Dahlias are absolutely stunning flowers that can instantly brighten up any garden with their lively colors and shapes. But behind those lively blooms are lush green leaves that are just as distinctive.
Learning how to identify dahlia leaves is an important skill for gardeners Not only does it help you distinguish dahlias from other plants, it also allows you to assess the health and needs of your dahlias.
In this comprehensive guide, we will cover everything you need to know about identifying dahlia leaves. We’ll look at:
- The characteristics of dahlia leaves
- Differences between mature and young leaves
- Common pests and diseases
- Tips for caring for dahlias
- And much more!
Let’s dive in and uncover the art of dahlia leaf identification
Characteristics of Dahlia Leaves
Dahlia leaves have some unique characteristics that set them apart from other plants. Here are the main features to look for:
-
Shape – The leaves are long and lance-shaped with a pointy tip. They have toothed edges.
-
Color – The leaves are generally a dark green on top with a lighter green underside. Some varieties have hints of purple.
-
Texture – Dahlia leaves have a slightly rough, hairy texture. You may notice tiny hairs on the surface.
-
Alternating Arrangement – The leaves alternate along the central stem in a staggered pattern.
-
Deeply Lobed – Mature dahlia leaves are deeply cut with lobes. Young leaves may not be lobed.
-
Veins – The leaf veins are slightly indented, giving the leaves a wrinkled look.
Once you get accustomed to these features, you’ll be able to spot a dahlia leaf from a distance!
Young vs Mature Leaves
It’s important to note that young and mature dahlia leaves can look quite different.
Young seedlings will have smooth, oval-shaped leaves without lobes. The leaves will get larger, deeper lobes as the plant matures.
Mature leaves also tend to be a darker, richer green compared to new growth. The veins and texture becomes more defined over time as well.
So don’t be alarmed if your young dahlia leaves lack some of the characteristic features. Give them time to reach maturity.
Common Diseases
While examining dahlia leaves, keep an eye out for any potential pests or diseases. Some common ones to look for include:
-
Blight – Look for dark greasy splotches on leaves and stems.
-
Powdery Mildew – A white powdery coating appears on leaves.
-
Aphids – Tiny pear-shaped insects cluster on stems and undersides of leaves.
-
Thrips – Silvery scarring and discoloration on flowers and leaves.
Catching diseases early allows you to take action before major damage occurs. Know what to watch for!
Caring for Dahlias
To keep your dahlia leaves looking healthy, there are a few care tips to remember:
- Site them in full sun
- Provide generous water during growth and blooming
- Stake tall varieties
- Prune old flowers to encourage more blooms
- Divide crowded tubers in spring
- Cut back stems in fall after first frost
Proper care will ensure your dahlia leaves remain a vibrant green and don’t show signs of nutrient deficiencies.
Tips for Identification
Here are some final tips for identifying dahlia leaves:
-
Look at the overall shape and lobing – long and lance-shaped with deep lobes
-
Check for the alternating arrangement along the stem
-
See if the texture is slightly rough and hairy
-
Look for indentations in the leaf veins
-
Compare young vs mature leaves
-
Watch for pests like aphids on the undersides
-
Get to know the appearance of healthy dahlia leaves
With practice, you’ll soon be spotting dahlia leaves from a mile away. The beauty is in the details!
Final Thoughts
Being able to identify dahlia leaves takes some patience and observation. But with knowledge of their key features, you’ll be viewing your dahlias in a whole new light.
Notice the rich green colors, the alternating arrangement, the lobed shape, and the texture. These characteristics all point to the dahlia.
Use this guide to hone your identification skills. With time, you’ll be a dahlia leaf expert! Then you can use your knowledge to properly care for your dahlias and keep them thriving in your garden.
Tuber Eyes, Crown, and Neck
The next most common question I hear from people new to dahlias is a variation of, “This tuber doesn’t have an eye on it, will it grow?”
If you receive a tuber or pull one out of storage and it does not have an eye actively growing on it, don’t panic. Let’s first talk about the structure of a dahlia tuber. There are three important parts of a dahlia tuber. The tuber itself, the neck, and the crown. In the below, I have color coded the different parts of a tuber: Green = Tuber, Purple = Neck, Pink = Crown. Later in this post I will show these parts closer up during the splitting demo.
Color coded parts of a tuber. Green is the tuber, purple is the neck. and pink is the crown.
Dahlia Tuber and Splitting Guide
With spring right around the corner and things warming up, I thought it would be a great time to start something I have wanted to do for a while: start a blog. I am hoping for this to be a casual thing, mostly talking about tips and tricks for growing or different happenings here on the farm. What a better way to to kick it off than with a review on dahlia tubers?!
Over the last five years we have split over 200,000 dahlias on our farm. At this point for us it is just muscle memory but for others it can be a real challenge. Questions about splitting and storing dahlia tubers are probably the most common I receive and seem to be what people struggle with the most when it comes to these beautiful flowers. In this post I am going to concentrate on the tubers themselves rather than on their storage. If you are interested in how to store tubers, make sure you check out our Dahlia Care page for some good information on that.
Just like people, different dahlia varieties have unique characteristics and come in many different shapes and sizes. Some might have long and skinny tubers, where others are short and fat. Some might produce lots of tubers per clump, and others might only be practical to propagate from cuttings because they produce few, if any viable tubers. Some store well, while others are notoriously difficult to store without them rotting or dehydrating. In short, when working with mother nature, you cannot look at tubers as an ‘off the shelf’ widget. Each one will be unique and there is no ‘standard’ shape or form for dahlia tubers across different varieties.
Here are some examples of different dahlia clumps that I pulled out of storage before they were split. This is what they look like when we put them into storage. There is still soil on them and they are not cleaned up too much yet.
A typical clump of Rip City dahlia tubers. It is one of the most productive varieties we grow.
A little better than average clump of Sweet Nathalie dahlia tubers.
A clump of Sea Nugget dahlia tubers. The tubers are on the smaller side but a clump like this can easily split 5 or 6 times.
Dahlia Tubers Finding the ‘eyes’
FAQ
How do you identify a dahlia?
Dahlias are classified by a wide variety of colors and heights, with bloom sizes from 1 to 14 inches and shapes that include mesmerizing spiral patterns, long or curled pointed petals, and perfectly formed geometric balls.
What do healthy dahlia leaves look like?
Dahlia leaves should be dark green and healthy. Slight yellowing leaves, called chlorosis, on lower leaves of dahlia plants and leaf drop is caused by low fertility.
Is there an app to identify dahlias?
Our app will suggest you the exact or similar Dahlia types once you focus your camera at a flower. About 700 dahlia cultivars may be currently recognized by the app.
What does a single dahlia plant look like?
Unlike the typically dense clusters of petals that most Dahlias feature, Single Dahlia flowers have a daisy-like form, with broad petals surrounding a central disc.