidic, or alkaline pH; however, the soil must be rich and well-drained because wet, soggy soil will stunt the growth of the plant and also attract a host of pests and diseases.

If the soil is heavy or clayey, then you can improve its drainage by adding sand, compost, or peat to loosen it.

Watering

Dinner plate dahlia plants need around 1 inch of water a week. It is best to water the plant deeply intermittently. Target the water at the root zone and try to avoid any water on the foliage and keep it as dry as possible as wet foliage can attract pests such as earwigs, snails, and slugs and also cause foliar diseases.

Fertilizing

Dinner plate dahlias grow best in soil that is rich in organic matter. Before planting the tuber, add an all-purpose fertilizer and compost to the soil to enrich it. Follow the application directions on the pack of the fertilizer for usage directions.

Dinner plate dahlias thrive when fertilized regularly. When the plants reach one foot in height, you can feed them with a multipurpose liquid fertilizer once a month at least, while following the dilution rates recommended by the manufacturer.

Supporting the Dinner Plate Dahlias

Typically, dinner plate dahlia stems are quite brittle and can be damaged very easily by heavy wind and rain. The weight of the large dinner plate dahlia blooms, especially when they are waterlogged, can be sufficient to pull the entire plant over and cause it to break.

It is recommended to stake the dinner plate dahlias and support them as soon as you plant them by using bamboo poles, wood stakes, metal rebars, or tomato cages. By doing this, you will not damage the tubers accidentally when inserting the stakes.

As the plants grow, tie them. Even if you don’t stake the plants until they are quite tall, you can do it even later on.

Picking and Deadheading Dinner Plate Dahlias

Picking the dinner plate dahlia blooms often, at least once in 1-2 weeks will encourage the growth of more flowers. Cut the blooms as soon as they open, before the back petals start softening. Cut long stems, even if this means removing the buds because doing this will encourage the plant to produce longer stems over time.

Repeat the same process to remove the spent blooms. Instead of just cutting off the flower, cut an entire stem. Make sure to remove all the spent flowers because these can collect moisture and serve as a breeding ground for diseases and pests.

How to Get the Biggest Dinner Plate Dahlia Flowers

The best way to get the largest dinner plate dahlia blooms is by removing the buds. Locate the central bud in the flower cluster and remove the two smaller buds adjacent to it. Although the plant will produce fewer blooms, doing this will ensure that the blooms are much larger.

Parting Thoughts

In conclusion, dinner plate dahlias can transform your garden dramatically with their impressive size, showy looks, and stunning colors. And, by following the tips in our article, you’re sure to have a showstopping and thriving dinner plate dahlia garden that will be the envy of your neighborhood.