Top 10 Brand-New Types of Dahlias for 2022

Updated: Jul. 25, 2022

Dahlias are flower garden classics. Dazzling new types of dahlias are developed every year. Here are 10 of the best bloomers from 2022.

Dancin Queen dahlia
Via Swan Island Dahlias
Dancin’ Queen dahlia

The Best Types of Dahlias to Grow in 2022

Dahlias may be garden classics, but that doesn’t mean they never change. Fresh varieties with different shapes and colors are developed every year. We found the best types of dahlias to grow in 2022.

These new dahlia cultivars may be flashy, but they’re just as easy to care for as traditional dahlias. They’re hardy in Zones 8 to 11. In those zones, the underground roots, called tubers, can stay in the soil over winter. Here’s everything you need to know about growing and planting dahlias.

Outside of Zones 8 to 11, overwinter dahlia tubers indoors in dry sawdust. Cure them in a warm location out of sunlight for a few days and store in a place between 40 and 45 degrees. The tubers may die if it’s too cold or sprout if it’s too warm.

Editor’s note: Because these dahlias are fresh releases, they might not be available in garden centers. The tuberous roots ship well and can be planted in spring. Visit the American Dahlia Society at dahlia.org and Swan Island Dahlias for more new plants and ideas.

Hollyhill Peachy Keen Dahlia

Hollyhill Peachy Keen Dahlia

As a cactus-type dahlia, Peachy Keen boasts full double flowers with narrow petals that are a blend of dark pink and yellow. It grows 6 1/2 feet tall and produces loads of blooms until frost. As a consistent grower, each tuber produces plants with nearly identical height and habit, making your garden look even more uniform.

Why we love it: Enjoy the soft tropical colors in its spiky petals and its easy-growing nature.

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A single Redwood Honeybee dahlia in a small vase.
Brad Freeman/Courtesy of the American Dahlia Society

Redwood Honeybee Dahlia

The 5-inch blooms of Redwood Honeybee are a blend of yellow and pinkish orange. It starts blooming around eight to 10 weeks after planting and continues to flower until a killing frost if deadheaded. This cultivar stands tall in the garden, with stalks growing up to 6 feet tall.

Why we love it: The plant is always decorated by half a dozen blooms at a time, which make excellent cut flowers.

KA's Papa John is a pure white dahlia with curly petals.
Linda Taylor/Courtesy of the American Dahlia Society

KA’s Papa John Dahlia

Named after the plant’s creator, KA’s Papa John is an award winner and has some of the highest scores in trial gardens across the U.S. and Canada. It’s an impressive specimen with great form, a large size and a bounty of huge, pure white blooms. The flower heads are big, measuring a colossal 8 to 10 inches in diameter.

Why we love it: The wavy petals and bright white color make the blooms almost look like a bowl of soft serve vanilla ice cream.

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Oldoc Combustion dahlia has orange and red petals that curl into a star shape.
Cammi Waggoner/Courtesy of American Dahlia Society

Oldoc Combustion Dahlia

This orchid-type dahlia stands 5 to 7 feet tall, and the 2- to 3-inch star-shaped blooms are a favorite of monarch butterflies. Its name comes from the fiery effect of the flowers and the fact that the hybridizer (the person who bred the plant) is a practicing veterinarian with a few years under his belt.

Why we love it: The curl and colors of the flower, yellow in the front and red in the back, lend it a flamelike appearance.

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Kelsey Tinker dahlia has two sets of yellow petals: larger outer petals and smaller inner petaloids.
Debbie Hatt/Courtesy of the American Dahlia Society

Kelsey Tinker Dahlia

This dahlia grows 2 to 3 feet tall and about 18 inches wide. The 2-inch-wide blooms are monochrome, but they certainly don’t lack interest. The soft yellow flowers feature a ring of smaller secondary petals, called petaloids, surrounding the golden centers, which are a favorite haunt of bumblebees, honeybees and skipper butterflies.

Why we love it: You’ll see blooms just six weeks after planting, and it’s loaded with flowers until a hard frost.

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20th Ave Old Major is a bright pink globe-shaped dahlia.
Heather Ramsay/Courtesy of the American Dahlia Society

20th Ave Old Major Dahlia

A spectacular specimen, 20th Ave Old Major grows 4 1/2 feet tall or taller. It’s a vigorous bloomer with many ball-shaped purple flowers that make excellent arrangements and bouquets. Gardeners can harvest a steady stream of blooms starting in midsummer through the middle of fall.

Why we love it: The size and presence stand out in a plot. It also pairs well with boneset, verbena or other tall companion plants with dainty blooms.

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Lakeview Razzal dahlia looks like a firework with yellow and red spiky petals.
Dick Parshall/Courtesy of the American Dahlia Society

Lakeview Razzal Dahlia

This dahlia wows with a laciniate form, which means that the petals sport delicate split tips. The blooms average about 6 inches in diameter and truly shine all the way from midsummer to frost. At 4 feet tall, it’s a stout cultivar for a dahlia. But that stature is a plus in smaller gardens, and the plant may not require staking either.

Why we love it: Orange edges set Lakeview Razzal apart from other yellow types of dahlias, making it a real showstopper.

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types of dahlias, Felida Mardi Gras dahlia has a yellow center with white and magenta petals.
Linda Taylor/Photo Courtesy of the American Dahlia Society

Felida Mardi Gras Dahlia

Captivating star-shaped flowers, featuring golden centers surrounded by curling purple petals, stun in any garden. As much as people enjoy the 3 1/2-inch blooms, bees love them even more. It’s not unusual to see several visiting a flower’s center at the same time. Felida Mardi Gras grows about 4 feet tall and blossoms from midsummer to the end of the growing season.

Why we love it: Look closely at a bloom and see the intriguing flower-within-a-flower effect.

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types of dahlias, Glencoe Dandy dahlias features pale yellow petals with hot pink tips.
Bob Schroeder/Courtesy of the American Dahlia Society

Glencoe Dandy Dahlia

Aptly named, these types of dahlias are indeed a dandy addition to the garden. The three-tone magenta, white and yellow double flowers sit on a 2 1/2-foot-tall plant. The miniature size and bold colors give it a different flair. Glencoe Dandy is a prolific bloomer starting in midsummer.

Why we love it: The small size works well in containers or garden borders.

types of dahlias, A cluster of Windhaven Mac dahlias with yellow, peachy blooms.
Bob Romano/Courtesy of the American Dahlia Society

Windhaven Mac Dahlia

Growing 3 to 5 feet tall, Windhaven Mac exhibits wide 6-inch blooms that look like yellow, pink and orange fuzz balls straight out of The Muppets. It is a heavy-flowering dahlia with strong stems, and it stands up nicely in hot temps and is heat tolerant.

Why we love it: Even surrounded by other dahlias, it won’t look like anything else in the garden.

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