Inspiration

Floral Fridays: dreamy dahlias

Article by Homes to Love

This week Homes to Love caught up with award-winning florist Eden Hessell, aka The Botanist, to find out her top tips for dahlias

Eden Hessell, The Botanist

When are dahlias in season/available?
January through to March. It depends on climate and availability.

What colours are they available in?
You name it, dahlias come in that colour. There are so many vibrant shades of red, orange, lemon, cream, burgundy… I’m yet to see a blue dahlia though.

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What’s the biggest dahlia you have seen?
They can be the size of a dinner plate, up to 30cm!

Any dahlia facts up your sleeve?
They are the national flower of Mexico. It’s the second largest family of flowering plants next to the orchid. The dahlia was named after Anders Dahl, a Swedish botanist.

Should stems be trimmed or the leaves removed before putting them in a vase?
Dahlias are usually pre-shredded so they have just two leaves left at the top, which is ideal. Cut the stem on angle.

How do we keep the cut flower looking its best?
Refresh the water in the vase every two days and keep the flowers out of direct sunlight. You can also add a drop of Janola to the water to keep it clean.

 

How long do they last in a vase?
They will last 5-7 days in a vase.

Which other flowers do dahlias look good with?
They are such a magnificent flower on their own. I like to celebrate them on their own, or with a bit of foliage for interest.

Is this a popular wedding flower?
Absolutely. A dahlia will always be the focal flower in a wedding bouquet and they look stunning. I’ve been making a lot of deep burgundy and cream-themed dahlias bouquets for weddings.

What’s a new way to display them that we might not have thought of?

  • You can try gathering a collection of vintage beer bottles and placing a dahlia stem in each.
  • Another cool idea is to tape dahlia stems to the wall for a function or event such as a bridal shower. You can also use test tubes to keep the flower hydrated and tape these to the wall too.
  • They look amazing when you put a bunch of different coloured dahlias together –a whole group of red and orange-toned dahlias is a beautiful arrangement.

 

Words by: Eden Hessell at botanist.co.nzPhotography by: Georgia Bramley.

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