Dahlia 'Café au Lait'

The subtle coloring of mocha with pink tones in Dahlia 'Café au Lait' is not what you might expect in a large, 8–10'' flower. It's a shade worth getting lost in. If you haven't spent time reading Henry Mitchell's The Essential Earthman, you have missed some great and wryly distilled advice for gardeners. He observes of Dahlias, "while none have yet been bred that are quite as large as TV sets or as bright as atom bombs, they will bloom magnificently and conspicuously enough through September and October, when few other things do." This is one of the varieties that produce the biggest blooms, merely dinner-plate size. Decorative form.

The Dahlia genus is made up of tuberous plants native to Mexico and Central America, celebrated for their wide range of colors, sizes, and flower forms, making them a favorite among gardeners and florists alike. With thousands of cultivars, Dahlias offer an incredible variety for any garden design, from small border plants to striking dinner plate-sized blooms, showcasing their versatility and ornamental appeal. They bloom from midsummer through fall, providing vibrant displays. Dahlias prefer full sun (though partial shade is acceptable), well-drained soil, and even moisture. They are perennial in Zones 8–10. In colder zones they are treated as annuals and need to be overwintered indoors. Through years of growing and trialing, we've selected some of the best performers to offer to our customers.

Please note: Dahlias should be planted outside once the danger of frost has passed and soil temperature has reached approximately 60°F. We ship Dahlia tubers beginning in early spring. The tubers may be stored in their bags in a cool, dark, dry spot until warmer weather arrives (the bottom of a closet in a cool room or a box in the basement work nicely; do not refrigerate), or they may be prepotted indoors to start them growing before they are transplanted into the garden.

For more information on growing Dahlias, click Growing Guide.