Last summer’s hot, dry weather created no end of challenges for gardeners across the US. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), temperatures during June, July and August 2001 were 2°F warmer than the 20th- century average. At the end of the season, the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) reported that 2021 tied with 1936 for the warmest summer on record. Heat extremes were equal to conditions experienced during the height of the Dust Bowl.
Total precipitation for the summer was a half-inch more than normal -- but it wasn't evenly distributed. Parts of the eastern Rockies and west coast received no precipitation at all for the entire growing season.
Some of 2021's most extreme weather occurred in the normally temperate Pacific Northwest. Seattle hit triple-digit temperatures for three consecutive days at the end of June, with June 28th soaring to 108°F, an all-time record. Prior to 2021, temperatures in Seattle had reached 100° only four times in 151 years of record-keeping. 
Two New Dahlia Collections in Warm Summery Colors
Floral designer Alicia Schwede, who creates our Flirty Fleurs dahlia collections, gardens just north of Seattle. Last summer's extreme heat was hard on her flower gardens. And no plants suffered more than the dahlias. Normally, dahlias grow beautifully in the Pacific Northwest. But last summer, Alicia's dahlias showed classic signs of heat stress: stunted growth, delayed flowering, and reduced production. Some varieties produced few, if any flowers.
When it came time to put together this year's new collections, she had to supplement her own dahlias with flowers from Pike Place Market in Seattle. Tellingly, even the options there were pretty limited.
Fortunately, Alicia came through with some wonderful new collections for 2022. Color-wise, they are right on trend with what we are seeing in wedding and event flowers. People seem to be moving away from soft pastels, toward more vibrant colors. They are also combining these colors in new and unexpected ways. Our new Cuenca and Marigot collections stretch the boundaries of what goes with what. They show that pink, orange, red, yellow and coral can sing together in perfect harmony. 
Flirty Fleurs Cuenca Collection
Not everyone is a fan of ball dahlias. Their style and personality are very different from the frilly, romantic flowers of Cafe au Lait or Belle of Barmera. Alicia is a relatively recent convert. "As cut flowers, I find ball dahlias to be more durable and longer-lasting than other types," explained Alicia. "These globe-like flowers are fun to work with and can really energize an arrangement. I'm also mesmerized by the way the petals create such perfect spirals!" 
Our newest Flirty Fleurs collection is named for Ecuador's third-largest city. The Cuenca Dahlia Collection includes four high-performing ball dahlias in warm, summery hues: Maarn, Cornel, Boom Boom Yellow and Zundert Mystery Fox. As you can see, all four work beautifully together. They are also great partners for other summer-blooming annuals and perennials, including everything from alliums to zinnias. 
Flirty Fleurs Marigot Collection
Alicia's wonderful sense of color is on full display in this new Flirty Fleurs dahlia collection. It includes four varieties with flowers that bloom in the tropical hues of banana, guava, mango and papaya. In fact, it's this warm, Caribbean vibe that inspired the collection's name. Marigot is the capital of French Saint-Martin. 
You could plant these dahlias in your flower beds, add them to a cutting garden, or grow them in containers. The Flirty Fleurs Marigot Dahlia Collection includes two of our top-selling decorative dahlias, American Dawn and Great Silence, as well as two outstanding ball dahlias, Boom Boom Yellow and Zundert Mystery Fox. All will bloom abundantly from midsummer to frost, giving you armloads of colorful flowers for decorating your home and to share with friends and family. 
Stretch Your Boundaries and Fuel Your Creativity
Home gardeners use our Flirty Fleurs Dahlia Collections in several different ways. Plant the complete collection to be sure you always have blooms that look great together in a vase. Or, use the collections as inspiration and add or subtract varieties to make your own unique medley of colors and textures. For the Spring 2022 planting season, we are offering a total of 13 Flirty Fleurs Dahlia Collections. To see them all, click HERE.
