Introduction
There is a unique kind of magic in planning a summer garden while the ground is still frozen. Dreaming of dinnerplate dahlias with blooms as large as a dinner plate or the intricate, geometric petals of a pompon variety provides a much-needed splash of color during the winter months. Planning your garden early is the first step toward a season filled with vibrant, cut-flower bouquets.
At Longfield Gardens, we want to help you make the most of your growing season by ensuring you have the best selection of high-quality tubers, backed by our 100% Quality Guarantee. Choosing the right time to purchase your dahlias is just as important as knowing when to put them in the ground. This guide will help you navigate the seasonal windows for buying, receiving, and starting your dahlia tubers.
Knowing exactly when to get dahlia tubers ensures you don’t miss out on popular varieties and that your plants arrive at the ideal time for your specific climate.
The Best Time to Order Your Dahlia Tubers
The best time to get dahlia tubers is actually much earlier than most beginners expect. While you won't be planting until the soil is warm in the spring, the "ordering season" begins in the heart of winter. For most gardeners, the ideal window to purchase dahlia tubers is between January and March.
Why Early Ordering Matters
Dahlias have surged in popularity over the last few years. Because of this, the most sought-after colors and shapes—like the creamy Cafe au Lait or the vivid "Emory Paul"—often sell out quickly. If you wait until the weather turns warm in May to start looking for tubers, you may find that the selection is limited to just a few basic varieties.
When you order in the winter, you are essentially "reserving" your place in line. We keep the tubers safe and dormant in our climate-controlled facility until it is the right time to ship them to your specific area. This allows you to browse the full catalog from the comfort of your home when the inventory is at its peak.
Planning Your Color Palette
Ordering early also gives you time to plan your garden's aesthetic. Dahlias come in an incredible range of heights, from border dahlias that stay under two feet to giant varieties that can reach five feet or more. By getting your tubers early in the year, you can map out where the tall Decorative dahlias will go and where the shorter "Melody" series will fit along your walkways.
Key Takeaway: Order your dahlia tubers in January or February to ensure you get the specific varieties and colors you want before they sell out for the season.
Understanding the Shipping Window
There is a big difference between when you buy your tubers and when they actually arrive at your doorstep. At Longfield Gardens, we time our shipments based on your USDA hardiness zone. This is a system that helps gardeners understand which plants will thrive in their climate based on average minimum winter temperatures.
Shipping Based on Hardiness Zones
We want your tubers to arrive in prime condition, ready to grow. If we shipped tubers to a gardener in Minnesota in February, the cold temperatures during transit could damage the delicate plant tissue. Instead, we wait until the weather is consistently mild enough for safe travel.
Typically, shipping begins in late March for warmer southern zones and continues through May for the northernmost parts of the country. This ensures that the tubers arrive about two weeks before the ideal planting time for your region. This window gives you enough time to inspect your order and prepare your garden beds without having to store the tubers for too long in your home.
Tracking Your Order
Once your order leaves our facility in Lakewood, New Jersey, you will receive tracking information. It is important to remember that a "label created" notice usually means the package is being prepared. The actual journey begins when the carrier scans the package. For more details, see our shipping information page.
What to Do Next
- Check your USDA hardiness zone using our online map.
- Watch for a shipping confirmation email in early to mid-spring.
- Clear a small space in a cool, dark area of your home to hold the tubers if they arrive before you are ready to plant.
What to Look for When Your Tubers Arrive
When your package arrives, the first thing you should do is open it. Even if you aren't ready to plant for another few weeks, the tubers need to breathe. Dahlia tubers are often packed in a material like peat moss or vermiculite to manage moisture during their journey.
Inspecting for Quality
A healthy dahlia tuber might look a bit like a small sweet potato or a bunch of carrots. Don't be concerned if the tubers aren't identical in size; different varieties naturally produce different sized tubers. A PomPon Dahlia may have very small, slender tubers, while a "dinnerplate" variety might be much larger. Both will produce a full-sized, beautiful plant.
The most important thing is that the tuber feels firm to the touch. It should not feel mushy or hollow. It is also normal for tubers to be slightly shriveled after storage and transit. As long as they are firm and have a "neck" connecting the body of the tuber to the crown (the top part where the stem was), they are ready to grow.
Spotting the "Eye"
The "eye" of a dahlia tuber is the small growth point, similar to the eye on a potato. This is where the new sprout will emerge. Sometimes the eyes are very easy to see, appearing as a small pink or green bump. Other times, they are "dormant" and won't be visible until the tuber is exposed to warmth and light.
Do not worry if you cannot see an eye immediately upon delivery. Once you plant the tuber in warm soil, the eye will naturally wake up and begin to grow. If you want to speed up the process, you can "wake them up" by placing them in a warm room for a few days before planting.
Temporary Storage After Delivery
If your tubers arrive in April but your ground is still frozen or soaking wet, you will need to store them for a short time. Dahlias are tropical plants at heart and cannot tolerate freezing temperatures.
Ideal Storage Conditions
Keep your tubers in a cool, dry, and dark location. A basement, a cool closet, or a garage that stays above 40°F is perfect. You want to keep them dormant, which means they should stay relatively cool but never freeze.
Keep them in the packing material they arrived in. This helps prevent them from drying out too much while also allowing for some air circulation. Avoid airtight plastic containers, as these can trap moisture and lead to rot. A cardboard box or a paper bag is a much better choice for temporary holding.
When to Avoid Watering
One of the most common mistakes is watering tubers while they are still in storage. Until the tuber has roots and a green sprout, it cannot "drink" water. Adding water to the storage container will only encourage mold. Simply keep them dry and tucked away until the outdoor conditions are right.
Timing Your Planting for Success
While you get your dahlia tubers in the spring, you shouldn't rush them into the ground. Timing your planting is the most important factor in dahlia success. Many gardeners feel the first warm day of spring and want to start digging, but for dahlias, patience pays off.
The 60-Degree Rule
Dahlias love warm "feet." This means they want the soil temperature to be at least 60°F. If you plant them in cold, wet soil, the tuber may sit dormant for too long, which increases the risk of it rotting before it can sprout.
A simple way to check is to wait until you are ready to plant your tomatoes or peppers. If it is warm enough for those summer vegetables, it is usually warm enough for your dahlias. In most of the United States, this happens between late April and early June, depending on your zone.
Watching the Frost Dates
Ensure that the danger of frost has completely passed. A light frost can kill the tender green shoots that emerge from the tuber. If you do get an unexpected late frost after your dahlias have sprouted, you can protect them by covering them with a bucket or a frost blanket overnight.
Key Takeaway: Wait to plant your dahlias until the soil is warm and the danger of frost has passed. This ensures the tubers sprout quickly and stay healthy.
Pre-Sprouting: Getting a Head Start
If you live in a region with a short growing season, such as the far North, you might want to "get" your dahlias growing before it is safe to plant them outside. This process is called pre-sprouting or "starting" them indoors. For a broader overview, see our All About Dahlias guide.
How to Pre-Sprout
About 4 to 6 weeks before your last frost date, you can place your tubers in pots or shallow trays filled with slightly damp potting soil. Keep them in a warm, bright spot indoors. You don't need to bury them deeply at this stage; just cover them with an inch or two of soil.
As the tubers feel the warmth of your home, they will begin to develop roots and send up green shoots. By the time the weather is warm enough to move them outside, you will have a small plant instead of a dormant tuber. This can lead to earlier blooms in the summer.
Managing Moisture Indoors
When pre-sprouting, be very careful with the watering can. The soil should be just barely damp—like a wrung-out sponge. Overwatering at this stage is the fastest way to lose a tuber. Once you see green leaves, you can begin to water a little more regularly.
Buying Dahlias Later in the Season
While January through March is the peak time to get dahlia tubers, you can often find them available through May or even early June. These late-season purchases are a great way to fill unexpected gaps in your garden.
The Benefits of Late Buying
Sometimes, as the shipping season winds down, you can find great deals or "lucky finds" of varieties that were hidden in the back of the warehouse. If you have a long growing season (Zones 7-10), planting in June is perfectly fine. Dahlias grow very rapidly once the weather is hot, and a tuber planted in June will often catch up to one planted in May by the time August rolls around.
Considerations for Late Planting
If you get your tubers late in the season, make sure you plant them immediately. At this point, the tubers are eager to grow and may already have long "sprouts" in the bag. Handle these sprouts gently so they don't break off. If a sprout does break, don't worry—the tuber will usually send up a new one from a secondary eye.
Site Selection: Right Plant, Right Place
When you are ready to move from getting your tubers to planting them, choosing the right spot is essential. We at Longfield Gardens maintain a trial garden to evaluate how different varieties perform, and the one thing that stays consistent is their need for sun and drainage.
Sunlight Needs
Dahlias are sun-worshippers. To get those big, beautiful blooms, they need at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight every day. If they are planted in the shade, they will become tall and "leggy" as they stretch for the light, and they won't produce as many flowers.
Soil and Drainage
"Drainage" simply refers to how fast water leaves the soil. Dahlias do not like "wet feet." If your soil stays soggy for a long time after a rain, the tubers are likely to rot. If you have heavy clay soil, consider planting your dahlias in raised beds or adding compost to help loosen the soil and improve drainage.
Space to Breathe
Give your dahlias enough room. While it is tempting to squeeze them close together for a dense look, they need air circulation to stay healthy and avoid powdery mildew. Space border dahlias about 12 to 18 inches apart, and give the large dinnerplate varieties at least 2 feet of space.
Simple Planting Rules for Success
Once you have your tubers and your spot is picked out, the actual planting is very straightforward. You don't need fancy tools or complex techniques to get great results.
Planting Depth
For the right planting depth, dig a hole about 4 to 6 inches deep. Lay the tuber horizontally in the hole with the eye (or the sprout) facing up. If you can't tell which way is up, don't worry—the plant will figure it out and grow toward the light. Cover the tuber with soil, but don't pack it down too hard.
Staking Early
If you are growing tall varieties, The Best Options for Staking Dahlias is a good next step. This avoids accidentally driving a stake through the tuber later in the season. As the plant grows, you can gently tie the main stem to the stake for support. This protects your blooms from being knocked over by summer wind or heavy rain.
Initial Watering
Unless your soil is bone-dry, you don't actually need to water your dahlias the day you plant them. The tuber has enough stored energy and moisture to get started on its own. Waiting to water until you see the first green sprouts emerge is one of the best ways to ensure the tuber stays healthy and rot-free.
Enjoying the Rewards
The journey from ordering a tuber in January to cutting a bouquet in August is one of the most rewarding experiences in gardening. Dahlias are "the gift that keeps on giving." The more you cut the flowers, the more the plant will produce.
Cutting for Bouquets
When your dahlias begin to bloom, don't be afraid to cut them! Bringing the flowers inside not only brightens your home but also encourages the plant to focus its energy on making even more buds. For more tips, see our How to Grow Dahlias for Cut Flowers guide.
Toxicity Note
While dahlias are a joy in the garden, it is important to remember that the tubers and foliage can be toxic to pets if eaten. If you have curious dogs or cats, keep your tubers stored out of reach before planting and monitor your pets around the garden beds.
Conclusion
Getting your dahlia tubers at the right time is the foundation of a successful growing season. By ordering early in the winter, you secure the best varieties, and by waiting for the warm spring soil to plant, you ensure your tubers have the best start possible. Gardening should be an enjoyable, relaxing pursuit, and following these simple timing rules makes the process stress-free.
Remember these key points for your dahlia season:
- Order between January and March for the best selection of colors and shapes.
- Wait for your shipment to arrive based on your local climate and hardiness zone.
- Store tubers in a cool, dry place if they arrive before the soil is 60°F.
- Plant in a sunny spot with good drainage once the danger of frost has passed.
We want you to feel confident and excited as you start your dahlia journey. For more specific variety information or to see what is currently available, you can browse our dahlia collections at Longfield Gardens.
"Dahlias are a testament to the rewards of patience. From a simple, humble tuber comes a summer full of some of the most spectacular blooms in the plant kingdom."
FAQ
Can I buy dahlia tubers in the fall?
Most major retailers and specialty growers open their orders in the late fall or early winter for the following spring. While you "buy" them in the fall, you won't actually "get" them delivered until the spring when it is safe to ship and plant in your area.
What should I do if my dahlia tubers arrive and they look dry?
It is very common for tubers to look slightly shriveled or dry after being in storage or transit. As long as they feel firm when you squeeze them gently, they are perfectly healthy. Once they are planted in warm, slightly moist soil, they will "plump up" and begin to grow.
When is it too late to get dahlia tubers for the season?
In most regions, you can get and plant dahlia tubers as late as early June. While they will bloom later than those planted in May, they grow very fast in the summer heat and will still provide a beautiful display of flowers throughout the late summer and autumn.
Why hasn't my dahlia tuber order shipped yet?
We time our shipping based on your USDA hardiness zone to protect the tubers from freezing during transit. If you live in a cold northern climate, your order will be held in our climate-controlled facility until the weather is mild enough for the tubers to travel safely to your doorstep.
