There are certain flowers whose arrival I look forward to every year.
And then there are dahlias.
I absolutely adore them.
As a self-confessed autumnophile, the first dahlias appearing feels like one of those tiny seasonal markers that gives me all the feels. Summer isn't quite finished, autumn hasn't quite begun, and suddenly these glorious, blowsy, perfectly imperfect beauties start arriving in every imaginable colour.
And I cannot resist them.
After nearly twenty years working with flowers, I probably shouldn't get quite so excited about a bucket of dahlias.
But I do.
Every. Single. Year.
So, what's so special about dahlias?
Where do I start?
One of the things I love most about dahlias is their incredible variety.
Some are enormous and flamboyant, with dinner-plate-sized heads that can almost carry an arrangement by themselves. Others are neat little pompons and balls, made up of seemingly hundreds of perfectly arranged petals.
There are spiky cactus dahlias, romantic decorative varieties, beautifully simple single-flowered dahlias and everything in between.
And then there are the colours.
Soft blush and café-au-lait tones. Peach, apricot and salmon. Proper lipstick pink. Burnished orange. Butter yellow. Richest plum, claret and almost-black burgundy.
They're basically autumn's dressing-up box.
And because there are so many different forms, I can use dahlias to create completely different moods — from something soft, romantic and garden-inspired to a bold, contemporary explosion of colour.
A little dahlia history...
For a flower that feels quintessentially at home in an English late-summer garden, dahlias actually originate in Mexico and Central America.
They were cultivated by the Aztecs long before reaching Europe, and the dahlia is now the national flower of Mexico.
They arrived in Europe towards the end of the 18th century and were named after Swedish botanist Anders Dahl.
And here's something I rather love: botanically, what we think of as one enormous dahlia flower is actually a collection of many tiny individual flowers, or florets, arranged together into one spectacular flower head.
Which somehow feels very dahlia-ish.
Why have one flower when you can have hundreds pretending to be one?
The flower that bridges two seasons
This is perhaps the real reason dahlias have my heart.
They arrive at that delicious point in the year when summer starts to soften around the edges.
There can still be sunshine and warmth, but the light changes. Gardens deepen in colour. The first hints of russet and burgundy begin creeping in.
And dahlias seem to belong perfectly to both seasons.
Pair peach, coral and pink dahlias with soft garden roses and delicate flowers and they can still feel gloriously summery.
Take those same dahlias and introduce deeper burgundy, chocolate foliage, berries and richer textures and suddenly they take us straight into autumn.
For late-August and September weddings especially, they're a bit of a dream.
Dahlias don't really do boring
One of the joys of designing with seasonal flowers is that they have personality.
And dahlias have it in spades.
I love letting them be themselves rather than trying to make every stem behave. A huge, slightly unruly dahlia leaning out of an arrangement can be the thing that brings the whole design alive.
We've used them in bridal bouquets, table flowers, statement arrangements and installations — and even tumbling around a rather fabulous vintage Morris Minor.
Sometimes they're the star of the show.
Sometimes they're nestled amongst roses, lisianthus and late-summer garden flowers.
And sometimes one perfect dahlia is all that's needed.
Are dahlias good wedding flowers?
Absolutely — if you're getting married during dahlia season.
Their huge range of colours and forms means they work with so many different wedding styles, particularly for couples who love that abundant, gathered-from-the-garden feeling.
Their season in the UK generally runs from mid/late summer until the first frosts, with August and September being particularly glorious months for them. Exact availability varies with the weather and variety — one of the reasons we never like promising an exact seasonal flower too far in advance.
But if you're planning a late-summer or early-autumn wedding and tell me you love dahlias?
We're probably going to get along very well.
A few of our dahlia favourites
Looking back through these designs has reminded me just how different one flower can look.
There are the soft pink and peach dahlias that sit so beautifully alongside romantic roses.
The perfectly formed ball dahlias that give a design those gorgeous little pops of colour and texture.
The dark burgundy varieties that instantly make a palette feel richer and more autumnal.
And then those enormous, flamboyant dinner-plate dahlias that require very little introduction at all.
They're joyful. They're dramatic. They're sometimes a little bit wonky.
Which is probably why I love them.
Welcome back, dahlia season
I'm not quite ready to wish summer away.
But when the dahlias start arriving, I'll admit I'm happy to lean ever so slightly towards autumn.
There are buckets of them to choose from, late-summer weddings to flower and another season of designs waiting to be made.
And if you spot me looking unnecessarily delighted while carrying an armful of dahlias into the studio...
Now you know why.
Welcome back, you absolute dreamboats. I've missed you.
