Comparison of Dahlia Cultivars for Cut Flower Production in the Northeastern United States

A BSTRACT . Dahlias ( Dahlia × hybrida ) are a popular cut fl ower for local production in the northeastern United States. However, there are more than 20,000 cultivars to choose from, and the suitability of these cultivars as cut fl owers varies regionally. Fourteen dahlia cultivars were grown in Orono, ME, USA: Blizzard, Burlesca, Caf (cid:1) e au Lait, Caf (cid:1) e au Lait Rose, Clearview Daniel, Cornel, Cornel Bronze, Ivanetti, Lollipop, Neon Splendor, Rock Run Ashley, Sunspot, Tanjoh, and Tempest. These cultivars were selected after interviews with local dahlia growers. These cultivars all produced similar numbers of fl owers, but they differed in the time to form fl owers, stem length, and stem diameter. ‘ Rock Run Ashley ’ was the earliest to begin fl owering, at 35 days earlier than ‘ Tempest ’ and ‘ Caf (cid:1) e au Lait ’ , which fl owered last. ‘ Blizzard ’ and ‘ Tempest ’ had the longest stems and ‘ Lollipop ’ had the shortest stems. Growers may want to choose ‘ Rock Run Ashley ’ if they need fl owers earlier in the season, or ‘ Blizzard ’ or ‘ Tempest ’ if a longer stem length is desired. During a second study, we harvested fi eld-grown fl owers of ‘ Burlesca ’ , ‘ Cornel ’ , and ‘ Ivanetti ’ and treated them with deionized water or one of two commercial holding solutions. Holding solutions did not extend the vase life of ‘ Burlesca ’ or ‘ Ivanetti ’ , but they increased the vase life of ‘ Cornel ’ by 4 or 5 days.