I absolutely love dahlias, especially the best dahlias for pollinators. For their sheer beauty, flamboyance, and charm, they are a fabulous choice for your garden. Out of the various flower types, the pollinators need the single flowered, the anemone, the collarette and the star dahlias (also called single orchid) for easy access to nectar.
Furthermore, pollinators need us now, more than ever, to provide flowers that will sustain them through their busy lives, so these dahlias are a fantastic growing option. My post Counting beautiful butterflies, gardeners can help explains the plight of the butterfly and what we can do to help. More information can be found at https://www.bto.org/butterflies22
My best dahlias for pollinators collection expands
As a result, I ordered several more dahlias for pollinators and will report back on them in blogs through the summer.
And on that note, here is the first of the new posts 10 beautiful dahlia flowers for pollinators I will, of course, be taking hundreds of photos and I will share some more of the best dahlias for pollinators with you. Looking through my photographs on a cold, wet, winters day raises the spirits and urges me to find yet more to grow in the spring.
Consequently, who could resist ordering a dahlia named Fancy Pants, or Pooh, or Night Butterfly, or Mexican Star, or Liquid Desire, or Dracula to name but a few!
The evidence of my passion
To demonstrate the extend of my passion for dahlias, I have had a count up.
The evidence is clear, I had over 200 dahlias in my garden when I wrote this post. They were planted in borders and in pots and naturally every year I’m tempted by more and more.
Fast forward to 2023 and I now have 350 dahlias flowering their socks off in my garden! The best dahlias for pollinators are a must for me!
Obviously, my greenhouse was stacked with new dahlia tubers starting into growth in the spring. Once the dahlia bug bites and you fall in love with them, the passion lasts forever.
My first 4 best dahlias for pollinators
Verrone’s Obsidian is a truly beautiful dahlia and must be my all-time favourite. The colour is a magnificent deep red, bordering on black. A stunningly beautiful dahlia, visited by pollinators all day long. As a result, I have planted fourteen of these in my garden and will be ordering a few extras. In addition, I will be taking cuttings this year to propagate many more.
Star shaped dahlia
Height 65cm
Honka Pink is another firm favourite and I rarely see these blooms without a bee or butterfly latched on for a feed. As a result of this, I have ten of these now in borders and in pots. Consequently, I’m wondering how many more I will be ordering and propagating from cuttings! Furthermore, these dahlias have had the largest flowers of the Honka varieties in my garden and are prolific bloomers. For example, they are productive for months and months. Also, the colour is a vibrant bright pink with a golden yellow centre. Fabulously bright in the garden and in pots.
Star shaped dahlia
Height 90cm
Blue Bayou is another magnet for pollinators. The first tuber I planted three years ago is now a whopping 120cm across and almost 150cm tall. To demonstrate my love of this variety, I now have four more planted up in borders.
The colour is not actually blue as dahlia breeders have not been able to create them in this colour yet…. This one is a beautiful purple colour with a deep berry coloured centre, stacked with nectar.
Honestly, one of the very best dahlias for pollinators
Anemone dahlia
Height 150cm
Honka Fragile is also loved by pollinators. Consequently, it’s a must for my garden. This one has unusual colouring, with a pinkish white petal and an outline of dark pinkish red.
Star shaped dahlia
Height 90cm
The next four best dahlias for pollinators
Waltzing Mathilda is a prolific flowerer in my garden and attracts pollinators throughout the day. This dahlia has flowers that can be shades of peach, coral, apricot and red, all beautiful blooms. In addition to the striking colours, the foliage is a wonderfully dark colour.
Decorative dahlia
Height 70cm
Bishop of Oxford is one of the dark leaf Bishop series. Another magnet for pollinators and a dahlia that has upwards of twenty flowers at a time, on one plant, in my garden. In addition, foliage is a deep purple which contrasts wonderfully with the flowers.
Another one of the best dahlias for pollinators and such a long flowering season.
Single flower dahlia
Height 70cm
The final four beauties
Destiny’s Teacher has striking blooms. The flowers are white with splashes of burgundy or wine red with a golden yellow centre. In particular, another favourite with the pollinators in my garden. I plant this one with white flowers to show off the pretty patterns on the petals.
Star shaped dahlia
Height 70cm
The Bishop of Llandaff is one of the most famous dahlias, often quoted as the variety that made dahlias fashionable again. A bright red flower with very dark purplish black foliage. Consequently, another magnet for pollinators in my garden and happy in pots. With this in mind, I have four in pots so far, sure I could squeeze a few more pots in the courtyard!
Single shaped dahlia
Height 70cm
The Dahlegria Tricolour is a lovely recent introduction which grows well in pots or at the front of a border. The flowers are a beautiful salmon, lilac, pink combination which sounds a clash but, the colours blend beautifully. A single flowered dahlia which is attractive to pollinators and has a lovely dark foliage to show off the blooms. The hoverflies are especially keen on this one, and who wouldn’t be?
Single shaped dahlia
Height 55cm
The Happy Single Juliet is one of a series of compact dahlias which grow well in pots or at the front of a border. The petals are a beautiful dark pinky lilac which contracts well with the dark, almost black, foliage. I also have Happy Single Romeo and H S Princess and have my eye on others in the series too.
Since writing this post, I have bought Happy Single Wink and I think this is now my favourite of the H S brigade. See my post 10 beautiful dahlia flowers for pollinators for details and a photo of this stunner.
Single shaped dahlia
Height 60cm
Teesbrooke Audrey is another firm favourite with the pollinators in my garden. The flowers are a delicate pastel lavender and white with a golden yellow centre. Subsequently, a flower for a calm area of the garden with lovely green foliage. Pollinating beetles are keen on this flower and show up well against the light colours of the flower.
Collarette dahlia
Height 100cm
My final best dahlia for pollinators
And finally, this dahlia was one of a mixed assortment, so I do not have the name. The flowers have been prolific and covered in pollinators. Furthermore, bees are often seen at dusk, tucked into the blooms for a well-earned rest. What a fantastic sight that is.
The petals are a striking dark pink, although they appear redder in the photograph.
Do let me know if you recognize this one.
Height 80cm
More thoughts on dahlias
It is equally important to grow dahlias for pollinators and to choose the varieties that you find attractive.
For example, if you are not fond of the colour pink, you might want to avoid the Honka Pink.
Similarly, if you are drawn to the pale and calm colours, you may wish to choose Teasbrook Audrey or Honka Fragile.
In addition to the 12 on my list, there are many more dahlias that are great for pollinators so enjoy choosing your favourites.
Grow some of the best dahlias for pollinators and enjoy a colourful garden, full of bees and butterflies, hoverflies and other beneficial creatures.
I purchase dahlia tubers from Sarah Raven and the tubers supplied have been of great quality and grew quickly into flowering plants. Also, there are some exclusive collections such as the Raven Dahlia Collection which cannot be purchased anywhere else. Please follow this link for the online shop.
Click here for Sarah Raven dahlias
This blog is an affiliate member of Sarah Raven. If you purchase using the link above, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
Whatever you can do in your garden, the pollinators will be grateful and so will I. Thank you.
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3 responses to “12 of the best dahlias for pollinators”
[…] every new dinnerplate dahlia she will get two Honka varieties for the pollinators. My earlier blog 12 of the best dahlias for pollinators gives you my top twelve dahlias that the pollinators loved in my garden in […]
OK you have convinced me. To the garden centre I must go
Indeed you must Martin and the pollinators will be very thankful