Dahlia
Dahlias were cultivated for centuries by the Aztecs as a medicine and a starchy food source. Their Nahuatl name, acocoxochitl, comes from the words a-ti (water), coco-tli (tube) and xochitl (flower), for a word meaning ‘flower of hollow stems with water.’ Dahlias grew all over the former Aztec capital and continue to flourish throughout Mexico, Central America and other parts of the world where they have naturalized.
These 1-4 ft. plants produce flowers of many sizes, shapes and colors from mid summer to frost. Some flowers are only 2″ across while others may be as big as your hand. Dahlia seeds typically produce very different flowers than their parents so instead we divide the tubers to create two plants with identical properties. This is why you’ll often see tubers for sale, but why you rarely see dahlia seeds at the garden center.
Bloom time: July-November