This big, sprawling, high-spirited flower throws its petals out and about as if caught up in an ecstatic dance. Molten gold in the center, its petals are richly shaded with pink, apricot, and orange. Though we rarely offer dahlias this young, our very picky crew gave it a dozen green thumbs-up. 6-8” 4-5’, from Oregon. Last offered in 2012. Widely available elsewhere.

Perfect for perennial borders, this compact, apricot beauty is so packed with blossoms the whole plant looks like it was arranged by a floral designer. A long-time favorite in France, it grows about three feet tall and blooms exuberantly summer and fall with informal, 3-4 inch cactus flowers of apricot shading to fuzzy golden centers. The more you pick, the more it blooms! From Oregon. Last offered in 2006. Widely available elsewhere.

Hot and bright, this dazzling dahlia is the garden equivalent of those Fourth of July sparklers you loved as a kid. Its petals are exclamation points of brilliant yellow flamed with red. Bred in New Zealand, its Maori name means “cliff’s-edge sunrise.” 4-6” 4’, from Oregon. Last offered in 2006. Widely available elsewhere.

Improbably beautiful, ‘Prinses B’ combines unusual colors in dramatic flowers that we get all ga-ga about here. Opening golden-orange tipped white with peachy centers, they mature to pale, pale pink edged with orange-gold. Though it may sound weird, it’s oh-my-gosh lovely. Our photo can only hint at it! 4-5” 4-5’, from Oregon. Last offered in 2004. We hope to offer it again. For an alert, sign up for our email newsletter.

A perfect Valentine’s Day dahlia (if only dahlias bloomed then!), ‘Romance’ has gracefully curving petals of rosy pink tipped with silver and a heart of French vanilla. It’s a great size for bouquets, and exquisite with our ‘Pearl’ double tuberoses. 3-4” 4’, from Oregon. Last offered in 2006. Widely available elsewhere.

Up to a foot across, with ruffled petals of copper, amber, and bronze, ‘Sherwood’s Peach’ may remind you of a mellow, rising, autumn sun. One bloom in a Rookwood bowl on an old oak table is sheer bliss. But caution: this is our latest-blooming dahlia, so you’ll need a long growing season to enjoy it. 4-5’, from Oregon. Last offered in spring 2009. Widely available elsewhere.

With unusually small pompon blossoms about the size of those giant gumballs you may have loved as a kid, this grape-purple, Australian-bred classic is “perfectly formed” and “still the best” according to Gareth Rowlands in The Gardeners Guide to Growing Dahlias. 3-4’, from Washington. Last offered in 2006. We may offer it again periodically.