I apologize that I did not get this post up last week!  I was hoping to make the floral explanation series a weekly thing!  But doing a destination wedding for a friend took priority – I will share those photos with you soon!

Today I want to talk about dahlias.  We are entering the best season for dahlias.  You can get them throughout August but they really start to  look amazing in September and October.

They come in a variety of colors and we love working with them as they give any arrangement nice texture.  Colors include the vibrant orange above, peach, white with a hint of green, magenta, purple, burgundy, yellow and light pink.  I will warn you though – they have a very pungent. musky smell to them.  If you are easily affected by the smells of flowers – I would stay away from this flower.  However, they are hearty flowers and on average they are moderately priced.

Our favorite place to buy  dahlias are from a local farm and from our growers in Oregon.  Why?  These are the most eco-friendly ways to go.  Of course with local farmers we are giving back to the local economy and there is one farm in particular we love that we also buy fruits and veggies from.  Then, the farmers in Oregon are able to produce their dahlias without pesticides and that we love!

I will say that even though the bouquet above is comprised entirely of dahlias, I do not recommend this all the time.  The shape of most dahlias make it more difficult to make a perfectly rounded shape for a bouquet. However, if you like the English garden or loose garden look for a bouquet – they are perfect choice.  We also think they are fantastic for centerpieces and large garden altar displays.

As we get closer to fall, we are starting to order more and more dahlias.  If you are planning your fall wedding for next year – keep dahlias on your “to do” list!